The Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI) is a dedicated taiko (Japanese drumming) school in Torrance, CA offering 12-week courses, drop-in classes, multi-day intensives, and one-time workshops on a variety of taiko topics.
The "Learn-Taiko!" link above provides the full list of classes at the Institute!
LATI is housed at Asano Taiko U.S. a full-service taiko maker offering exquisite Japanese drums and accessories, as well as on-site taiko repair and reskinning.
Los Angeles Taiko Institute/Asano Taiko U.S. location:
20909 S. Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
310-974-4490
taiko@asano.us
Asano Taiko US is celebrating its 1-year anniversary in July!
Thank you for your all the support you’ve shown Asano Taiko US. We are honored to have 80 students each week and now a staff performing ensemble. The Torrance taiko community is coming together! Asano Taiko US is proud to be a part of the north-American taiko scene and we will work hard to be a useful resource for even more of you.
NEW CLASSES!
Starting the week of June 19, LATI will be holding a new set of 12-Week Courses focusing on FUNDAMENTALS.
As Asano Taiko US works towards the formation of facility-sponsored Community Taiko Groups in 2015, take this opportunity to prepare yourself for upcoming song-learning courses.
Yuta, Julia, and I had a great time with the members of "Hondaiko", our dedicated group of Thursday lunchtime drummers, performing at Honda for Asian Pacific Heritage Month! Thank you to Honda for hosting us, Hondaiko for the hard work preparing, and Tom Watanabe for putting this video together!
Asano Taiko US is hosting the Asano Taiko US Collegiate Taiko Fellowship again in 2015! Los Angeles Taiko Institute will be supporting the program. Applications are due May 28.
The fellowship is an exciting opportunity for a southern California collegiate taiko group to utilize world-class instruments, rehearsal space, and professional teaching staff to achieve its 2015 goals. We look forward to working with the 2015 ATUSCoT Fellowship group!
Yuta here, just wanted to share downloadable photos from the wonderfully fun Bachi BBQ event held this past Saturday!
2014 Bachi BBQ
In the weeks leading up to our annual Spring concert, Yukai Daiko of UCLA reached out to Asano Taiko US and LATI for guidance regarding our concert preparations. Yuta kindly offered to conduct three workshops with us. The first workshop was conducted on April 19th at UCLA and served as a diagnostic. Yuta gave us advice on song arrangements, drum setups, and stage presence.
Dearest Jen,
Yesterday was my first day of PEAC Week, and what a joyous day it was! The students showed so much progress following your coaching session. The PEAC Week activities thus far have been a huge success.
I heard great things about your various drills and your attention to detail regarding form and timing. In the "Naname Form: Fundamental Dexterity" class, the week-11 M-pattern call-and-answer challenge you created, for example, was so well executed, we'll be doing it in the Bachi BBQ recital!
I, and all our students, love you Jen!
Kris
When I graduated from college, I wanted to continue playing taiko and improve my skills. I always remembered talking to Kris at collegiate invitations. He was very friendly and generous with his knowledge, inviting anyone to come practice with him in Gardena/Torrance. I was lucky enough to move back to the area while Kris was planning his first Matsuri Battle, inviting anyone to practice with him. I decided to ask if he could help me develop a Matsuri Battle solo and he agreed!
The votes have been counted and 2014's Limited Edition LATI shirts will have a green logo!
If you already know that you'd like to purchase a shirt ($20 tax included), please fill out this form by entering the number of shirts you'd like for each size. This will help us ensure you receive your perfect fit.
Deadline to Order: April 30
Shirts Available starting June 1
LATI friend and taiko colleague, Joe Small, is seeking taiko players to join in the development and presentation of his final MFA thesis at UCLA. Joe spent a number of years studying with Eitetsu Hayashi and is now focusing on choreography. It's an exciting project and a chance to work with dedicated taiko artists. Read on for the details and contact Joe if interested.
CALL FOR TAIKO ARTISTS (or aspiring artists!) in the LA/Southern CA area for CONCERT project with taiko/choreography artist Joe Small