songs and prayers for Sunday
When you entered Kamehameha you received a student handbook. Along with learning about the code of conduct and what was expected, in the first few weeks of school you had to memorize the prayers for grace (Doxology in Hawaiian and English, The Queen's Prayer, and others), Hawai'i Pono'i, Hawai'i Aloha and some other songs to sing at dining hall for guests. There were tests on all of this material. At Kamehameha whether you could or not, everyone sang. There was a medley of songs (one for each of the islands). We all learned the Kamehameha alma mater , "Sons of Hawai'i" and the fight song, "I Mua, Kamehameha". At graduation the entire class would sing "Sail On My Soul". The music just gives me chicken skin, even now, as my class will celebrate our 40th reunion in 2 years.
Each year a class is in charge of a huge alumni luau. If it also happens to be your reunion year, your class plans a week of reunion activities for your class. In the past it has involved people being housed at the dorms, going to golf tournaments and picnics and dinners. I've never attended. At first it was because I was either pregnant or had just given birth. Around the 15th year after graduating, I went to a dinner at someone's home. That was fun. Since coming here and working in the schools it's not possible to be in Hawai'i in the beginning of June because our school year here keeps going longer and longer. This year we don't get out till June 21!
At the upper campuses months before song contest a student directors were selected. The competition songs were chosen, the song leaders would hold sectional rehearsals. Although we were co-ed in Prep School, when we hit high school the guys and gals were on separate campuses and almost never the twain would meet! ....Exceptions were special classes like Russian language. Few students elected to take Russian and so the guys would come to class at Girls' School. In my 10th grade year, that all changed and we had all classes with boys.
There was Founder's Day music too and students were selected to go to the Royal Mausoleum and listen to speeches both by students and by staff and to sing the songs. The entire student body used to attend until there wasn't room at the Mausoleum grounds to hold all of the students. The beautiful music was written and performed each year to honor the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop for having the foresight to set up her monies to benefit the Hawaiian race through education. My personal favorite was "Aloha Pauahi" which sounded like echoes throughout the grounds. It was an all girls piece.
I learned to sing in parts. The upper classes had representatives to help the under classes and that's how the free harmony parts were passed on when singing in the dining halls. We learned to sing in 3 and 4 parts just as girls. Song Contest was separated by girls against girls in grades, and guys against guys and then we began to compete as girls combined with boys against the different classes.
If you wanted more music you would elect to be in glee club classes. If you auditioned and were selected you would be in Concert Glee Club. If you wanted to perform and travel, there was a travelling part of the Concert Glee Club. For instance, in 1966 Concert glee went to Japan. In other years they performed in Europe and entered choir competitions. By then, we were allowed to dance the hula, under the direction of Auntie Nona Beamer. We thrived as musicians. My Uncle Auggie (same class as Vicky Holt) was in the group that went to Japan, along with Robert Cazimero. The Beamer brothers were a year and more under my class and at one of the school talent shows, Jerry Santos (of Olomana fame) did an Elvis impression. If you can imagine, he was smaller than I was at the time. Ed (Ka'ipo) Hale was also in our class. The thing is, if I run into any of these people in public, they still remember ME as a classmate or schoolmate. We are Kamehameha Ohana, even to the classes way before us, and those of today!
When I was in Concert Glee I auditioned for the State Select Choir and was able to go to rehearsals at McKinley High School and later, a huge concert venue with choir students across the state of Hawai'i. Although it seems like a big deal to be one of about 50 from the entire state, not too many students auditioned that first year. I was lucky! In concert glee we performed everywhere, including with Robert LaMarchina who directed the Honolulu Symphony. I volunteered to usher for operatic and musical performances and also sang at the governor's inauguration. One year we made the trek to Tripler Army Medical Hospital and sang for the soldiers injured in Viet Nam. I was in the hallway when a guy came out of recovery and they were ushering him to his room. He looked up at me and thought he died and went to Heaven! Our concert choir outfits were long white dresses with leg-o-mutton sleeves. When people ask why is Kamehameha so different from any other school I just don't think there is a simple answer.
One year the powers that be suggested an all-girls group travel inter-island and perform. Roland and Tootsie Cazimero were in our class and Robert came up to help a gal learn to play the bass. They wanted us to be an all student performing group. Roland taught me some guitar chords and we practiced some Hawaiian music, along with our choir music repertoire. Some girls danced the hula too. It was a ball as we went to Moloka'i, Maui and Hawai'i.
I have to mention that the campus was all inclusive. We had Kamehameha School buses to take us to off campus activities (football games, basketball games, song contest rehearsals, Founder's Day, etc.). The high school campus was so large when we joined with the boys' school that the buses ran us from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill. One year I had a class down by the swimming pool at shop and my next class was at upper campus. The stairs were gruelling and we tried to pass to classes quickly and efficiently. Hence, aside from the heritage, our legs got muscular and strong.
For boarders church services on Sunday were mandatory. We sat by dorms in the auditorium and listened to Reverend Mulholland's sermons. We were ushered out quickly and the housemothers made sure we weren't hanging out to talk to the boys! As a high schooler I found it more fun to sing in the choir with Mr. McClendon playing the organ and leading the choir. We learned the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian, a capella. He was also my freshman English teacher. His face reminded me of an eagle, with a long and pointed nose and he had squinty eyes. He used to tell us his wife was beautiful and looked like Betty Davis. The man would play the organ with one hand and 2 feet at the pedals and lead with his other hand. If the music was too high or low he could automatically transpose us into a different key. I used to imagine him at the Phantom of the Opera, with his low and booming voice.
Local leaders of the LDS (Mormons) church petitioned the school for us to attend services off campus. When permission was granted we were bused to those services set up especially for us. This meant that I went to church twice each Sunday. Actually, it was a chance to see who the good Mormon guys were!
You know, I think I'll take a break on my Kamehameha story and talk of other things.
Each year a class is in charge of a huge alumni luau. If it also happens to be your reunion year, your class plans a week of reunion activities for your class. In the past it has involved people being housed at the dorms, going to golf tournaments and picnics and dinners. I've never attended. At first it was because I was either pregnant or had just given birth. Around the 15th year after graduating, I went to a dinner at someone's home. That was fun. Since coming here and working in the schools it's not possible to be in Hawai'i in the beginning of June because our school year here keeps going longer and longer. This year we don't get out till June 21!
At the upper campuses months before song contest a student directors were selected. The competition songs were chosen, the song leaders would hold sectional rehearsals. Although we were co-ed in Prep School, when we hit high school the guys and gals were on separate campuses and almost never the twain would meet! ....Exceptions were special classes like Russian language. Few students elected to take Russian and so the guys would come to class at Girls' School. In my 10th grade year, that all changed and we had all classes with boys.
There was Founder's Day music too and students were selected to go to the Royal Mausoleum and listen to speeches both by students and by staff and to sing the songs. The entire student body used to attend until there wasn't room at the Mausoleum grounds to hold all of the students. The beautiful music was written and performed each year to honor the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop for having the foresight to set up her monies to benefit the Hawaiian race through education. My personal favorite was "Aloha Pauahi" which sounded like echoes throughout the grounds. It was an all girls piece.
I learned to sing in parts. The upper classes had representatives to help the under classes and that's how the free harmony parts were passed on when singing in the dining halls. We learned to sing in 3 and 4 parts just as girls. Song Contest was separated by girls against girls in grades, and guys against guys and then we began to compete as girls combined with boys against the different classes.
If you wanted more music you would elect to be in glee club classes. If you auditioned and were selected you would be in Concert Glee Club. If you wanted to perform and travel, there was a travelling part of the Concert Glee Club. For instance, in 1966 Concert glee went to Japan. In other years they performed in Europe and entered choir competitions. By then, we were allowed to dance the hula, under the direction of Auntie Nona Beamer. We thrived as musicians. My Uncle Auggie (same class as Vicky Holt) was in the group that went to Japan, along with Robert Cazimero. The Beamer brothers were a year and more under my class and at one of the school talent shows, Jerry Santos (of Olomana fame) did an Elvis impression. If you can imagine, he was smaller than I was at the time. Ed (Ka'ipo) Hale was also in our class. The thing is, if I run into any of these people in public, they still remember ME as a classmate or schoolmate. We are Kamehameha Ohana, even to the classes way before us, and those of today!
When I was in Concert Glee I auditioned for the State Select Choir and was able to go to rehearsals at McKinley High School and later, a huge concert venue with choir students across the state of Hawai'i. Although it seems like a big deal to be one of about 50 from the entire state, not too many students auditioned that first year. I was lucky! In concert glee we performed everywhere, including with Robert LaMarchina who directed the Honolulu Symphony. I volunteered to usher for operatic and musical performances and also sang at the governor's inauguration. One year we made the trek to Tripler Army Medical Hospital and sang for the soldiers injured in Viet Nam. I was in the hallway when a guy came out of recovery and they were ushering him to his room. He looked up at me and thought he died and went to Heaven! Our concert choir outfits were long white dresses with leg-o-mutton sleeves. When people ask why is Kamehameha so different from any other school I just don't think there is a simple answer.
One year the powers that be suggested an all-girls group travel inter-island and perform. Roland and Tootsie Cazimero were in our class and Robert came up to help a gal learn to play the bass. They wanted us to be an all student performing group. Roland taught me some guitar chords and we practiced some Hawaiian music, along with our choir music repertoire. Some girls danced the hula too. It was a ball as we went to Moloka'i, Maui and Hawai'i.
I have to mention that the campus was all inclusive. We had Kamehameha School buses to take us to off campus activities (football games, basketball games, song contest rehearsals, Founder's Day, etc.). The high school campus was so large when we joined with the boys' school that the buses ran us from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill. One year I had a class down by the swimming pool at shop and my next class was at upper campus. The stairs were gruelling and we tried to pass to classes quickly and efficiently. Hence, aside from the heritage, our legs got muscular and strong.
For boarders church services on Sunday were mandatory. We sat by dorms in the auditorium and listened to Reverend Mulholland's sermons. We were ushered out quickly and the housemothers made sure we weren't hanging out to talk to the boys! As a high schooler I found it more fun to sing in the choir with Mr. McClendon playing the organ and leading the choir. We learned the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian, a capella. He was also my freshman English teacher. His face reminded me of an eagle, with a long and pointed nose and he had squinty eyes. He used to tell us his wife was beautiful and looked like Betty Davis. The man would play the organ with one hand and 2 feet at the pedals and lead with his other hand. If the music was too high or low he could automatically transpose us into a different key. I used to imagine him at the Phantom of the Opera, with his low and booming voice.
Local leaders of the LDS (Mormons) church petitioned the school for us to attend services off campus. When permission was granted we were bused to those services set up especially for us. This meant that I went to church twice each Sunday. Actually, it was a chance to see who the good Mormon guys were!
You know, I think I'll take a break on my Kamehameha story and talk of other things.
posted by leona at 8:10 AM
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