Niu Valley Middle School - Oahu, HI
January 27, 2010Niu Valley Middle School, situated within the Niu Valley neighborhood, hosted virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and Music Is Good Medicine to support their career day. Thank you to Mr. Marc Wong for coordinating this school visit. It was a beautiful sunny day outside as almost 800 hundred students gathered together to listen to Jake speak and perform.
Jake started off sharing about when he first started playing the ukulele. He actively got the crowd involved by surveying the students and asking them if they played an instrument. Then Jake gave a brief overview of how he became a professional musician. He let the students know that he never thought he would be where he is today, the only thing he did know was that he had a strong passion for music.
Jake began to demonstrate his passion for music while playing a song called “Let’s Dance,” a flamenco style of music with aggressive strumming techniques. The students watched in awe of Jake’s musical talent. The students screamed and cheered for Jake as he ended. The energy within the students was a wonderful site to see.
Later Jake showed those curious students how he writes songs. He began to pick and strum to a track, creating each note at the spur of the moment. Jake even had the honor to play alongside Niu Valley Middle School’s Polynesian Music Ensemble. They played two popular local songs entitled, “Honestly,” and “Ehu Girl.”
As the event came to a close, Jake encouraged the students to figure out what their passion is in life. He stated, “Find something that you love doing and when you do it you can pour your whole self into it.” He also reminded students to surround themselves with good people, find a positive role model, and to stay drug free. Afterwards, Jake interacted with the students, praised the Polynesian Music Ensemble for their performance, and signed autographs.
Mahalo to the students, faculty, and staff of Niu Valley for for allowing MIGM to be a part of this life changing experience.