 |
Photo By: Marketa Stastna
Over the past 3 years, around
|
|
All around Molokai - in schools and youth centers alike - children are strumming to †he tune of donated ukuleles, thanks to the Ukulele Guild of Hawaii.
Three years ago, the guild started a program, Ukes for Kids, in support of perpetuating the Hawaiian culture by donating ukes for children, wishing to learn but unable to afford the instruments.
"It's organized to promote the appreciation of playing the ukulele," said Dan Ryerson one of the directors of the guild. Ryerson is also the one spearheading the Ukes for Kids program in Molokai.
"One of the best ways is to provide it to the youth," he said.
He explained the ukuleles are inexpensive, but of good quality.
Over the past three years, some 300 ukuleles have made their way from the shop to the little players' hands on Molokai thanks to the program.
Currently, 90 more ukuleles are on their way to the island for the promising musicians to strum.
The main contributor to the program in Molokai is the Na Ohana Hoaloha group. The group's Sunday performances at the Lodge at Molokai Ranch normally finish off with a plea for donation to the program.
"We've … made enough money to purchase 300 ukuleles," said Lucy Lamkin, one of the group's ukulele players to the applause of last Sunday's audience.
But in order to earn their ukuleles for a permanent keep, the students must comply with certain rules and continue on with the hobby for a specified period of time after the completion of the class.
"They should meet a performance standard," Ryerson noted, adding that the teachers in charge decide upon the specific requirements.
Josh Adachi, program assistant at the Youth Center, has been teaching ukulele classes in collaboration with the program for over a year. Currently, the 25 ukuleles he has for his classes are simply not enough due to the high interest, he said, and he had to request even more instruments to keep up with the uke demand.
Adachi said he finds his job fulfilling because it allows him to watch the growth in his students.
"Some of them just excel," he said, adding that the majority of his students are very young in comparison to the other participants in the program.
"It's gratifying to see the really young ones to come and learn from scratch," said the ukulele teacher.
Adachi also teaches family ukulele classes at the center on Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m.
Na Ohana Hoaloha performs every Sunday at the Lodge from 5-7 p.m.
|
