For those interested in learning how to write, play or record music and get insights into the industry, the Kani Kūola Music Festival is coming up.
It will be held at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) campus this Saturday, April 13. This is the third annual Kani Kūola Music Festival held within the UH system statewide.
The eight-hour day will include mentorship and hands-on learning for those interested in taking their music to the next level or exploring a career in the industry.
Dr. Keola Donaghy, Faculty Coordinator of Music Studies at UHMC, said the event is free and open to the public.
“To me, the exciting part is getting people excited about music, but also being brought up to speed on the current challenges in the industry, that are making it a bit harder for people to make a living,” Donaghy explained.
“And it's really all about gaining the knowledge and the skills to handle the way the industry is working these days. So from starting out with songwriting to recording to learning about the business, we're trying to cover as many bases as we can with the event,” he said.
A lineup of award-winning and veteran musicians will lead four different opportunities within the festival. Attendees can choose between songwriting, music recording and business, music performance skills or creative media exploration.
There's also the option to participate in the MeleCraft music mentorship program, which is only available by audition for people ages 14 to 22. Musician Kimie Miner and the Haku Collective will lead the initiative.
“[They are] going to be working with these young artists, individually as well as in small groups for an entire day, and teaching them all of the elements from composition to performance and recording,” Donaghy said.
Kani Kūola will also feature a songwriting contest, where the winner will receive a scholarship to the Hawai‘i Songwriting Festival on Hawai‘i Island.
Another opportunity Donaghy said he’s particularly excited for that day is a workshop called Mele Wāhine that will focus on women in the music industry.
“I've always kind of lamented, I felt like women are really underrepresented in our industry,” he said. “We have some incredible female vocalists, female musicians in our industry, but industry-wide, it's really been dominated by men for many years."
"It's exciting to see the walls coming down a bit, and more and more, wāhine coming to the foreground in the industry. So we're hoping to inspire young women who are perhaps interested in exploring music.”
Registration for the event is required. Free lunch will be provided to those who register and bring a donation to the Food Bank of Maui.
To sign up and for more information, click here.
