Master musicians visited Punahou this summer to inspire students taking ukulele lessons. Internationally renowned virtuoso and composer Jake Shimabukuro, reggae singer and songwriter Johnny Suite, boy band Crossing Rain, and Tik Tok fan favorite Kapono Wong performed for sixth and seventh graders and shared valuable insight on playing ukulele.
The visits were part of an ukulele and creative writing course in the Clarence T. C. Ching PUEO Program. The course was piloted this summer in cooperation with the Fender Play Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to music education. Punahou Trustee Mark Fukunaga ’74 also visited the classes to experience firsthand what students were learning.
Photos by Kathleen Connelly and Rachel Breitweser ’03