Stanford Taiko intensive wrapup

What an amazing week with an amazing group of taiko players! Thank you to the fourteen members of Stanford Taiko who spent a taiko-filled week with us, studying naname, small-drum, hachijo, and odaiko forms. In addition to four hours of instruction each day, the group rented rehearsal space for practice and arranged get-togethers with local groups. Everyone in LA who had the chance to spend time with Stanford Taiko was glad they visited!

In fact, Stanford Taiko set the bar high for how to be respectful and engaged students. Members would arrive each morning 30 minutes early to help me and Yuta set equipment. During class when a teacher is talking, members in the front row instinctively squat down so that others behind them can see and hear. Individuals practiced between workshop sessions to incorporate what they'd learned. And they were brimming with interesting, probing questions about taiko technique and philosophy. Stanford Taiko made me and Yuta feel honored to be working with them.