Kohala Elementary recognized in statewide student songwriting challenge on Oahu

Kohala Elementary School brought a Big Island win to Oahu, earning recognition among the top schools in a statewide student songwriting challenge that put Hawaii Island music education on a Honolulu stage.

The honor came during the second annual Lōkahi Play Along at McKinley High School Auditorium, where students, teachers, families and music advocates gathered on May 2 to hear original performances built around the theme “Aloha In Our Community.” More than 80 students took part, representing hundreds of classrooms across Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu.

Kohala Elementary was named alongside Kula Elementary on Maui and Wahiawa Elementary on Oahu as one of the top schools in the companion Hoolōkahi Lyrics Writing Challenge. The recognition carried a tangible reward for the winning classrooms: each of the top three schools received sets of 30 Fender ukuleles donated by Free Guitars 4 Kids, extending the impact of the event well beyond a single day of performances.

The showcase paired in-person performances from Oahu schools with virtual participation from the neighbor islands, including a recording from Kula Elementary School. Artists and music education advocates Paula Fuga, Honoka Katayama, Jody Kamisato, Bryan Tolentino and Abe Lagrimas Jr. appeared with the students, reinforcing the event’s focus on classroom music as much as stage performance. Teachers also were recognized for guiding student participation and helping turn songwriting into a schoolwide project.

For Big Island readers, Kohala Elementary’s placement matters because it shows what can happen when music instruction reaches beyond extracurricular activity and becomes part of the classroom culture. The challenge asked schools to learn a song, write a verse together and submit a performance video, a format that tied music to collaboration, literacy and place-based identity. The result was a statewide showcase of young voices, but also a visible marker of what Hawaii Island schools can produce when they get sustained support.

Lōkahi: The Ukulele Collective, supported by Servco Pacific and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, says its mission is to unite schools, the music industry, nonprofits and the wider community to transform music education in Hawaii and provide access to high-quality instruction rooted in cultural identity. That approach has widened quickly. The first Hoolōkahi Lyrics Writing Challenge began in October 2024, ran for six months through March 15, 2025, and drew more than 900 students from 33 schools. Its growth from that inaugural cycle to this year’s statewide play-along shows a program with enough momentum to keep producing recognized student talent from Kohala to Honolulu.