PEARL CITY - O le Pearl City Cultural Center i luga o le lotoa a le Pearl City High School na toe faʻaigoaina o le Michael D. Nakasone Performing Arts Center e faʻaalia ai le sao o le matai faʻaili lauiloa i aʻoaʻoga musika ma polokalame faʻaili i le setete atoa i se konaseti faʻamanatuga i aso nei. O le galuega mata'ina a Nakasone e silia ma le limasefulu tausaga ma e aofia uma ai a'oga a le malo ma a'oga tuma'oti ma nisi o fa'apotopotoga sili ona lauiloa i Hawai'i. Na amata e Nakasone, 77 ona tausaga, ma faatonu faaili i Wahiawa Intermediate School i le 1968 ma faaauau ai ona taitaia polokalame musika i Mililani High School, Pearl City High School, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Royal Hawaiian Band, Punahou School, Kamehameha Schools ma, i le taimi nei, i le Iunivesite o Hawaiʻi i West Oʻahu. O lo'o ta'ua lautele o ia o le fa'aili fa'aili e to'atasi e sili ona ta'uta'ua ma fa'aaloalogia i Hawai'i.
"O lenei faʻaaloalo mataʻina e faʻamoemoe e faʻaaloalo i taumafaiga a le toʻatele," o le tala lea a Michael Nakasone. “O se fa’afetai i ta’ita’i o le atunu’u, ta’ita’i o le malo ma faipule o lo’o lagolagoina pea lenei lavelave matagofie, i faia’oga ma fa’atonu i vaega uma o lo’o tu’uina atu la latou lagolago ma le loto atoa, i le tele o matua ma le au fa’aili o ē, i le tele o tausaga, sa sasa’a atu le malosi, taimi ma tupe e lagolago ai a latou tama musika, ae o le mea e sili ona taua, o le fa’afetaia lea o le taimi ma le talenia o tamaiti a’oga e fa’ao’o mai ai a latou musika.”
O le suiga o le igoa na aofia ai ma le mamalu mai le Gov. David Ige; sa avea muamua ma Govs. Ben Cayetano ma John Waihe'e; Sen. Michelle Kidani, Bennette Misalucha ma Clarence Nishihara; Faipule Gregg Takayama, Sylvia Luke, Roy Takumi ma Henry Aquino; sa avea muamua ma Pulenu’u o Honolulu Mufi Hannemann; Sui Usufono o le Aai o Honolulu Brandon Elefante; Superintendent Keith Hayashi; Sui Sui Pule Sili Heidi Armstrong; ma le Superintendent Area Complex Keith Hui.
O le polokalame sa aofia ai foi ma le faagaeeina o saafiafiga faamusika a le 100 tagata filifilia faaili e aofia ai sui o le taimi nei ma tagata ua mavae o faaili iloga a Nakasone ma sui o le aiga o Nakasone. E toʻaiva taʻitaʻi malo sa galulue faatasi pe sa avea muamua ma tamaiti aʻoga a Nakasone na taʻitaʻia ana musika e sili ona fiafia i ai ma aofia ai ma faatonu faʻaili o le Pearl City High School, Mililani High School, Moanalua High School, Royal Hawaiian Band, ma iunivesite i Virginia, Alabama ma Tennessee.
“E le mafai ona ou mafaufau i se tagata sili atu ona atoatoa e i ai o latou igoa i luga o lenei fale, e faaosofia ai le isi augatupulaga o tamaiti aoga faaili e moemiti i mea uma latou te mafaia ma aua nei faatagaina se tasi po o se mea e taofia i latou mai le tulituliloaina o a latou miti,” o le tala lea a Kovana David Ige. “E fai ma sui o tagata o Hawaii ma tagata o le Aai o Penina, faafetai tele mo lo outou tuuto, mo la outou musumusuga ma le aoaoina o i matou e uiga i le tulaga moni o le lalolagi i mea uma matou te faia.”
O le fa'amaoni o Nakasone i tamaiti a'oga ua fa'alautele atu i a'oga uma i lana galuega e pei ona fa'ata'ita'ia e lana ta'ita'iga o le Leeward District Band Festival, le O'ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Band Festival ma lana fesoasoani fa'aauau i isi fa'aili a le a'oga i le atina'eina o a latou koneseti ma polokalame fa'aili savali. Sa ia fesoasoani foi i kalapu lagolago a matua mai isi aoga i le faamaopoopoina ma sailiga seleni mo a latou malaga faaili. O lana galuega o le ta'ita'iina o falema'i fa'aili a le aoga maualuga a Pearl City High na mafua ai ona auai a'oga tulagalua ma a'oga maualuluga mai atumotu uma.
"O ana taumafaiga le faavaivai ua fesoasoani e atiina ae polokalame musika i le setete i tulaga uma, mai tamaiti aʻoga e aʻoaʻoina a latou mea faifaaili ma le auala e taʻalo ai i se vaega mo le taimi muamua, i a matou polokalame sili ona lelei a le malo ma aʻoga tumaoti ma faʻaili sili ona lauiloa ma faʻaaloalogia a le matou setete, ua mafai e Mike ona faʻafesoʻotaʻi faʻalapotopotoga uma na ia paʻi atu i ai ma faʻapotopotoina i latou mo le manuia o musika ma aʻoaʻoga musika i Hawaiʻi, "o le tala lea a Keith Hayantente. “O ia o se tagata lotomaulalo e le mafai ona fa’afetaia, ae le mafaitaulia o aiga i Hawai’i atoa ua ootia i lona fa’amaoni i tamaiti aoga ma lona naunau mo a’oa’oga.”
Na soifua mai ma tausia i Hilo, na faauu Nakasone mai le Aoga Maualuga a Hilo ma maua ai lona faailoga o le tagata malaga ma le matuaofaiva mai le Iunivesite o Hawaiʻi i Mānoa. O lona tulaga o se faiaoga matai ua fa'afetaia i lona fa'aauauina o tomai fa'apolofesa, auai i a'oa'oga musika ma fa'asalalauga, ma ana fegalegaleaiga faifaipea ma le au faimusika sili ona lelei i le lalolagi, mo le manuia o lona tuputupu a'e fa'apolofesa ma ana tamaiti a'oga.
O lana lisi iloga o mamalu e aofia ai le National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors inductee (2020), le Oʻahu High School Marching Band Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), le Honpa Hongwanji Living Treasures of Hawaiʻi award (2013), High School Band Directors National Association Hall of Fame Fine Arts Award ('20102), le Governors5 Arts iductee Award ('20102 Arts). Hawaiʻi Music Award Lifetime Achievement Award (1998), Hawaiʻi State Department of Education State Teacher of the Year (1996), and John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor inductee (1995).
