Michael Nakasone is a band director. Born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, he led the Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Pearl City High School (Hawaii) Band, the Royal Hawaiian Band, 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 12th grade. The school was established by P ...

Wind Ensemble.

Early life

Nakasone was raised in

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

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 operated by the Hawaii State Department of Education, and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1906, its first class graduated ...

. 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 * Mus ...

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

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, he earned his

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

and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate 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 prac ...

s in

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

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 gra ...

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 American-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 ...

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

, 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, United States, 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 d ...

), and the Ginza Parade (

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

). 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 Royal Hawaiian Band. He served as a conductor with the Royal Hawaiian Band 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 at Mānoa alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)