Kent Miyashiro and John Iyoki were called into their professor’s office one day in their last year at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and were told they should change majors because they would never make it as music teachers.
As they left that meeting, they turned to each other and shrugged. They weren’t going to listen to that kind of talk.
That was 36 years ago. Both men retired this year after long, successful careers as band directors in Hawaii public schools. Between them, they taught thousands of students, made friends with hundreds of band boosters and loved the jobs they were told they couldn’t do.
In the early 1980s, Miyashiro, who played sax at Waipahu High School, and Iyoki, who played trumpet at Kaiser, met as students in the music education program at UH. They played in the marching band together, sitting in the stands at Aloha Stadium in what was a great era for UH sports.
“Back then, the stadium would be nearly full for football games. The crowds would be 50,000,” Miyashiro said.
They played for all the basketball games, too, including the Rainbow Classic, where they got to see the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas play before those superstars became superstars.
“I was told that if I played at every basketball game, I could get a scholarship,” Iyoki said. “I said yeah! Hell yeah! You get good seats!”
They took classes together, performed their junior concert together, graduated in 1983, and took the only jobs that were open to them: Miyashiro taught for the first three years of his career on Molokai and Iyoki spent his first three years in Hana, Maui. Both were paid $17,000 a year and from that, had to pay their monthly rent on shared teachers’ cottages near their respective schools.
“I remember thinking that I made more money working at the cannery,” Miyashiro said.
Iyoki would complain to Miyashiro that it took so long to drive to town from Hana. Miyashiro would counter that on Molokai, there was no town to drive to. But really, they loved their jobs. Iyoki said the students in Hana were super friendly. Miyashiro said the students on Molokai were super honest. Both say those early days helped shape their approach to teaching.
“We don’t teach band. We teach students,” Miyashiro said. “For kids who have no place in the school, they can find a place in band. It’s sometimes the only class they enjoy and where they’re good at something and they’re a part of something. It can turn kids around.”
Iyoki taught at middle and high schools in Hana, Kihei, Nanakuli, Waipahu and Pearl City.
Miyashiro taught on Molokai and at Kalakaua, Niu Valley and Jarrett middle schools.
They finally ended up teaching together at Ewa Makai Intermediate. Iyoki started when the school opened in 2010. Miyashiro joined him three years ago. Iyoki taught band, Miyashiro taught ukulele and Polynesian music and the two ran band sectionals with Miyashiro handling the woodwinds and Iyoki the brass and percussion.
They both have stories of troubled kids who found a positive outlet playing drums or gang members who would stop fighting long enough to play music together in class.
Of the thousands of students who have sat in their bandrooms and played in their concerts, only a handful have become professional musicians.
“Music wasn’t the most important thing,” Miyashiro said. “I would hate to be the guy who made a kid hate music. Every kid can be a contributing member of the band, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be as a musician.”
They say this, yet both were known for leading some of the best intermediate school bands in the state and building up band programs from a dozen kids to well over 200.
But after 35 years, Iyoki, 59, and Miyashiro, 60, said it was time. Miyashiro was going to retire a year ago but Iyoki persuaded him to stay one more year so they could go out together.
The two band buddies will remain close in retirement. Iyoki already convinced Miyashiro to play in a ’70s-era disco band he’s been gigging with. It’s called White Light and they’re playing at Gordon Biersch tonight.
“John’s the featured singer on ‘Sweet Caroline,’” Miyashiro said.
Iyoki shook his head and laughed. “I can’t sing!” he said.
But Miyashiro shrugged. He wasn’t going to listen to that kind of talk.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
