Michael Nakasone is a band director. Born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, he led the

Hawaii Youth Symphony Hawaii Youth Symphony is a statewide youth orchestra in Hawaii. Students come from many different List of islands of Hawaii, Hawaiian islands and the orchestra consists of hundreds of students. The Hawaii Youth Symphony has been training students si ...

, the

Pearl City High School (Hawaii) Pearl City High School is located in Pearl City, in the City and County of Honolulu in the state of Hawaii, USA. Established in 1971, Pearl City High School is a public, secondary, co-educational, college preparatory high school that is part of t ...

Band, the

Royal Hawaiian Band The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. At present a body of the City & County of Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian Band has been entertaining Honolulu residents and visitors since its inception i ...

, and most recently the

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...

Wind Ensemble.

Early life

Nakasone was raised in

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

and enrolled in several public schools in the vicinity, until graduating from

Hilo High School Hilo High School is a Public school (government funded), public, Coeducation, co-educational high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education, and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1906, its first class graduated in 1909. ...

. He was a

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

player for a local rock band during the 1960s. At the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, he earned his

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

Career

In 1968, Nakasone started his career as a band director at the Wahiawa Intermediate School. He then moved to

Mililani High School Mililani High School is the only public high school located in Mililani Town CDP,2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools. City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. on the island of Oahu. Serving an enrollment of over 2,600 students in grade ...

in 1973, and then taught at the Pearl City High School in 1977. In 1992, he was named director of the PCHS Performing Arts Learning Center. He contributed much to the construction of the Pearl City Cultural Arts Center. Under Nakasone's direction, the Pearl City Marching Band has performed in the Aloha Festivals Parade (Hawaii),

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

(

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

), and the Ginza Parade (

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

). In 2004, Nakasone retired from his position as the band director of the Pearl City Marching Band and 37 years with the Hawaii DOE to become the band director of the

. He served as a conductor with the

until 2010. In June 2012, Nakasone became the band director at

; in 2016 he retired. He later taught as a substitute for many schools such as Campbell and Pearl City.

Recognition

*The 1991 John Philip Sousa Foundation's Sudler Flag of Honor, the highest international recognition of a high school for excellence in concert performance; *In 1995, the Band World Legion of Honor recognized Nakasone as one of the 10 best band directors in the nation; *The 1996 Hawaii Department of Education's Teacher of the Year.

External links

Michael Nakasone by the Royal Hawaiian Band

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakasone, Michael American educators University of Hawaiʻi alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)