For the Love of Piano
ALOHA INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL
As a student, Nakamichi traveled to the Mainland, where she attended her first musical festival. Inspired, she later established Aloha International Piano Festival.
“I thought it would be great to do something like this in Hawaii because not many kids have the resource or opportunity to go to the Mainland for similar festivals,” she says.
It began very small, with only about 15 participants.
These days, Nakamichi has to screen interested hopefuls. This year’s festival will welcome 50 students, who will participate in Piano Academy (for students serious about pursuing music), competitions or both.
This will be the third year 11-year-old Jairus Rhoades will participate in Aloha International Piano Festival, and his second year in both the academy and competition. Last year, the Mililani Uka Elementary fifth-grader placed first in the level B, age 9-11 division. He, like Nakamichi, has played since the age of 4, and since 2011 has studied under Joanna Fan. As young as he is, Rhoades speaks eloquently and passionately about his love of music and the value of Aloha International Piano Festival.
“There are a lot of people coming in from many different types of countries, and I feel that it’s great to see how these people show their love and passion for music,” he says.
It isn’t only students enrolled in the academy or participating in the competitions who are coming from around the world.
Part of the draw for Aloha International Piano Festival is the group of professional pianists who lend their time as judges, teachers and performers. This year’s lineup will include the likes of Jon Nakamatsu, Thomas Sauer, Haewon Song, Sara Davis Buechner and Noriko Uenaka, as well as Nakamichi and special performer Ryota Yamazaki.
“Last year, I had a lesson with Haewon Song and the first thing she told me was … paintings are a way of decorating a place, but music is how we decorate time,’” recalls Lauren Nguyen, a ninth-grader from Iolani School, who has participated in the festival since age 8.
“That really just changed my perspective on how I play, because now I want to make my music art, I want to make it decorative,” she adds.
Ultimately, that is what Aloha International Piano Festival is about: Showcasing young talent and fostering their growth as musicians.
Master classes, for instance, bring together a professional and students in a classroom setting. Open to the public and free to attend, these three-hour sessions are not only informative for students, but for anyone in attendance — especially other piano teachers.
“If a teacher can learn from that, the level of playing will get higher and higher here locally,” says Nakamichi, “and I’ve already seen the improvement of the teachers.”
In the short amount of time the festival takes place, the improvement seen in students is noticeable.
And as nerve-wracking as it may be for students, especially those competing, all of it is, well, fun.
“It’s a festival, and you’re supposed to have fun,” says Rhoades.
