Maui’s Institute of Hawaiian Music Nominated for Two Nā Hōkū Awards

IHM second class. The Institute of Hawaiian Music is a one-of-a-kind musical mentorship program dedicated to the perpetuation and preservation of Hawaiian music.

“Aloha ‘Ia Nō ‘O Maui”, the second CD produced by UH Maui College’s Institute of Hawaiian Music, has received two nominations for the 2016 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.

The IHM album was nominated in the “Compilation Album of the Year” and “Hawaiian Language Performance” categories.

The finalists for Hawai‘i’s most prestigious music awards were announced today, and the final ballots were sent to members of the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts this week.

The CD is entered in one additional category – Engineering – but the final nominees for that category will not be announced until later this month.

“We are obviously thrilled by these nominations. It’s a testament to the hard work that our students put into the project, with the help and support of their instructors and music industry mentors,” said Dr. Keola Donaghy, faculty coordinator of the Institute of Hawaiian Music in a department press release today. “We’re especially grateful to Joel Katz, Halemanu Villarimo, and Kenneth Makaukāne for their exceptional efforts in engineering and other contributions to the recording,” he added.

The staff and students of the Institute of Hawaiian Music has produced two compilation CDs, “Pukana” in 2013 and “Aloha ‘Ia Nō ‘O Maui” in 2015.

The Institute of Hawaiian Music’s is a one-of-a-kind musical mentorship program dedicated to the perpetuation and preservation of Hawaiian music.

Formal university classes are supplemented with direct mentorship sessions led by professional Hawaiian musicians.

Students selected for the IHM program will receive exclusive opportunities to receive personal training, guidance, and knowledge through these mentor-mentee relationships with performers, composers and other industry professionals.

Visiting mentors have included Keali‘i Reichel, Kenneth Makuakāne, Mailani Makainai, Keola Beamer, Kainani Kahaunaele, Aaron Salā, Raiatea Helm, Jake Shimabukuro, Barry Flanagan, Mark Yamanaka, and former IHM director and Grammy Award-winning slack key guitarist George Kahumoku, Jr.

IHM offers classes in guitar, ukulele, singing, keyboard, composition, music theory, repertoire development, dance, music industry business and marketing, and recording.

Students will be given training on their instruments, voice, and harmony. They will be directed in repertoire growth, stage presence, and recording techniques. Students will also complete courses in Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language to understand the cultural roots of their art.

Students who successfully complete the two-year program will receive an Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Music. Scholarship support is available for students in the program. New students are being sought who will begin studies in August, 2016.

Interested individuals are invited to email ihm@hawaii.edu or call (808) 984-3570 to receive additional information about the program and to reserve an audition spot.

More information about the Institute of Hawaiian Music is available on their website.