Page 6 - MidWeek Windward - Nov 2, 2022

6 NOVEMBER 2, 2022
Kailua Inmates Find Joy In Music By UH Band Students
Students from the Uni- versity of Hawaiʻi at Mā- noa band program re- cently shared their gift of music with people incarcer- ated at the Women’s Com- munity Correctional Center in Kailua. More than 50 stu- dents in the wind ensemble, the program’s premier band, performed a variety of se- lections from Hawaiʻi, the continental U.S. and Europe during the October event. Each piece in the hourlong program ended with ap- plause from the nearly 200 people in the audience.
students probably never considered playing for an audience like this, the expe- rience can change lives of all involved for the better.
nities who might not other- wise hear the wind ensemble and UH bands, and to share our talents with such an en- thusiastic audience. I felt like not only the band connected amongst the members, but we also connected with the audience in a way that was unique and special to us.”
One of them was Tsofit Ohayon, who shares that she previously played in the band growing up.
Students from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa band program perform at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA
“For our students, this is a really unique opportunity to perform for an audience that they might not think of in their ordinary life, a part of our community that we all too easily ignore,” Boeckman states. “For this audience, we can offer them some entertainment, and hopefully the gift of music, of dignity and of humanity. And what a fun audience. They were easily the most enthusiastic crowd we’ve had in years.”
Nadia Pagdilao, a UH Mā- noa student and singer, re- ceived perhaps the largest ovation of the evening as she sang alongside the band for several pieces, including Kaulana Nā Pua, Kame- hameha Waltz, Hawaiʻi Alo- ha and Aloha ʻOe. The band concluded its performance with the Hawaiʻi Five-0 theme song.
“I think it’s extremely soothing,” Ohayon states. “That type of music is very
good intellectually. It’s very good for the soul. It’s very good for the energy, espe- cially in a place like this. En- ergy can be rough so it was
very soothing and peaceful. It created a camaraderie amongst the people. They were very happy and excit- ed about it. And more than
anything, music is a univer- sal language, and I think that was the key factor.”
UH Mānoa student and clarinet player Michael Han adds, “We were just so honored to play for commu-
For more info, visit manoa.hawaii.edu/news/ article.php?aId=12248.
PHOTO COURTESY JASMINE AMARAL
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