Jessica Fontenot

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In accordance with the Central District Band Festival held annually here on Oahu, band directors from around the island received the Team Excellence Award of Merit. While each director is honored for participating in the event, those at MHS are recognized differently.

“Quite frankly, I think the directors we have at this school are probably the best you’ll find on the island,” said Junior Jeffrey Caballes Jr., who was in honor band last year and performed in the festival.

The Team Excellence Award of Merit is given to band directors by the Department of Education (DOE) to honor directors who worked and took part in the Central District Band Festival. “That we’re able to get such a high caliber of clinicians … coming to work with our students, I guess, that’s what they’re trying to recognize from us,” said Band Director Keane Ishii.

The festival is held annually for directors and students to show off the skills they learned over the course of the year. But along with the Team Excellence Award of Merit is an award given out by the Hawaii State Legislature to recognize band directors for any extra effort or participation in the event that was given to band directors in previous years. “I think it’s well deserved,” said Band Director Bryan Hirata, continuing, “I mean, we’ve perpetuated the Central District Band Festival for … (36) years.

Each year, a clinician visits Hawaii from the mainland to help direct the Central District Band Festival, while another clinician comes from a district in Oahu. Last year’s clinicians included Michael Nakasone from Pearl City High School and Max Ronquillo from Los Angeles. Previously, Nakasone worked at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, at the same time Band Directors Derek Kaapana and Hirata attended the school. “The way (the band directors and Nakasone) run practices … that we do, warm-up exercises, were the same, which is a good thing,” said Caballes.

Not only is the award given to directors for the work they’ve put into the festival, but also as recognition for the impact they’ve made on the students. “I really enjoyed this … festival that they put together,” said Ishii, who is also a former MHS honor band student, continuing, “It probably, in many ways, led to me being here now, because it really made me interested in music, especially (being in) the honor band.”

Next year’s Central District Band Festival will be held in March with clinicians Larry Blocher from Troy University in Alabama and Jeffrey Boeckman from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.