The SPARX Hawai‘i Music Contest is an educational outreach component of the ‘Aha Lamakū ‘Oia‘i‘o (ALO) federal grant (Project No. S362A210096) administered by the Pacific Literacy Consortium, College of Education, University of Hawaii at Mānoa. The ALO project targets supplemental educational support to secondary students in four schools in Hawai‘i Island’s Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Area (KKP).
It is accessible to any qualifying student musician from any of the 4 KKP Complex Area schools, who records a video of themselves performing a song, and then uploads it to their school’s Google Classroom by the deadline (Feb 1, 2023).
There will be a preliminary round held within each of the 4 schools. From all the video entries, the school will pick 4 finalists that make it to the final round. The idea behind this is that students and teachers will enjoy a shared sense of community by participating in the contest together, and then watching video entries of other finalists from the KKP area.
Our ultimate hope is that the contest will spark interest in those dabbling in music, and that through the contest, we as a community can help kindle the small sparks that could potentially become a burning passion to pursue music as a viable career path.
Extra aloha to all the music teachers, mentors and supporters in the KKP area. You inspire us by keeping our rich musical heritage on Moku ‘o Keawe alive, passing it on to one student at a time.