PUHI – The Kaua‘i All-Island Marching Band has come a long way from the time they were first invited to participate in the 2005 Tournament of Roses parade to Sunday’s rehearsal in Puhi. Having both football and soccer taking place
PUHI – The Kaua‘i All-Island Marching Band has come a long way from the time they were first invited to participate in the 2005 Tournament of Roses parade to Sunday’s rehearsal in Puhi.
Having both football and soccer taking place at Vidinha Stadium, the band’s normal rehearsal location, the dancers and musicians moved to Puhi where a section of the road was closed for four hours to allow the entourage an opportunity to walk and play.
The last time the group met, there were no uniforms, the horns had difficulty pointing upwards while performing their numbers, and the lines of marchers wavered.
Sunday’s rehearsal was a far cry from those days: the numbers were crisp, the horns pointed proudly skyward, and the lines of musicians were crisp and in cadence as they marched along the four-lane roadway.
Banners with the KAIMB logo fluttered in the brisk trades, the logo a contribution from local graphics artist Jackie Kanna.
Hula dancers now sported a uniform “practice skirt” of orange with fern stenciled along the edges, and in the confines of Chiefess Kamakahelei School, the Hawaiian warriors rehearsed their routines in preparation for joining the group.
“They’ve been doing a lot of ‘sectionals’ rehearsing,” one parent commented on the fact that on the first pass, the band marched without the accompaniment of the hula dancers.
But, despite the progress made, clouds loom over the heads of the approximately 300 students from all of Kaua‘i’s middle and high schools who make up the KAIMB as they continue the countdown to Pasedena, Calif.
A schedule of performances on the band’s calendar includes apearances at all three of the high school’s homecoming pageants, community parades, and other events that the Band will utilize to hone their routines.
Carol Kimura, one of the heads of the parent-volunteer group that has been coordinating fund-raising and other efforts behind the scene, said that there are about 15 students who have been diligently coming to practices and rehearsals, but with the looming financial deadlines, may not be able to make the trip with the group.
Kimura explained that while the students have been working not only on their musical expertise, they have also been helping their parents and other volunteers with fund-raising.
However, some students come from homes with single parents and other siblings, and the venture is beginning to take a financial toll on the families, Kimura said.
“It’s a shame if they can’t go,” she said. “They’ve worked so hard; they haven’t missed practices, and now, they might not be able to go.”
Kimura said the volunteer group created a scholarship application for these students, and Sunday was the deadline for turning in those forms. She said the committee will review each of the applicant’s needs “to see what the Committee can do.”
But, she said, the Committee needs the help of the community to enable everyone to make the trip.
The funding that has been generously awarded the band is already accounted for – the proceeds from the Richard Kawakami Memorial Golf tournament will just about cover the cost of the students’ uniforms, Kimura said.
The proceeds from the Tachibana High School Brass and Marching Band has also been accounted for.
Whatever expense is left is being shouldered by the individual students’ parents, Kimura explained. “And, for families that have more than one child going, especially for single-parent families, this can be pretty hard.”
Kimura is hopeful that there may be organizations in the community who might be able to help these students in need.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff photographer, can be reached at 245-3681, Ext. 253, or e-mail dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
