Noelani Mahoe

Since the late 1950's, Noe has immersed herself in teaching hula, Hawaiian music and `ukulele to new generations of both young people and adults in a City & County of Honolulu program from 1958-`64. She was chosen to participate in the 1999 Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Education Committee that developed our E Mele Kakou elementary school curriculum, and one of the first group to teach the program in 4th and 5th grade music classes.

Mrs. Mahoe formed the quartet "Leo Nahenahe Singers" in 1963, and with Ka`upena Wong were the first Hawaiians to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island in 1964.

Her Hawaiian music outreach work in education expanded when she joined the DOE Office of Instructional Services in 1980, and with Lokomaikai Snakenberg and Mahealani Pescaia, developed, produced and instilled a unique component, Kupuna, in Hawaiian Studies Curriculum in the State's schools.

Noelani Mahoe joined the original Hawaiian Music Foundation founded by the late Dr. George Kanahele in 1971, and coordinated the first Hawaiian Music Conference, held that year. As an officer of that organization, she coordinated the Slack Key, Falsetto, and Steel Guitar concerts held on all Islands.

For Hawaii Public Television, as an associate producer, she helped develop six half-hour "Na Mele Hawai`i " shows still being aired today.

Almost forty years later, Mrs. Mahoe was still reaching out through Foundation projects in Dr. Kanahele's Native Hawaiian Tourism Travel Association, organizing choruses and song contests with Waikiki Hotels. Finally, in 2002, the "Leo Nahenahe Singers" which she organized, were invited to perform at the Hawai`i Theatre by Garrison Keiler (Prairie Home Companion Show) for PBS.

The icing on the cake came in May, 2002, when Noelani received HARA's Lifetime Achievement Award, a fitting honor for a foremost Hawaiian music educator.