About Bento Box Music, Our Origins, and Our Mission


“Why is it so hard to find local
concert band music
our students can play?”


Bento Box Music was first conceived by Reid Ishikawa, a musician based in Honolulu, HI, following a conversation with a band teacher that stemmed from this very question. With a rich history of original music, varied cultural groups with their own musical pride, and a school band community that’s as strong as it is, it would only make sense that Hawaii’s
definitive music be put in the hands of wind bands across the state.
In May 2023, a year after this conversation, Bento Box Music LLC was formally created.


The Hawaii-based band music that does exist is not as easily found - often a personal arrangement that a few know about, and only pulled out for specific, special occasions.
We aim to make the music relevant to our communities easier to find and demand.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide accessible, culturally relevant, and quality wind band arrangements to fit the needs and requests of the Hawaii band community.

Three Pillars

There are three guiding principles that form the structure of every
composition and arrangement in our catalog:

  1. Accessibility - Our music is written for middle and high school ensembles, offering music that considers the limitations of young ensembles, provides more nuanced challenges for older groups, and everything in-between.

  2. Culturally Relevant - Our music is written with the concert bands and wind ensembles of Hawaii in mind, highlighting pieces that represent the surrounding areas and communities.

  3. Quality - Last but not least, our music’s gotta be good, our music’s gotta sound good.