Aloha!

The Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences, Inc. – HIMELE™ (high-MEL-eh) is a Hawai‘i Non-Profit Corporation that supports music education and enrichment for people of all ages. Our purpose is to educate, promote and perpetuate Hawaiian music, Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian musical instruments. We do this by organizing and sponsoring festivals including the Maui Steel Guitar Festival, Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, the Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival, the Hilo Steel Guitar Festival, J-FESTA (the Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival,) and the Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival. We present community-focused steel guitar festivals at Ka Makana Ali‘i in Kapolei, the Windward Mall in Kāne‘ohe and the Kahala Mall in Wai‘alae-Kāhala, that are conveniently located to population centers on O‘ahu. We also conduct symposia workshops, exhibitions, and other music-related public events and use social media channels and our websites to publicize the corporation's music and cultural activities and provide information to the public.

HIMELE produces an online newsletter/blog, Steel Trappings, that contains resources specific to the Hawaiian Steel guitar., Updates to its festivals and activities are also included.

HIMELE™ is registered in the State of Hawaii and has been designated a 501(c)(3) corporation by the IRS. In order to accomplish its goals, HIMELE may also collaborate with affiliated steel guitar other organizations including non-profit organizations which fall under the 501(c)(3) section of the Internal Revenue Code and are operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.

HIMELE is dedicated to continuing to educate and enrich the world through the music, culture and spirit of Hawaii.

HIMELE is recognized by Guidestar, an information service of Candid specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies.

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