Maui Fire Survivors receive their new ukulele from the Kanikaplia Project thanks to funding by the Rotary D5000 Foundation Fire Relief effort. Courtesy photos

KAHULUI–The Kanikapila Project is an intuitive initiative that provides music lessons and ukulele to people of all ages who have been impacted by the tragic Lahaina fires that took place last August.

The project is held at the Royal Lahaina Hotel, which has graciously donated space for the project. These lessons are intended to offer a healing outlet for trauma survivors. It is one of the missions of the project.

The project has distributed over 400 ukulele to students since October, with dedicated music teachers volunteering their time to provide instruction. The impact the project has had on the community is something that is impossible to quantify, but can be heard in the melodies produced by those who have been affected by the worst tragedy in their lives.

Thanks to the support of the Rotary D5000 Foundation fires relief effort, a proposal was put forth and funded to purchase 75 more ukulele and offer an honorarium to teachers who commit to teaching three times a week.

At a reception at Hale Paina on the Lahainaluna High School campus on Monday, April 15, 2024, Rotary International President Gordon McInally presented a check to Founder and President of the Kanikapila Project, David Blake, in recognition of their impactful work.

Lead teacher Jason Jerome, who lost his business, Lahaina Music, in the fires, has been instrumental in the project’s success. This generous contribution has brought the gift of music and healing to those in need who have lost so much.

“It’s been awesome to be able to make a difference,” Jerome said of the project. “The challenge we are facing right now is that all of the people that used to be in specific locations have now been dispersed.”

Jerome said that they used to be able to go to hotel sites and administer lessons to a whole lot of people, but that has all changed now.

“Now the challenge is that they are all dispersed, so we are trying to figure out new ways to expand the program with me going to the other side of the island,” Jerome said of some of the changes the program is facing.

Jerome said that all the sessions start with the class playing music, but that now there is more talking than there used to be.

“The whole vision of the project was to utilize the ukulele as a means to open communication so that people would begin to talk about things together that ordinarily we that live here don’t always talk about our problems is one of the challenges,” Jerome said. “So it’s been very successful at that.”

The healing that has taken place as seen by Jerome has been inspiring. People participating in the project have frequently come to tears and at times it’s something that can be felt by all those in attendance.

“It made a huge impact on people in terms of creating a fellowship bond and comradery,” Jerome said, adding that he thinks the project will increasingly focus on kids in the future. “Probably working through the school systems, or through YMCA, or the Boys and Girls Club.”