Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings (KCPS) is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non- profit organization focused on uplifting the lineage of stringed instruments in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Region. KCPS is interested in an ethnographic approach to perpetuating the history of mele Hawaiʻi by recentering the family histories of the individuals who elevated this artform to what it has become today. KCPS also prioritizes a logogenic approach to mele Hawaiʻi, and a musico-linguistic approach to the catalogue of recorded music that acknowledges the fact that poetry drives melody, and all projects at KCPS give equal attention to the voice and to the instrument, to the word and to the note.

KCPS is committed to perpetuating the Hawaiian musical arts and luthiery as powerful forces capable of addressing our communities most difficult challenges. Through educational outreach, curriculum development, and hands on vocational training, we intend to empower our local community while fostering a deeper understanding of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Region’s pivotal role in the evolution of modern global music culture in the international sphere.

One program called “World Culture in Context,” utilizes emerging virtual tools to create exciting opportunities for student cultural engagement and arts enrichment. World Culture in Context encourages students to look outwardly at the world’s cultural expressions in order to create new pathways of understanding and to gain enhanced perspective and appreciation for the cultural traditions that thrive in their own communities. Its components include a virtual presentation, virtual visit, and teacher resources. For more about the World Culture in Context program, KCPS’s partnership with the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, go here.