KSM band program conducts final concert
Photo by Riann Fujihara
Ms. Jamie Kim conducts middle school band members. The Kamehameha Schools Maui Band Program had an end of the year band concert, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. in Keōpūolani Hale.
The Kamehameha Schools Maui Warrior Band program ended the year with their last concert, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. in Keōpūolani Hale.
All the band students were under the direction of Ms. Jamie Kim, finishing her first year as part of the Kamehameha Schools Maui ʻohana. The concert featured both middle school and high school band members, ranging from grades 6-12.
“At first I thought it was going to be really hard, and this is my first year teaching middle school. I taught high school for the past three years, but actually, it ended up being really nice,” Ms. Kim said.
To begin the night, the high school jazz band provided pre-concert entertainment with “Bb Blues,” “Canteloupe Island,” and “Manapua Man.” The jazz band members were sophomores Kayleen Lau, Kaimana Copperfield, and junior Justin Shiffler, and Ms. Kim joined them on the saxophone. During “Manapua Man,” the audience enjoyed singing along with the lyrics that were in the program.
The sixth-grade band went on immediately after the pre-concert entertainment. They played three songs before the seventh graders took the stage. The seventh graders performed four songs. Then, the eighth graders started off with “Activity March,” performing three songs in all.
The stage was filled with student musicians.
“The band concert this year was way better because there were more students in band compared to last year,” said eighth-grader Bryson Reformina.
The high school band finished the concert with four songs. They attributed their performance the time they dedicated to practice both in class and after school. Before they performed their last song of the night, Ms. Kim awarded a few “outstanding students” for their efforts in band.
The first award, the Director’s Award for junior high, was given to eighth-grader Styles Soares. The high school Director’s Award went to senior Timothy Osterhus, who has been in band for the past five years.
“My favorite part about band was probably seeing my progression throughout the year, seeing how far I’ve come even from just this past semester,” Osterhus said.
Sophomore Kaimana Copperfield earned the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award,Sophomore Keahi Johnson won the Patrick S. Gilmore Award, and the John Philip Sousa Award went to sophomore Kaila Kalauokaʻaea-Kahele. According to The Instrumentalist, the Sousa Award is “the pinnacle of achievement in a high school band. Introduced in 1955 to honor the top student in the high school band, the John Philip Sousa Band Award recognizes superior musicianship and outstanding dedication.”
The final song of the night was “Pirates of the Carribean,” ending the concert at around 7:30 p.m.
Ms. Kim said that she plans to continue to build the band program and that everyone seems to be willing and wanting to make that happen.
“I really believe in this school and what they’re doing for the students, so that is like the best thing, that’s why I’m coming back,” she said.
