Kani ka ʻōpala: music made from Rubbish

The kani ka ʻōpala project* began as an exercise in applied ecomusicology: how to repurpose everyday discards (ʻōpala) found on the streets of Oʻahu and encourage students to examine our consumptive habits. The initial result was MUS311, a place-based ensemble dedicated to exploring the music of Thailand with instruments built in class and sourced from salvaged items. It has since expanded into the projects featured on this site.

Kani ka ʻōpala: how can garbage Sing?

Kani ka ʻōpala is an illustrated children’s book (University of Hawaiʻi Press, fall 2025) that follows a father and daughter on a scavenger hunt through Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island. While playing a conversational “Question Game,” the pair collects trash, interrogates the meaning of rubbish, and eventually repurposes a “worthless” pile of discards into musical instruments (valued and with voice).

Get the book here

The second half of the book contains step-by-step illustrated tutorials that guide readers in making their own functional instruments out of household scraps. The following tutorial videos are meant to aid and inspire the crafting effort:

3 ingredients for this instrument: Popsicle sticks, tape, and chip bag.
xylophone made from boba straws
Cardboard, fishing line, and chopsticks are all you need for this stringed instrument.
Build a bamboo saxophone in 1 minute using bamboo and plastic.
Reed Membrane instrument made from sprinkler pipe, balloon, rubber band, and duct tape.
Popsicle sticks, scrap wood, screws, and a drill are all that is needed for this build.
Making bean dip? Save the cans and chip bags!
Bottle caps make excellent tambourines. Here’s how!
Got SPAM? Make a 3-string, 1-fret guitar with these instructions.
Summer fun doesn’t have to end in the fall!
Cigar box + fishing line+ copper wire = ukulele. (PS: recognize the hat?)

In seeking to prove that these are more than just silly, one-off eco-craft projects, I composed a full album and recorded it using only my homemade instruments. The album is available on this website or wherever you access your streaming music. Have a listen!

ORder your copy here

Hear more about the book on my interview with HPR.