Our Story
Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Cardenas Music School is a family-owned establishment dedicated to providing top-notch music lessons tailored to each student.
Aaron, born and raised in Kaneohe, holds dual Master’s degrees in Music and Musical Arts from Yale School of Music. He attributes his personal and professional growth and success to the guitar and his music mentors for unlocking opportunities that may have been closed to him. Marissa, born and raised in Manoa, turned her passion for music into a career, transitioning from singing as a hobby to dedicated study. Both Aaron and Marissa share a deep love for music and entered entrepreneurship together to pursue sharing their passion and love for music. In just 18 months, the Cardenas Music School has grown from 8 to 65 students. They are enthusiastic about the school's future and consider it a privilege to teach and collaborate with their talented students. Their main objective is to be a valuable resource for individuals of all ages and skill levels in the local community. They are grateful to now welcome other skilled and caring teachers- Noah, Tyler, Emma, Eugene, and Haoda!
Begin Music Lessons in Honolulu Today!
Our Mission
We believe music brings out the best in each one of us. We aim to be a full resource in our community we were born and raised in and reflect the passion for music that our teachers have done for us.
Here, we have seen that music is a means of self development unlike any other skill. Music has the ability to shape and craft well rounded intellects capable of assuming roles that require operating and executing with great confidence and empathy. It is within the school’s objective to cultivate and stimulate the best out of each individual and give them the skills to not only thrive in music, but also in life.
Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy is that when trust is established between student and teacher something very magical happens. It’s within my experience as a student that I’ve experienced individuals who gave me more in value than I could ever give them monetarily in return. Thats when the act of education becomes both selfless and priceless. It is my goal to create magic in every lesson.
About Aaron Cardenas
Aaron Cardenas is a classical guitarist, composer, and educator born and raised in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu. He graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance where he studied with Ian O’Sullivan. He continued his education at Yale where he was accepted on a full tuition scholarship to the Yale School of Music. There he would study with Benjamin Verdery and received a Masters of Music Degree and a Masters of Musical Arts in guitar performance. Aaron is now currently adjunct faculty at Honolulu Community College and Hawaii Tokai International College.
Aaron is an active performer and has performed in major venues all around the world. In 2019, he performed in Carnegie Hall as both a soloist and part of an ensemble. He has also competed abroad and has played at classical guitar societies. As of recently, Aaron has dedicated a large portion of his time toward providing free concerts all around the island of Oahu in hopes of generating interest in the classical guitar. It’s his belief that someday the classical guitar can stimulate and enhance cultural continuity for Hawaii and its future musicians.
Aaron is also an avid composer and arranger. He is currently working on solo works for the classical guitar in the genre of “Hawaiian Classical Guitar”. It’s with this hybrid that combines both Hawaiian and Classical traditions that he hopes to contribute in the enrichment of Hawaiian culture. He is also working on transcribing and arranging Portuguese Baroque music and works by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu.
Aaron currently plays on a guitar made by Stephan Connor and Slavko Mrdalj.
Watch Aaron play Guava Jam by Ka’au Crater Boys here:
Video of Guava Jam by Ka'au Crater Boys played by Aaron Cardenas
Carnegie Hall, 2019
About Marissa Rohlfing (Cardenas)
Marissa Rohlfing is a singer born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2017. She is currently continuing her education studying audio engineering and music production at Honolulu Community College as a part of their MELE program.
She has a background of elementary education, directing choirs and glee clubs, recording in professional studios, and was a part of the UH-Manoa's most select vocal ensemble. She is an active performer in 'Oahu. Marissa's aim as a teacher is to help each student learn the fundamentals of great vocal health, theory, and most importantly, the joy of singing. She has experience in contemporary, classical, jazz, choral, and Hawaiian music. She deeply believes everyone has a voice worth expressing!
Watch her singing videos here:
