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Jalen "Mr.B" Baraoidan, Director of Band & Choir
Jalen "Mr.B" Baraoidan, Director of Band & Choir
Jalen Baraoidan is the Director of Band and Choir at Lahainaluna High School, his alma mater from which he graduated in 2017. He earned his Bachelor of Education in Music from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2021 and has been teaching at Lahainaluna since.
His responsibilities include directing the symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, marching band, and concert choir.
During his time at UH, he was a clarinetist in the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, and various chamber groups, and served as the wind ensemble librarian in Fall 2019. He studied clarinet with Mr. Jim Moffitt (Hawaii Symphony Orchestra) and conducting with Dr. Jeffrey Boeckman and Professor Joseph Stepec (UH Manoa). He also taught private lessons and led clinics on Oahu, and student-taught at Maui Waena Intermediate and Maui High.
Baraoidan has participated in clarinet masterclasses with notable musicians like Professor David Shifrin and Dr. Helen Goode-Castro, and received conducting instruction from Dr. Danh Pham and Dr. David Jacobs.
He also performs as a clarinetist with the Maui Pops Orchestra since 2022 and serves as an assistant conductor of the Maui Community Band.
His responsibilities include directing the symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, marching band, and concert choir.
During his time at UH, he was a clarinetist in the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, and various chamber groups, and served as the wind ensemble librarian in Fall 2019. He studied clarinet with Mr. Jim Moffitt (Hawaii Symphony Orchestra) and conducting with Dr. Jeffrey Boeckman and Professor Joseph Stepec (UH Manoa). He also taught private lessons and led clinics on Oahu, and student-taught at Maui Waena Intermediate and Maui High.
Baraoidan has participated in clarinet masterclasses with notable musicians like Professor David Shifrin and Dr. Helen Goode-Castro, and received conducting instruction from Dr. Danh Pham and Dr. David Jacobs.
He also performs as a clarinetist with the Maui Pops Orchestra since 2022 and serves as an assistant conductor of the Maui Community Band.
Isikeli “Isi” Tafea, Assistant to the Director of the BAC
Isikeli “Isi” Tafea is the Assistant to the Director of the Band & Choir (BAC) at Lahainaluna High School. Isikeli is an alumnus of Lahainaluna High School, class of 2019. Isikeli made significant contributions to Lahainaluna High School as a student, serving as the Drum Major for the marching band. During his tenure, he held the leadership roles of Assistant Manager (now Vice President) and subsequently Manager (now President) his senior year of high school. Alongside two fellow music department students, Isikeli co-founded the “Brax” band, a student-led ensemble featuring brass, saxophones, and percussion. Today, he continues his commitment to the school as a dedicated staff member. In addition to his role as the Assistant to the Director of Band and Choir, he also serves as one of the school’s Registrar Clerks.
Isikeli’s responsibilities vary from pre-concert checks to paperwork as his role as an assistant. “You can somewhat say that I run errands for the BAC.” But his job as an assistant lifts the workload for Baraoidan. As the director of the BAC, Baraoidan says that he likes how Isi is a hard worker who knows when to speak up.
Isikeli hopes that the BAC students will leave the band as better individuals, better people for society. And he says that to leave as better individuals, students should “be open to criticism and be able to share criticism because it’s not something to be afraid and avoid.”
FUN FACTS: Isikeli’s main instrument is trombone. He doesn’t have a favorite animal but his favorite foods are steak and anything seafood related. Isikeli looks up to Andre Giles, who he works alongside at Lahainaluna, because of the wisdom and advice Giles offers to him.
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