Announcing the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposium

April 4, 2019 • Addison Ching • Education

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposiums are a series of community-based steel guitar workshops and courses that are held at various venues throughout the State of Hawai‘i throughout the year. The symposiums are presented to promote and perpetuate Hawaiian music and culture with specific emphasis on learning to play the Hawaiian steel guitar. No prior experience is necessary.

The purpose of the symposiums is to make available learning opportunities for those individuals wanting to expand their knowledge of the Hawaiian steel guitar, enhance their playability, or learn playing techniques from steel guitar masters. These symposiums may be targeted to various learning groups and are conducted by steel guitar masters who are known throughout the State of Hawai‘i and are expert in sharing their knowledge and playing techniques with others. The symposiums provide live instruction in an intimate learning environment where student and teacher can interact freely.

Tuition is nominal and varies for each symposium. Participants should have their own equipment, including a lap steel guitar and a portable amplifier.

The first symposium will be the Keiki Steel Guitar Summer Institute, a 6-week summer program for youth 9-17. The institute will meet for one hour each Saturday and provide an opportunity for local youth to learn about and how to play the Hawaiian steel guitar. According to instructor Alan Akaka, students will learn and explore the Hawaiian steel guitar giving them an opportunity to play simple Hawaiian songs and fills methods for backing singers and other musicians.

These symposiums are made available to the public by Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences (HIMELE^™) in association with the Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music. Additional information is available on the symposium website.