LIHUE — There were no complaints of sore necks, or sore arms Monday when the Kauai Opio and Keiki Orchestra sounded its first notes from a dozen violin players at the Boys &Girls Club, Lihue Clubhouse.
“Not once,” said Megan Lawson, KOKO violin instructor. “We started the program with solid foundation — getting the instrument out of its case, set up, and positioning all on their own. I never heard a complaint of ‘My neck hurts,’ or ‘My arm hurts.’ I’m proud of these students who took on the challenge of learning how to play the most difficult of music instruments.”
Making up the ensemble who put together the musical presentation in just 10 short days, Danika Schultz and Sienna Caletnan-Buehler are Violin I, Nainoa Hirokane and Marcus Lizarraga are Violin II, and Violin III players include Isis Reis, Kekai Texeira, Isabelle Tumpap, and Zaileah Lopes.
“These are students who are registered with the Boys &Girls Club,” said Sarah Tochiki, Kauai Association for Music Education president. “We plan on continuing this program in the fall, and eventually, we want to get this program expanded. The ultimate goal is to have at least a hundred students playing in five years.”
A grant from the Mokihana Club in March enabled Tochiki and Lawson to acquire 20 violins, a dozen being put into service to teach eager students.
The Rotary Club of Poipu Beach and other contributions from private donors enabled the program to be free to the budding musicians from the Boys &Girls Club, Lihue Clubhouse.
“It took them just 10 days to get this recital together,” Tochiki said. “Up until then, the students practiced twice a week since the program started. The grants are what makes the program free.”
The presentation took place in the newly-finished Teen Center at the Boys &Girls Club, Lihue Clubhouse.
