Papa Mele: Learning Hawaiian Through Song
Love Hawaiian music or hula and wonder what the songs really mean? Go line by line through each mele, learning the vocabulary, the grammar and the kaona, or layers of meaning.
See a class in action
A new MH1 sampler video is coming soon.
Is this course for you?
- You love Hawaiian music or hula and want to know what the songs mean.
- You’re tired of looking up words one by one and guessing how they fit together.
- You want techniques you can use on any song.
Before you start: Any level is welcome.
What you’ll learn
- Line-by-line study of mele
- Vocabulary
- Basic Hawaiian grammar
- Kaona: layers of meaning
- How words relate to movement
- Techniques for any song
Thursday Sections
You sign up for the course, not a Section. Join whichever one suits you each week.
We guessed from your device. Travelling or on a VPN? Pick another.
| Section | Class time (Hawaiʻi) | Your time · |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Thu 12:00 pm | |
| Section 2 | Thu 4:00 pm |
Hawaiʻi doesn’t change its clocks, so your local time may shift by an hour when yours change. Full schedule
Inside every class
Community Building TimeEach class opens with about twelve minutes for classmates to talk together in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, at whatever level you’re at, in a friendly, judgement-free space. Kumu Kaliko listens in and sends word hints in the chat.
Live teaching, then recordingsThe rest of the hour is live instruction. Every Section is recorded and posted with the combined class notes within 24 hours.
Your Kaiāulu course SpaceVideos, lesson PDFs and homework live in your course’s private Space, where you can also chat with classmates between classes.
Not sure MH1 is your level? A short level check is on its way. For now, our guide will point you to the right course.
Which course is right for me?