Reuben's story
Lahaina Grown
When Reuben Pali was growing up in Lahaina, Maui he learned to play ukulele from his big Hawaiian family where every single member could join in ‘kanikapila’, In Lahaina, keiki and teens would carry ukuleles around with them everywhere, strumming as they would walk along the road or relax on the beach.
As an adult Reuben noticed that he didn't see this so much, It was heartbreaking for him to see that this beautiful piece of his Hawaiian culture wasn’t being shared with every single kid on Maui, so he decided to do something about it. So he started telling all of his ohana and friends that he needed 10 ukuleles, and it didn't take long before Maui Music Mission had it's first sponsor!
So Reuben laid out his lauhala mats and ukuleles in the grass near Kamehameha III elementary, and right away there were 2..5..12...30..75 keiki playing ukulele! It was a dream come true for Reuben, and since then he has taught more than 500 keiki through the After School Music Club and Camps where his students learn about music in culture and they also play piano, drums, violin, guitar, learn to sing and more! Reuben is inspiring hope through music because a dream fulfilled is a tree of life!