Band

Well today was the day. We woke up early to get ready. It was surprising because it was the new year but all of us slept through it. We woke up at 4:00 and got our uniforms on. It was nerve-wracking to know that in a few hours we would be in the biggest parade any of us would ever do. When we had all eaten and were set to go we got on the buses. This was the only day we got comfortable buses. Most of us slept on the way to the parade route.

When we got off the buses it was a little cold at first. we walked up to the starting point and got ready, used the lua, fixed our instruments and warmed up. When we heard that whistle we knew we had to do good and represent all of Hawai’i. At the first turn the drums started their cadence and we were ready to go. At the horns up whistle we tensed up because we knew we were going to pass the TV cameras. Then we started playing starting with “Koni Au” then “Aloha Oe”.Then we saw the blimp that takes the aerial shot of the bands. we did really good on the turn that we practiced so hard for. Once we were on Colorado Boulevard it was a straight away and we relaxed but were still focused. We passed so many people that were cheering for us and yelling and it was great being there experiencing that.

Once we turned off of Colorado I thought we were almost done but we had so much left still. There were times where I was so tired that I was hoping the section leader would call “right shoulder move” so I could give my arm a rest. When we passed through spots with shade it felt so good after being hot and sweaty in the sun. We kept marching and marching and people were yelling “good job, you guys are almost there”. Finally we turned and it was over. When we stopped and drank some water it was awesome. We were all congratulating each other. Then some of us spent half an hour trying to find our bus. We ate In an Out burgers for lunch and packed up to go.

Back at the hotel we changed and relaxed. After walking around we went to watch ourselves on TV. It was awesome to watch how we did and review the band’s performance. The Kamehameha Band was one of the few that got an aerial shot. Some of the cameras got close and you could see people like Kapena. we laughed and were proud of ourselves. Finally we got to eat dinner which was the best meal yet. We got rolls, mashed potatoes, rice, and chicken. We still have to have our banquet but to me it’s more of a time to go to sleep.

This trip is an unforgettable experience, something I will never forget.-Dylan Alip

All Kamehameha Band coming down Colorado Avenue, Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena, CA 1/01/08 led by the Kaiser Permanente float

The hours and hours of practice and all the reminders to stay focused all paid off. It was such an awesome view from the bottom of the hill as the band marched in our direction. Chills ran down my spine as mothers cheered and teared up with joy. What an outstanding performance! Imua Kamehameha!

Merle Samura

Teacher Chaperone

During bandfest, three of the participating bands were asked to perform for one of the three bandfest concerts. The bands were to present a field show, and then march around the track for their review of the band. The all Kamehameha band dazzled the crowd with their showmanship as well as their guys in malo and wahine in Tahitian skirts.

Imua Kamehameha!

na, Mrs. Ikeda

bandfest.mov

Today to me was a challenge to all of us. It seems like we all wanted to do better and be louder but we just couldn’t. But after watching a recording of the show from my sister I saw that we need to realized that some of us don’t get that the band sounds way better on the outside. That is why when our conductors say that we need to just pay our part or focus on our part they mean that everyone is important even if you don’t think so. That feeling of playing front of the crowd was really cool and when we did the coconuts the crowd like it a lot. I enjoyed the experience and I would do it again.- Warner Shaw

Today was a pretty intense day. I never realized how hard core the flute section is. They do push-ups for fun. The Kapalama and Maui Campus students turned out to be really nice. I thought that being in such a big band would make me feel lost in the shuffle but the flute section and other students made me feel welcome. The people in band are so cool and understand the importance of woodwinds, which most people do not realize. I also think that practice for band fest is getting really interesting because he more we get in to it the more complicated it becomes. At first I just thought we were going to play but we are playing, chanting, and dancing with coconuts. So all in all today went pretty good. And I had a lot of fun.
Erin Carvalho
Grade 8
Koni au rehearsal
Not only did we bust our butts practicing today, but we also got a long break at Universal Studios Hollywood. I was expecting a lot going to the park, and it was not what I expected. There were little rides and some other stuff didn’t make it the best experience. For the two main rides that were there, they were really, really good. My favorite by far has got to be the “Mummy Ride”. Even though it was short, it was 10x better than I thought it would be. The other ride “Jurassic Park” was very good from what I heard and even though I was too scared to go on it, other people wanted ride it multiple times. The shopping was really interesting. They had many stores based on movies or shows, but they had some that were just there, like the candy shop, or clothing stores. I couldn’t buy too much because everything was so expensive. But shopping was really difficult to do also, because every time you left a store, all the cold air would hit you. So, my group and I just ended up walking into stores we didn’t even like to get out of the harsh weather. But other than the weather and the ride shortage, Universal Studios was pretty good.
Emma Ayau
Grade 8

Yesterday, we started the day on the plane and we reached here early in the morning. Everyone was cold when we first arrived at LAX airport. When we reached LAX airport we went and got our luggage and put it on the truck and they took it to “Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel” where we are staying. After the airport we went straight to “South Coast Plaza” where we shopped and ate breakfast. Then from there we went to our hotel and had a meeting with the whole band and everyone. We ate lunch at the same time. Then we had rehearsal and we got to learn who everyone in our section was. Then we learned the Tahitian part of the band feast. From there we went to our rooms to check-in and we changed and got ready to go to “Wicked.” Then we waited for a while for it to start and it was really good and had a lot of cool animations. Then we went back to the hotel and went to sleep. That was our first day of our trip.- Stetson Lindsey