The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-01-07
BAND STARTED At
WA|LEE SCHOOL

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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
a 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 20 the selection
and make of instruments. and Superin-
the Hawaiian News Company.
They have arrived. and Superintend-
ent Babbitt 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-
ger left Honolulu early Friday morn
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 he
considered promising material. He
was assisted in this selection by In
structor Kane, who was a member or
the Kamehameha School band when
he was a student at that institution.
With his twenty candidates Berger
began He took a 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
eligibles 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
wac begun. The boys who in the az
ternoon had gained some idea of how
to produce tone, were given instrue-
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.
It consisted of learning little tunes OF
five notes compass, and before its con-
cusion the band was able to play
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
~, e or
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 or
livelihood of many Hawaiians, not
alone of the several hundred who have
served in the Hawaiian band during
its 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-
tendeut Gibson has made a garden
spot He enjoyed his visit to the
school thoroughly and feels that ne
has done something for the future.
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