MAUI — The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation has awarded UH Maui College’s Institute of Hawaiian Music (IHM) $200,000. This is a 1:1 challenge grant.
"Hawaiʻi is filled with talented musicians ranging from beach ukulele players to rock stars," said Clyde Sakamoto, UH Maui College Chancellor. "Maui has its share of gifted young musicians who require stronger support to join the profession. The College secured US Dept. of Labor funds and built a recording studio and appointed Grammy Award Winner George Kahumoku to serve as the first IHM director to meet this need." Sakamoto continued, "The first group of students for the Institute of Hawaiian Music will be
admitted this Spring 2012, and
we're currently accepting registrations for the fall 2012 cohort. We’re thrilled and deeply grateful for the Castle Foundation’s support of budding Hawaiian musicians who'll be mentored by professionals."
HKL Castle Foundation funds will be used for studio renovation and audio equipment. Students will gain skills and demonstrate a capstone project in performance, recording technology, marketing, and retail areas of the Hawaiian music industry.
"Traditionally you can only get this kind of mentorship if you're born into a Hawaiian music family," said program director George Kahumoku. "With the help of this grant, students participating in the Institute of Hawaiian Music will be mentored by Hawaiian music masters, take classes in Hawaiian culture and language, and professionally record their music for release. This will help launch their own careers as musicians or music technicians."
Through their generosity, the HKL Castle Foundation will be creating new jobs in marketing and sales, audio engineering, and performance of Hawaiian music as well as strengthening and preserving the Hawaiian culture and music scene. This special gift honors HKL Castle's grandson, John Baldwin and his love of Hawaiian music.
"We're honored to have the chance to honor Johnny Baldwin in this way and to help the Institute of Hawaiian Music to grow and thrive, " said Terry George, executive vice president and COO of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, "and we invite other prospective donors to join us in this effort to help Maui's talented musicians by matching our challenge grant."
To learn more about how you can support UH Maui College, please contact Ray Tsuchiyama at [email protected] or (808) 984-3471.
You may participate in building this program through a gift to the UH Maui College Institute of Hawaiian Music and help Maui fulfill this exciting challenge grant at www.uhfoundation.org/GiveToMCC.
For more information about the IHM, please visit www.maui.hawaii.edu/ihm.
# # #
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org.
University of Hawaiʻi Maui College serves the educational needs of residents of the three islands comprising Maui County: Molokai, Lanaʻi, and Maui. University of Hawaiʻi Maui College is a learning-centered institution that provides affordable, high quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to a diverse community of lifelong learners. http://maui.hawaii.edu
