A special award of
The John Philip Sousa
Foundation
Chadwick Kamei has been the Director of Bands at Pearl City High School of Pearl City, Hawaii, for the last nine years. At the same school he also serves as the Coordinator for the Music Learning Center. Just to keep busy he has also served as the UH – West Oahu director for the last three years.
Kamei attended the University of Hawaii- Manoa for both his BS in Music Ed and his MA in the same discipline.
Kamei has worked in and at nearly every possible aspect of music education. He has directed middle schools, high schools and universities. He has done it in Hawaii and taken his groups to places such as Beijing, China, Hamamatsu, Japan, London, England and Chicago performing in prestigious festivals and parades.
The Bandworld Legion of Honor was established in 1989 to honor, over the course of a year, eight of the finest band directors in our business.
Recipients have taught for at least fifteen years, have maintained a very high-quality concert band program, and have contributed significantly to the profession through dedication to bands and band music.
Each is honored at the annual Sousa Foundation awards ceremony during the Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago, Illinois.
Chairman of the Legion of Honor Committee is Terry Austin, Virginia Commonwealth University.
He was inducted into the ASBDA in 2010 and he has served in many organizations. Among them are:National Band Association, State Chair; Hawaii Saxophone Association, Vice-President; ASBDA State Chair, and Bd Member for the Oahu Band Directors’ Association.
“Mentorships has been the most important factor in shaping my career. I remember struggling in my first year of teaching and things turned around once a mentor was able to observe and share her thoughts about my teaching. I was also fortunate to learn and be mentored by some of the best music educators in Hawaii and on the mainland. They helped me to become a better teacher by showing me new ways of teaching music and how to inspire students.”
His philosophy is this, “The band program provides a unique opportunity for all students to learn traits such as perseverance, collaboration, responsibility, and excellence. While they may be able to learn this in any other subject, it is through the fidelity to the music and creating a musically-sensitive performance that makes the band such a great medium. Our product is a direct reflection of our inner selves, and through the band we can help our students realize their full greatness.”
