The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-07
BAND STARTED At
WAILEE SCHOOL
Captain Berger Institutes a
Band of Twelve
Pieces.

They are in the throes of organizing
a band at the Industrial School for
boys at Wailee. Instruction and prac-
tice has begun. Music is hoped for
later.
During the last legislative session,
when different committees visited diff
ferent territorial institutions, the Com
mittee on Education visited the new
Industrial School for boys, near Kahu-
ku on his island. The school had
asked for a small appropriation for
set of band instruments. The legis-
lature refused it, but when the COM
mittee visited the school, Representa-
tive Rawlins started a subscription to
buy instruments and he succeeded in
securing enough for a small band.
Captain Berger of the Hawaiian
band was consulted as to the selection
and make Of instruments, and Superin-
tendent Gibson ordered them through
the Hawaiian News Company.
They have arrived, and Superintend-
ent Rabbit of the Department of Ed
ucation, under whose jurisdiction the
school is asked Captain Berger to go
to Wailee and institute the band. Per-
mission was granted by Chairman
Hustace of the Board of Supervisors,
the only condition being that Berger
should be back to lead the Sunday
concert.
With the instruments Captain Ber-
LOFT arlx ITpfd
ing and arrived at the industrial
school about noon.
There are about 112 boys at the
school, and they are of all ages and
of many nationalities. superintendent
Gibson and his assistants had already
selected about twenty boys whom ne
considered promising material He
was assisted in this selection by In
structor Kane, who was a member of
the Kamehameha School band when
he was a student at that institution.
With his twenty candidates Berger
began. He took cornet and an alto
horn, and fully explained the funda-
mental rules for playing instruments
of this kind. Then the fun started.
Berger says it was the time of his
life. Each boy in turn was given an
opportunity to see what he could do.
After about three hours work twelve
eligfbles were selected to constitute
the new band. The others were disap-
pointed, but Berger inspired hope by
telling them that more instruments,
snare drums. cymbals big and small,
and triangles and that sort of thing,
might be secured.
This was the first lesson the new
band had. In the evening the second
was begun. The boys who in the af-
ternoon had gained some idea of how
to produce a tone, were given instruc-
ton in the production of successive
notes, and after several hours of hard
work the boys knew their musical
alphabet, that is they knew the scale
of c and the lingering of the same on
the instrument.
Captain Berger says that the Hawai-
ians were the quickest to learn and
to conceive what was wanted. The
next morning the third lesson was
given. It lasted until nearly noon.
Tt consisted of learning little tunes of
five notes compass, and before its con-
clusion the band was able to play a
part of Hawaii Ponoi. and were great
ly pleased.
Captain Berger praises Superintend
ent Gibson for having taken so much
interest in starting the band, and the
men who subscribed and thereby made |
the purchase of instruments possi- |
bility. He feels much satisfaction also |
that he was given the opportunity to |
furnish the first instruction to this |
band. Music has been the means Of |
livelihood of many Hawaiians, not /
alone of the several hundred who have |
served in the Hawaiian band during |
it's more than thirty-fve years ex-
istence, but also of the members of |
the many so-called quintets in the |
islands, and in addition, of the one |
hundred and fifty Hawaiians, or there
abouts, who are abroad and making a |
living through music and singing. All |
of these gained their first leading in |
this direction, directly or indirectly, |
from Berger's training of the Hawai- |
ian band.
Captain Berger is warm in his praise /
Of the location of the Industrial school. |
a beautiful spot, he says, between the |
sea and the mountains, where the eli |
mate is delightful and where Superin-
tendent Gibson has made a garden |
spot He enjoyed his visit to the |
school thoroughly and feels that he
has done something for the future.