Kahuku High band scores donated tuba
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAHUKU — The Kahuku High School Marching Band's tuba was so old that sometimes it couldn't even be played and was carried just for show.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
The 10-year-old instrument was dented and scratched and had been repaired numerous times. When it could be played, it didn't even sound like a tuba. It should have been replaced five years ago, officials said, but cuts to the arts budget left little money for new instruments.
Wilson Unga, Kahuku High School Marching Band's tubaist, enjoys playing the new Yamaha tuba donated by The Estate of James Campbell. Unga, who is also Kahuku's student body president, says he likes the instrument's "full tone."
But now the band has a new, $3,000 convertible silver-plated tuba thanks to The Estate of James Campbell, and chances are it will be around longer than the old one.
Big-ticket gifts to Kahuku Intermediate and High School are rare, but they tend to last because they're cherished and cared for by students and faculty used to making the most of what they receive.
Don't be wasteful. Make things last. Appreciate what you're given. These are the kind of values that live on in this former sugar town of medium- to low-income families; values that are passed on to each succeeding generation.
"The kids are very appreciative," said Kaimi Haiola, who as a parent and band booster president for seven years helped with events and raised money for students. The children understand the value of these gifts but sometimes have to be reminded, Haiola said.
"They took good care of their things and we made sure they did," she said, adding that the whole community and the school upholds these values.
The old tuba wasn't around nearly as long as the band's uniforms have been.
The marching band wears outfits that are 14 years old. They also came from the Campbell Estate, and they replaced uniforms that the students had used for 18 years.
The uniforms are a matter of pride for the students, said Michael Payton, part-time band director and coordinator for the Kahuku Performance Arts Learning Center. Students are careful with them and as a result they still look like new, Payton said.
Some Mainland schools change uniforms every four to six years, he said, and several public schools in Hawai'i require their students to purchase their uniforms, which can cost as much as $200.
"We're a very rural school and if kids had to buy their own uniforms, we wouldn't have a band," he said.
The James Campbell Estate has had a long relationship with the school, and the James and Abigail Campbell Foundation awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to Kahuku students each year.
School Principal Lisa DeLong said each gift adds to the school's ability to carry out its mission to give the students the best education possible.
Wilson Unga, student body president and the marching band's tuba player, clearly appreciated the latest gift.
He said he was thrilled to play a new tuba and was blown away by the sound.
"Instead of the edgy sound, it's got a full tone as opposed to a tone that shoots straight out," said Unga. At times, he said he couldn't play the old tuba because of faulty parts. "I could only carry it."
Reach Eloise Aguiar at 234-5266 or eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.
