Hawaiian schools to teach using music CD

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

Hawaiian language immersion schools will add a unique piece to their curriculums this fall, incorporating the poetry and music of vocal artist Kainani Kahaunaele.

Her debut CD "Na'u 'Oe" (You Belong to Me) will be used to teach children the joy and artistry of poetry and songwriting. Kahaunaele writes and sings primarily in Hawaiian.

"This project was conceived as part of a curriculum to teach the art of Hawaiian poetry and inspire students to compose in Hawaiian," said Luahiwa Namahoe of 'Aha Punana Leo, a nonprofit organization that pioneered revitalization of the Hawaiian language.

The curriculum is for students in preschool through 12th grade.

Kahaunaele, a fluent speaker of Hawaiian, is a lecturer in the Hawaiian Studies Department at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo and also develops curriculum for 'Aha Punana Leo, which engineered and recorded her CD.

During the past 20 years, the group has established 12 pre-schools, a media center, a post-secondary scholarship program and laboratory schools co-administered with UH-Hilo's Hawaiian Language college.

The CD was conceived, composed and produced in Hawaiian, and recorded at the UH-Hilo noniprint media facility.