Moloka'i, the Friendly Isle, prides itself on a love of Hawaiian culture unfettered by progress: tough ocean racing in outrigger canoes, the Ka Hula Piko Festival celebrating the birthplace of hula, a brilliant night sky beloved by stargazers and in summer, an Aloha Music Camp where for a week, you can immerse yourself in Hawaiian music, history, culture and dance.

"It's a chance to learn valuable and beautiful things within the context of the Hawaiian culture," said musician and slack-key guitar pioneer Keola Beamer, who with family members, brings a legacy of Hawaiian music and hula to the camp on Moloka'i's west shore.

On offer is instruction in slack-key guitar, 'ukulele, hula, Hawaiian language and chant, workshops and concerts.

"Beamer is joined by wife Moanalani, who will teach hula, brother Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, who is a Hawaiian language expert, and mother Nona, as well as friends including Grammy winner John Keawe, Kaponoai Molitau and Byron Yasui.

Campers can sign up to make their own 'ukulele. The workshop in June will make a cigar-box 'ukulele in the style of the traditional Kamaka instrument. "People start with nothing, and by week's end have a musical instrument and knowledge about it to take home," Beamer said.

For Beamer, sharing his culture with the campers means conveying ideas in a responsible manner. "We're not just throwing music at people, we're sharing a philosophy," he said.

"What I've learned from travel is that I enjoy it so much more when I learn something to connect me with the people in the country where I am; that is what I remember when I get home. And that is what we're doing here, sharing our culture in an honest connection."

Reach Chris Oliver at coliver@honoluluadvertiser.com.