Arasawa Elementary School - Niigata, Japan
September 09, 2009Buried in the beautiful mountains of Niigata, Japan, Arasawa Elementary School is a small school that truly appreciates music and in the instruments that are involved. Simply by driving through the mountains, we could feel the connection with nature and the pure atmosphere it carried. Their school building was made out of wood and gave it even more of a natural atmosphere. Arasawa elementary is also very sustainable and at the entrance of their school, they had a bike with a sign that explained how much one would have to pedal to produce so much energy.
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Upon arrival, Jake first met with the 5th and 6th graders, a total of twelve students, and shared his knowledge of music as they shared their handcrafted instruments! Arasawa has a special ukulele-making workshop for the students to learn how to hand-make ukuleles! The students showed Jake their impressive creations and asked all kinds of questions. You could tell the students had tremendous dedication and passion for the ukulele and absorbed every bit of advice Jake gave to them. In this workshop setting, Jake shared with the students music theory and techniques and showed them his Kamaka ukulele. Jake also tested out the ukuleles they made and they sounded great.
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After the workshop, Jake entered their gym where the whole elementary school was awaiting his presence. Not only did Jake share different aspects of music, but also about Hawaii and its culture. He taught the students words like Aloha, Mahalo, and Ono and invited the students to visit Hawaii sometime. Jake is an ambassador of Hawaii always promoting Hawaii and encouraging people to come visit these beautiful islands! In between his messages, Jake played some songs then allowed the students to play his ukulele as well. The students were so responsive to his questions and message and took to heart all the words of wisdom he shared. He even allowed any students who wanted to come up to try out his ukulele.
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One student had a hearing disorder where his ears were overly sensitive to noises and was placed in the back of the gym so that the amplified music wouldn’t hurt his ears. After he heard Jake play a few songs, the student was so intrigued that he moved to the front the rest of the students were listening. He was so absorbed in the music that the loud sound system didn’t bother him and he was able to enjoy the performance and ask Jake questions! This beyond doubt proves that music is GREAT medicine. Mahalo to everyone at Arasawa Elementary for encouraging music and creativity in the education system!
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