Niu Valley Middle Hosts Okinawan Band Association

September 03, 2010 | Mr. Justin Mew |

In the context of music, our school practiced the three foundational principles of the International Baccalaureate: International-mindedness, Communication and Holistic Education. We hosted a select group of middle/high school students who traveled from Okinawa with the Okinawan Band Association.  The quality of their performances, individually, and as a group, demonstrated our General Learner Outcome, Quality Work. (With Exclamation Point!) It was clear when the Okinawan Band played Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and Lilioukalani’s “Aloha Oe,” that the IB Communication Principle was done effectively through music. They invoked “chicken-skin” from me, as well as many of us in attendance: were were moved by what we heard, saw and felt. Today’s activities include, interactions over school lunch, outdoor games, and a joint concert.