In 2019 I created an ensemble course at the University of Hawai‘i.
The class drew inspiration from rural Thai and highland ethnic groups in northern Thailand, where the repurposing of natural and recycled materials into musical instruments is woven into various rural musical traditions.
As part of the class, we’d scavenge our way through campus, collecting junk and turning found items into instruments in class.
Recent strategic plans for the university had called for a raised level of attention paid to the campus’ outdoor environments and an active integration of these into the learning experience.
For me this was an opportunity to challenge students to think more about waste, nature, music, culture, and how music allows us to unpack, reinforce, and challenge those labels.
The initial course was sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UH, for which I remain eternally grateful.
In the Spring of 2022, we brought out Chi Suwichan and Khuewa for a visiting artist residency sponsored by the East-West Center Arts Program.
In 2024, the MUS311 course was honored with an Innovation and Impact Showcase award. Read more about it here: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/iishowcase/disciplines/humanities/benjamin-fairfield/
In the Spring of 2025, I was able to bring a similar course (Ecomusicology Workshop) to Hawai’i Pacific University, which featured a wider scope of repertoire and experimental instruments types (beyond music of Thailand):
We were renewed for Fall 2026 at UH and used the opportunity to work with Dr. Alec Schumaker on an SATB arrangement of a Tue Pho song. In order to make the message of the song more accessible, I worked with colleagues in Thailand to translate before rendering my own English version.
Yellow moon fills the windowpane
Silhouettes and shadows stir again
Oh, I recall
summer days fading to fall
And birds will still their calls
When trees turn bare and plain.
Crescent moon trails behind the light,
Chasing suns and taking from the night
Fields growing gold,
growing cold
now growing old,
Your blanket’s all I hold,
Here at the fireside.
New moon yielding to the stars
Mountain pines grow quiet in the dark
Your cup and bowl they were filled
and still are full
Departed still you pull
You’ll always have my heart.
Have a listen:
Every semester brings new challenges and ideas, and you can track the progress of our instrument builds and ideas at #MUS311.
Kani ka ʻōpala 