Haku Mele w/Kaipo Hale

In this workshop, attendees will explore the art and tradition of haku mele with Native Hawaiian composer and musician Kaiponōhea Hale. Participants will learn about the creative process behind composing mele, gaining insight into how ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, manaʻo, moʻolelo, and personal experience come together to tell meaningful stories through music.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kaiponohea Hale, a native of Pauoa, Oʻahu, is a 1968 graduate of Kamehameha Schools and has dedicated more than four decades to the field of education. After beginning his career as a music teacher at Honpa Hongwanji Mission School and Pālolo Elementary School, he joined Kamehameha Schools in 1979 as a cultural resource specialist for the Hawaiian Studies Institute’s Nā Pono Hawaiʻi traveling program.

Kaipo later served as director of Nā Pono Hawaiʻi from 1999 to 2005 before becoming director of the Curriculum Support and Dissemination Branch within Kamehameha Schools’ Program Support Division, a position he held until 2012. He currently serves as Senior Project Manager for Hawaiian Culture and Language Integration with Kamehameha Schools Preschools.

Throughout his career, Kaipo has supported the development, design, and dissemination of numerous culture-based curricula and learning resources for teachers, educators, families, and community groups. Fluent in both Spanish and Hawaiian, he is also an accomplished musician and composer who has shared his music with audiences throughout Japan, Canada, China, and Europe.