WAIPOULI — People come from all over to learn from these amazing kumu, said Rosemary Heckman, marketing director for Mohala Hou Foundation Thursday.
Mohala Hou Foundation hosts the week long Aloha Music Camp on Hawaiian culture, lifestyle, music and hula at the Courtyard by Marriott at Coconut Beach.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Heckman said. “A lot of the campers say it was on their bucket list, and once here, keep returning.”
Famed slack key (guitar) pioneer Keola Beamer, his wife Kumu Hula Moanalani Beamer, and Hawaiian language specialist Kaliko Beamer-Trapp lead this camp.
“They are joined by some of the most respected musicians, performers and instructors in the Islands,” said Barbara Gusman of the Courtyard by Marriott.
Heckman said the Aloha Music Camp draws students from ages 10 through 92 from all parts of the United States as well as from Germany, Japan, Canada, and Europe.
“This is the first time the Aloha Music Camp has come to Kauai,” Heckman said. “And based on the campers’ reaction, we’ll be back.”
During the camp, students learn to play slack key guitar on different levels from beginning to advanced, ukulele, steel guitar, dance hula, make lei, learn Hawaiian songs, and with the help of Dennis Lake, even build a functional ukulele using cigar boxes.
John Keawe, along with his wife Hope, helps lead the camp.
“I got to share my music with all levels of players,” Keawe said. “A lot of them push themselves upwards and try to keep up with the more advanced players. Over the years, I’ve made so many friends through this camp. This is what the camp is all about — friends.”
The Aloha Music Camp started with a vision by Nona Beamer who was with her family on the Big Island, sharing each other’s company and music, said Beamer-Trapp.
“Aunty Nona said we’ll do this one year,” Beamer-Trapp said. “She wanted to do something to share the music, culture, friendship and love.”
The camp was spawned on the coastline of the Big Island before moving to Molokai where it flourished at the Molokai Ranch. When the ranch closed down, Heckman said the camp returned to Kona on the Big Island, but the resorts were too big.
“We did a survey among the campers and Kauai was one of the places which was popular,” Heckman said. “We decided we would bring the camp to Kauai.”
Spread out on the Waipouli property, the camp called for various tents to be set up, but the inclement weather forced campers indoors, Gusman said. Despite the move to accomodate the weather, Heckman said the Waipouli hotel is very conducive to the camp learning experience.
“I did an Internet search for ‘Hula Lessons in Hawaii,’ and this camp popped up,” said Kathi Kendrich, a teacher from California. “I thought I would do it once, but I’ve been returning for 10 years. The instruction we get gives me foundation and confidence when I talk to my students about Hawaii.”
Keawe said he teaches people in the “old style way,” using no instruction sheets, or sheet music.
“Everything is by ear,” he said. “This is the way I learned, and this is the way we pass things along.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
