Learn to play Hawaiian slack key, ukulele, dance hula, and more on beautiful Molokai at the Kaupoa Beach Village, the Beamer Family's Hawaiian Music Camp.
Update: Since this page was published last year, the Music Camp has grown to include a hula retreat as well! As of this posting on January 1, 2007, registration is open for February and June 2007 classes.
Press Release Photos and words in this press realease are
Hawaiian music lovers take note! Held at the Kaupoa Beach Village on the Magical Island of Moloka`i, the Beamer Family Aloha Music Camp is a week-long immersion into the music, dance and culture of Hawaii. Not everyone plays an instrument or dances, many just want to learn more about the islands they've grown to love.
You now have the choice of two different camps: The June 18 to 24 Aloha Camp, and the new Aloha Kohola Camp, named in honor of the humpback whales that frolic in the waters between Molokai and Maui each winter, runs from February 5 to 11, beginning in 2006.
According to Keola Beamer, the artistic director of the Aloha Camps, the new winter camp is for people wishing to escape the cold of winter and vacation in the warmth of the tropics. "February on the west side of Molokai is wonderful," he said. "The weather is balmy, the water is warm and inviting, and you can see whales leaping just offshore!"
Just like the June Aloha Camp, the Aloha Kohola Camp features instruction in Hawaiian slack key guitar, hula, ‘ukulele and Hawaiian language and culture. Keola's partner, Mark Nelson, is particularly excited about the inclusion of Hawaiian steel guitar into the curriculum: "The steel guitar originated in Hawaii, so it is only fitting we offer instruction. And what an instructor: Fred Lunt was a student of the legendary David "Feets" Rogers, who played with Gabby Pahinui and the Sons of Hawaii. He's my favorite steel player."
The Beamer Family, Hawaii’s First Family of Music, has been active as singers, dancers, and keepers of traditional Hawaiian culture for generations. Keola’s great grandmother, Helen Kapuailoha Desha Beamer (1882-1952), was one of Hawaii’s most gifted and prolific composers. Winona (Nona) Kapuailoha Beamer, Keola`s mother, is revered for her scholarship and accomplishments in the education of Native Hawaiian children.
Keolamaikalani Breckenridge Desha Beamer has played guitar, piano, and `ohe hano ihu (traditional Hawaiian flute) since he was very young. He is considered a seminal influence of the renaissance of Hawaiian music and culture though his groundbreaking albums beginning in the early 1970’s. He has also helped popularize the Hawaiian slack key guitar, publishing several popular instructional manuals and videos.
“My family comes from a history of oral tradition in which music plays a central
element,” says Keola.“Our genealogies, land boundaries, and navigational information were all in chant form. We are now just beginning to realize the wealth of that knowledge.
"For some time I have looked for a way to share these wonderful traditions with those interested in Hawaiian culture and music. The Aloha Music Camp brings together some of the finest musicians, dancers, and teachers I know in a magical paradise it is a wonderful opportunity to discover the true meaning of aloha.”
Located on the spectacular Moloka‘i Ranch, the Kaupoa Beach Village offers the
ultimate in eco-friendly luxury accommodations. As one guest put it, "I was told the
Kaupoa Beach Village was upscale camping, but it was way beyond that. I would call it luxury living at the beach!"
Enjoy delicious meals served on the plantation house dining lanai while listening to the murmur of the gentle surf. Experience hula with your feet in the grass, learn slack key with the sound of the ocean echoing in your ears.
Watch the sunset - then see the lights of Oahu glitter across the channel. After dinner listen to an evening concert under the stars – or grab your guitar or ‘ukulele and kani kapila (play music) in the warm glow of the firelight.
The Aloha Music Camp has been running each summer since 2001. Students come from all over the United States and Canada as well as Japan, Austria, Germany and
Switzerland. For some, the camp offers an opportunity to learn slack key or experience hula first hand; for other, it's the ideal way to dig deeper into the stories, language and culture.
The addition of a second week of the Aloha Music Camp means more people can
experience this wonderful cultural event that's been described as "a once in a lifetime
event…that happens every year!"
Aloha Kohola Camp February 5 - 11, 2006
Aloha Camp June 18 - 24, 2006
Aloha Music Camp's Aloha Kohola Camp
February 5 - 11, 2006
Kaupoa Beach Village on the Magical Island of Moloka`i.
Aloha Music Camp
June 18 - 24, 2006
Kaupoa Beach Village on the Magical Island of Moloka`i.
Camp Fees include 6 nights lodging, all meals, workshops and evening performances.
$1650 per person, double occupancy
$474 children under 12 staying with a parent or guardian.
Additional rates apply for private rooms and lodge accommodation.
Staff:
Keola Beamer- Slack Key Guitar
Moana Beamer- Hula
Nona Beamer- Stories and Songs of Old Hawai‘i
Kaliko Beamer-Trapp- Hawaiian Language and Culture
Pat Cockett - `Ukulele & Slack Key
John and Hope Keawe - Slack Key and Hula (June)
Fred Lunt - Hawaiian Steel Guitar (February)
Anakala Pilipo Solatorio - Hawaiian cultural practices.
Mark Kailana Nelson - Slack Key & Swing Guitar
Dennis Lake – Build Your Own `Ukulele
and more to come…
Aloha Music Camp, llc
843 Waine’e Street F5, Suite 685
Lahaina, HI 96761-1685
For further details, contact
Mark Kailana Nelson – Aloha Music Camp Administrator
P.O. Box 967 Jacksonville, OR 97530
541-899 8656 phone/541 899 3780 fax
More information about Hawaiian music
Hawaiian Music and Hula - Short reviews and links to online Hawaiian music, popular Hawaiian musicians, and hula links.
...and Aloha
Aloha It's meaning, and the State of Hawaii's
Aloha Spirit Law
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