Two performing groups from BYU–Hawaii’s fine arts department went on a four-day tour to the island of Kauai on March 8-11. The tour was carried out under the direction of Dr. Darren Duerden, percussion professor at BYU–Hawaii, and Dr. Dave Kammerer, brass professor and fine arts chair at BYU–Hawaii. Mounting excitement for the tour helped cultivate a great sense of enthusiasm as the students anxiously prepared for their trip with a single purpose in mind: to spread joy and the spirit of Aloha through the authentic sounds of the steel drums, and the contemporary arrangements of the Brass Ensemble.
The tour consisted of several performances held in locations throughout the island. After arriving in Lihue, the group made their way to the west side of the island where they performed for students at a local high school in Kapaa. This performance, like all that followed, was accompanied with warm welcomes and excited gestures of gratitude and admiration. The different venues and audiences contributed differently to each performance and helped create a unique atmosphere for each audience. Every member of the tour was able to take something distinctive and special away from the experiences they encountered. Jaime Christensen, a member of Shaka Steel on lead pan, described her feelings on the tour and its performances. “This was the best tour I have ever been on in all my music experience. It was more fun, and more meaningful. We did service, entertained and we felt close, like family.”
Among the venues Shaka Steel and Brass Ensemble performed, the Performing Arts Center at the Kauai Community College was one that stood out. The audience spent much of the performance on their feet dancing along to the rhythm of the music, and followed each performance with roaring applause and shouts for encores. Tony Kilbert, events manager at the Kauai Community College, was impressed with the positive atmosphere that both groups brought to the Performing Arts Center. “The energy is still palpable here and still positive!”
At the conclusion of the tour, the Kauai Hawaii Stake hosted a fireside where members of the groups joined youth and others members in the stake in sharing testimony through word and music. They expressed their gratitude and love for the many people in Kauai that helped make the tour possible, as well as the treasured relationships that formed as a result. “When you do an instrumental tour there is more of a feeling of the joy of the music that’s not tied to any particular text like vocal performances,” said Dr. Kammerer, who also served as the Tour Director. “So there is an opportunity to express a more abstract form of joy, and allow people to imprint their own experiences on to the music that they are hearing. The music is the vehicle for our self-expression, but as much as anything, the audience gets to feel of the students’ spirits and their conviction of the gospel.”