Page 5 - MidWeek Central - Dec 22, 2021

Waipi‘o Studio Dreaming Of ‘A Vintage Christmas’ This Year
DECEMBER 22, 2021 5
BY JOCELYN LANSANGAN
first came up with the idea of creating the album with his students.
adds student Kaylen Landry. “We learned that when work- ing as a team the creativity is endless.”
This holiday season, join Nā Maka ‘O Puʻuwai Alo- ha for A Vintage Christmas, the first-ever Christmas EP for the nonprofit performing arts studio in Waipi‘o. Led by ʻukulele/guitar instructor and founder of Aʻo ʻUkulele, Jonah Davis, the inspiration for the EP came from want- ing to teach his students the process that goes into mak- ing an album.
“In a COVID-dominated world, everything is chang- ing; the music landscape is changing, the way to live as a musician is changing, and I saw an opportunity to guide them through this process and let the experience be the teacher,” states Davis.
after, Davis and his students turned their attention toward photoshoots and CD cover concepts.
Davis echoes that senti- ment, saying, “I hope every- one takes a minute to listen to it and enjoy the heartfelt love that myself and everyone who put this project together has poured into creating this project. I want to thank you all for supporting our students through this project. Please listen, enjoy it and have a beautiful Christmas.”
“I am always searching for new ways to engage and en- courage the learning of my students to make music mean- ingful and create new oppor- tunities for them that are rele- vant to music,” he says.
He sought to not just work with them as an ʻukulele/gui- tar teacher, but also in artist development with the process of recording, producing and marketing an album.
(Above and right) Students of Waipi‘o-based studio Nā Maka ‘O Pu‘uwai Aloha played a crucial role in the making of A Vintage Christmas.
PHOTOS COURTESY JONAH DAVIS
“They really participated in every part of the process, and now we have our very first al- bum,” says Davis.
It was the morning after the studio’s annual hō‘ike perfor- mance in October when Davis
“He showed us everything from laying tracks, to promot- ing through (social) media, as well as pushing us to be better musicians,” says student Don- ovan Alos.
Puʻuwai Aloha, ranging in age from 5 years old to mid- 70s, all played a vital role in the album — each recording their instruments, vocals and harmonies. Davis, along with the help of his Aʻo ʻUkulele production team, would spend hours recording each of them
whenever they were available. According to Davis, it took a solid month of constant re- cording, which took place in Aʻo ʻUkulele Studio and Nā Maka Studio. Once that was completed, the soundtracks went into mixing and mas- tering to be finalized. There-
UP TO
“We’ve created something that is very special to us and something we hope for every- one to enjoy. We’ve learned so much about the amount of work, time and dedication it takes to create an album,”
Comprised of six tradi- tional Christmas songs with a unique flair of aloha spirit, A Vintage Christmas is now available on CD, digital me- dia and streaming platforms.
Students of Nā Maka ʻO
Visit jonahdavis.com and namakastudio.org for more information.
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