students performed an array of musical selections during its 8th Annual Uke Jam.
6th, 7th, and 8th grade students performed numbers that captivated the evening’s audience.
Of the songs played by Tsunami junior high students included the “Mission Impossible” theme song by the 6th grade class, the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” by the 7th grade class, and advanced musical pieces by the school’s graduating 8th grade class.
Following group performances were special numbers by students who put in extra effort in honing their ukulele playing skills, along with guest performances by Tsunami alumni. 6th grader Eron Constante opened up the special numbers with the piece ‘Me and Shirley T’ by Jake Shimabukuro, followed by 7th grader Frankie Camacho who played another Jake Shimabukuro song, ‘Blue Roses Falling,’ and 8th grader Jireh Hwang who played ‘Fur Elise.’
8th graders Mindy Song, Jian Joyner, and Tae Ho Won, closed the special number with ‘Classical Gas.’
Special performances were then followed by guest performances by former SCS alumni. Alumni group S.Y.R.U.P., Saipan Youth Rockin’ Ukulele Players, performed first with a rendition of the song ‘Wipe Out.’
Shin Kimura took the stage next, mesmerizing the crowd with an original composition. Joel Tudela, a brother of two current Saipan Community School students, performed Bye Bye Love and No No Pai Pai with MHS junior Ralph Kileleman. Ed Johnson performed a Japanese song to close the guest performances.
Towards the end of the program Mindy Song and Jian Joyner were announced winners of the Jake Shimabukuro uke contest, and were presented the Ukulele Elite Award, an award for noteworthy skill in ukulele playing.
The evening finished off with the junior high students marching in from the back of the Saipan Community Church dressed as pirates. The finale number, performed by all three classes, was the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song.
