Barry Kawakami, the president and founder of the Wave of Harmony Foundation, is pictured here at 9 years old performing for the first time at Baldwin High School Performing Arts Learning Center. As funding dwindles for performing arts programs statewide, Kawakami hopes to give back to Baldwin High School through the Maui Performing Arts Fund. Courtesy photo

Barry Kawakami, president and founder of the Wave of Harmony Foundation, said their organization started the Maui Performing Arts Fund in an effort to keep performing art programs alive for the island’s keiki.

Acting as a central fund for the foundation’s scholarships, sponsorships and performing arts education initiatives, Kawakami said it’s a way to safeguard these local programs to ensure their existence.

“It’s primarily filling the void in performing arts education in schools. I feel like every child should have the opportunity to experience the arts, regardless of their financial backgrounds,” he said. “We know that the arts are the first things to be cut in our school systems and governments.”

He said that when he started the foundation, he had reached out to two teachers, Chris Kepler at King Kekaulike High School and Linda Carnevale at Baldwin High School. With the idea to start the Maui Performing Arts Fund in mind, he told them about his goal to help support Maui’s public schools and their performing arts programs.

Kepler said Kawakami is doing things that have never been done before.

“He’s literally financing and sponsoring shows for our school theaters, as well as our community theaters,” he said. “I just think when we rally together like that and we become one, it gets people’s attention.”

Kepler said the fund has helped bring in live musicians for the school’s orchestra that help to mentor the students, as well as assisted in bringing in rehearsal pianists. He said the effort has also been helpful in streamlining production.

“It’s absolutely, incredibly convenient. He’s doing things like helping all of us sell tickets in one central hub – waveofharmony.org,” he said. “He’s really kind of pushing the envelope by helping develop the programs.”

Linda Carnevale with the Performing Arts Learning Center at Baldwin High School, said the fund is coming at an important time. Carnevale said during the last round of budget cuts, local learning centers’ funding was in jeopardy. She said thanks to public outcry in support of these centers, they were able to keep the programs alive until 2027.

Learning centers throughout Hawaii include a wide range of initiatives, including agriculture and after-school programs, and are currently at-risk due to proposed fiscal biennium requests for 2025-27. Baldwin High School’s Performing Arts Learning Center has been a recipient of this particular state funding for the past 40 years.

Carnevale said Kawakami will help these types of programs continue moving forward, regardless of what happens on a state level.

“He’s trying to help the schools keep their programs because they won’t be able to budget a half-time position to take care of it,” she said.

She also said Baldwin’s Performing Arts Learning Center has impacted “thousands of lives.”

“Cutting the program is cutting a legacy here,” she said.

In fact, it was that program that catapulted Kawakami into the world of performing arts. He said he was 9 years old when he joined the Performing Arts Learning Center at Baldwin High School, and that the experience changed his life forever.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for that,” he said.

It’s because of his gratitude for that opportunity that Kawakami’s heart became heavy when he heard the news. Seeing only a few options left to ensure local programs such as the one that inspired him survive.

“It goes to the bigger picture of performing arts here on Maui in general,” he said. “All the arts are struggling with county, state and federal funding.”

Seeing a gap that needed to be filled, Kawakami began spreading the news about the Maui Performing Arts Fund at the Wave of Harmony Foundation to help make sure local keiki don’t miss out on their dream to be on a stage.

“It’s a big project, but we don’t have anything like it here on Maui that really focuses on the performing arts and that can help with performing arts education,” he said.

And while there are great opportunities at some private schools on the island, he said that’s not always the case at the public schools.

“The public schools are struggling and they don’t have the arts. They don’t have the teachers that can teach kids to dance, so that’s where I’m looking to help supplement and support,” he said.

For more information, visit waveofharmony.org.