Aina Kodaira

Hello!

Aloha everyone! 🌺 My name is Aina, and I was born and raised on Oʻahu. I’ve been a townie all my life and graduated from McKinley High School. I began my college journey at both Kapiʻolani Community College (KCC) and Honolulu Community College (HCC), where I earned my associate’s degree. I later transferred to the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu (UHWO) because the Academy for Creative Media (ACM) program accepted my associate’s credits, allowing me to seamlessly continue my education toward a bachelor’s degree in Creative Media. If I were an artist’s tool, I’d be an eraser—focused on refining and correcting, unafraid of mistakes, because I believe mistakes are proof that we are trying. Growth comes through revision, and I value the process of improvement just as much as the final result. I’m a strong advocate for continuous learning and self-betterment, always striving to evolve and bring out the best in both my work and myself.

Research Topic: Gamified Mobile Learning for Traditional Japanese Shamisen Music

Research Question: How can interactive technology and gamification on a mobile platform support the learning of traditional Japanese shamisen music?

Abstract:

This Capstone project explores how interactive technology—particularly mobile learning apps—can improve music education by addressing the limitations of traditional teaching methods often reliant on rote memorization and rigid lesson structures. It examines the growing need for innovative approaches in response to the declining interest in music and the evolving learning styles of modern students. Mobile applications offer a flexible and accessible platform for teaching music fundamentals such as notes, rhythm, and structure, using interactive features like quizzes and simulation tools. These technologies allow students to learn at their own pace and cater to various learning styles. Building on this concept, the project introduces ShamiZen, a mobile educational app designed to teach users about Japanese culture and traditional music through the shamisen—a three-stringed Japanese instrument. The app combines modular learning with gamified quizzes and a virtual shamisen interface that allows hands-on exploration, making the learning experience engaging and immersive. By integrating cultural content with interactive learning tools, ShamiZen offers an innovative solution to make traditional Japanese music more accessible and relevant to younger audiences. The project further considers the future role of artificial intelligence in enhancing personalized music learning and suggests that hybrid models—blending in-person and digital instruction—can more effectively support today’s aspiring musicians.

Capstone Project: Mobile App

Project Title: ShamiZen

Capstone Proposal:

FA24_CM 489_Kodaira_Proposal Presentation Template

CREATIVE PROCESS:

The concept of creativity has come a long way. The Old Greeks would call those creative forces muses, other religions referred to them as God. Today people still mostly treat creativity as an aha moment outside the area of influence. However, just by looking at the creative process one can tell, that creativity and creative work is more than just that one "Aha-Moment" (insight). It is clear that generating ideas demands planning and preparation, identifying something of interest like a problem, an opportunity or a challenge, doing research. This then leads to thinking of a solution, allowing time to incubate and iterations before arriving at something “complete.” Students learn that hard work is what makes their ideas come to life and sticktuiveness is what helps them get better.

DELIVERABLE:

For her senior capstone project, Aina created ShamiZen, a mobile app that reimagines how we learn and preserve traditional Japanese music. Centered on the shamisen—a three-stringed Japanese banjo—ShamiZen combines interactive technology with gamified learning to make cultural education engaging and accessible. Users explore modules on shamisen history and technique, test their knowledge through quizzes and challenges, and even play a virtual shamisen directly on their phones. By blending cultural storytelling with hands-on music education, ShamiZen invites users of all backgrounds to experience the beauty of Japanese tradition in a fun, modern format.

Try out her prototype and she continues work on getting this published!

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