On Friday, February 5, the HBA Jazz band played pre-concert music as a part of a Hawaii Pops Beatles show in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom.
A school bus transported the band members to the hotel after school and the band began playing at 6:15 p.m..The band performed in the reception area to friends and family who came to see them, along with the general public. Their repertoire featured a variety of songs from movies such as Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. After their performance, band members were given free tickets to see the Hawaii Pops show.
According to its website, Hawaii Pops, which stands for Professional Opportunities Program for Students, was established in 2013 as a non-profit organization with a mission of bringing music and music education to the people of Hawaii. It also has a student program that features local talent.
To those in the Jazz band, the performance was a new experience unlike the usual MAC or Christmas chapels at HBA. Clarinet player junior Madison Mizuno said, “Prior to the performance I was really nervous, but as we kept on playing, it was really fun, and I enjoyed myself.”
Band teacher Brad Shimizu said, “I’m hoping they got a chance to play at a different venue for different people, and it forced them to prepare a lot of music in a short amount of time.”
Reflecting on her experience, alto saxophonist senior Marissa Kwon said, “It was interesting— definitely not like anything we’ve done in the past. Usually the HBA Jazz band only plays for HBA events, so going to the Hilton and playing in front of what potentially could have been other people who did not know about HBA and do not know about us is pretty good.”
There is a video of the band’s performance on the Hawaii Pops Facebook page.
