Surviving the Pandemic With Music and Arts

A music school teacher in the morning and a jazz club director at night, Carolyn Stanton is one of Honolulu’s top educators when it comes to everything music.

Born to Filipino parents and raised in Kalihi, Stanton started teaching private piano lessons at her Manoa home in 1988 after retiring from 19 years of teaching piano and music at Punahou School.

She eventually moved her music school, Manoa School of Music and the Arts, to Manoa Marketplace in 2012, where she hired more teachers and offered classes in dance, acting, art and music. According to a 2019 Hawaii Business Magazine article, the school has 14 teachers and 300 students at the time.

In 2014, Stanton and her husband Tim opened the Medici’s Supper Club at the large loft area above the school.

The 112-seat jazz and blues club features nightly live entertainment and concerts from top jazz, classical and pop musicians on Oahu. They also pride themselves on giving guests an intimate feel with its dance floor, cozy booths and delectable culinary buffet menu.

Medici’s easily became a favorite hangout spot among the community. In 2015, Honolulu Magazine awarded Medici’s with “Best of Honolulu – The City’s Best” Award in Jazz & Blues Venue.

With themed musical nights throughout the week from jazz and blues to tango and karaoke night, Medici’s is always fully booked for reserved guests and private parties.

But happy hour at Medici’s was cut short overnight.

Full article published on Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, a local English-language Filipino newspaper in Honolulu, Hawaii.