Meet the Aloha ʻĀina Choir of Kula Elementary School
Weʻd like to introduce our newest singing group here in Upcountry Maui, The Aloha ʻĀina Choir from Kula Elementary School. Led by Choir Director and Teaching Artist, Melinda Caroll, the Aloha ʻĀina Choir meets 2 times a week after school.
It takes lots of practice, focus, memorization and listening skills to sound good. Each of our voice and singing exercises & rehearsals overlap into all academic fields and body-mind development, plus brings the added social, emotional learning benefits of each song they sing together. With practice and persistence, each student is building their musicality muscle, along with confidence & physical strength.
As with all When We Shineʻs programs, our goal is to provide a safe, creative learning space for building personal skills and learning collaboration. Our Choir program also allows our students to share their vocal and music skills with their peers and with our island, bringing songs and healing music to our local community and beyond. The students move at their own level and are encouraged to challenge themselves to sing lead vocals and to learn harmony. As singers and performers, they are learning to be the initiators and creators, not just consumers!
There is a great need in Hawaiʻi for more singing and performance programs in our public schools, as well as music education. Music and all that it brings, intellectually, emotionally and creatively also includes learning how to collaborate with others. The benefits of singing together also brings joy, not only to the singer, but to everyone who listens.
When We Shine was able to start this choir at Kula Elementary through the generous sponsorship of Madeline Callahan and the Fred Baldwin Family Foundation, of which we are most grateful!
Our Choir honors Hawaiian culture and values both through our music & songs and outreach. All of the choir songs are about local community and our Hawaiian Islands environment, including plants, animals, the ocean and our forests. Each song sung by the Choir has been co-written by other students, their peers, with the focus on Aloha ʻĀina, a love for all life in our beautiful islands and for our Island Community. Our songs tell stories about the land, like the song Na Maka O Ka ʻĀina, The Earth Has Eyes, which they sing with artist Mentor, John Cruz. They sing about endangered species, Aloha e Koholā, and Iʻiwi, Hawaiian Songbird, with Raiatea Helm, Artist Mentor. They sing about the people and the values we hold dear in our Island living in the songs like Heart of Aloha and Ohana.
