Music Lessons in Hawaii

Who runs student music in Hawaii

Hawaiʻi’s student music opportunities come through groups with different roles, so the right one depends on whether you or your child is in school or studying privately. The Oʻahu Band Directors Association (OBDA) organizes student solo ensembles and band and orchestra parades on Oʻahu. For private students, the Hawaiʻi Music Teachers Association (HMTA) offers competitions, masterclasses, workshops, and recitals through its teacher members, including a state competition for resident students ages 5–18 in piano, violin, and low strings. String students can also look to the Hawaiʻi Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (HASTA), which supports solo, chamber, and orchestra development.

Homeschool and private school students

Homeschool students can take part in Hawaiʻi’s February 20, 2027 ASTA Solo & Ensemble Festival in Honolulu if they register through a private or school teacher who belongs to the American String Teachers Association, Hawaiʻi Unit. Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii also organizes activities and supports homeschooling families statewide, so homeschool life has a wider community beyond music.

Choosing an instrument

In Hawaiʻi, school music access is uneven, and the clearest examples range from beginning orchestra at Mililani ‘Ike Elementary to introductory band for grades 6–8 at Ewa Makai Middle School, so school offerings alone may not settle the choice. String playing connects to youth orchestra, while Hawaiian slack key guitar offers a local tradition built around alternate tunings and slides. For a young child, the best fit is the instrument they can hold and enjoy practicing; a teen may be drawn to a school ensemble, while an adult can choose purely for personal interest. A free first lesson with Lesson With You lets you meet one teacher online and see what feels right before deciding on weekly lessons.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults have places to make music together in several parts of Hawaiʻi. In Honolulu, the O‘ahu Choral Society auditions adult singers, while Rainbow Chorus of Honolulu welcomes new voices; in Wailuku, Maui Community Orchestra is open to musicians of all levels and orchestral instruments. Kona Aloha Singers in Kailua-Kona accepts adult singers without an audition, and Hilo Community Chorus rehearses in Hilo. It is not too late to begin: a dedicated online teacher can meet you where you are and give real-time feedback without a commute, even if you are starting from the beginning.

Music in Hawaii

Where to hear live music

Honolulu offers several ways to hear live music: Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra plays major Masterworks and Pops concerts at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, with $15 student tickets for select performances, while Chamber Music Hawaiʻi presents resident ensembles from September through June and gives K–12 students free tickets through Student Advantage. Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre offers free student and teacher tickets through Opera for Everyone. In Hilo, most Merrie Monarch Festival activities are free, though the competition requires tickets; the March 28–April 3, 2027 festival includes hula, music, and a parade. Hearing performers live helps you or your child connect what a lesson teaches with how musicians listen and respond together.

A little history

Hawaiian music includes ki ho‘alu, or slack key guitar, whose alternate tunings and use of chimes, hammer-ons, and slides give players a distinctive way to shape a melody. In Hilo, the Merrie Monarch Festival brings together hula kahiko, hula ʻauana, and oli in annual competitions, alongside an exhibition night featuring dance from around the Pacific. These traditions show that music here is closely connected to language, dance, and community, not only to concert stages.

For someone choosing an instrument, that means there is room to learn music rooted in Hawaiʻi as well as the orchestral instruments heard in Hawai‘i Youth Symphony. Its audition repertoire spans strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and harp, so young players can see a path from private study into ensemble playing. The best choice is the sound and musical role that will keep you or your child curious enough to practice.