by Stephanie Staples | photos by Amanda Cribdon Photography –
Perhaps you have admired and/or heard the beautiful Taiko Drums at special events; perhaps you have watched as the drummers played with their whole bodies, reminiscent of the perfect timing of synchronized swimmers. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to play those drums?
Well, thanks to www.uminaritaiko.com, if you are over 13 years old you can be an active participant in this ancient art of Japanese Drumming either as a drop-in, a workshop participant or, if you really like it, there is a six-week course waiting for you. Vancouver Island’s first Taiko ensemble, Uminari, is always looking for new members; maybe their next new member is you! Uminari means “roaring sea” – how perfect for this Vancouver Island location. The group has come a long way since their inception in 2002 when their drums were fashioned from old car tires.
Rather than a typical “sensei and student” model, our instructors, ranging in age from 29 to 85, were more of a collective, each drawing on the experience and talents of each other to help their students fall in love with the art and learn a bit about Japanese culture.
“Taiko drumming,” our patient teachers tell us, “is a fusion of ancient drums, theatre and martial arts, with a little dance thrown in to complete the mix!” It draws upon both your mental and physical faculties and as they are explaining this to us, our group members exchange nervous glances with each other.
Gayle, our primary instructor, started drumming at 50 years young and I think she has the joie de vivre to make anything fun. She starts teaching us the basics, with a drum-less warm up of full body stretching and movement, sharing the terminology of the equipment, teaching us how to hold the sticks (called bachi) and how to execute the proper stance. I felt particularly grounded being barefoot and enjoyed the community feeling of having all the drums in a circle.
The drumming techniques stretched from light, gentle taps on the rim of the Taiko to full body movement with arms outstretched overhead and everything in between. Every little thing influenced how the drum sounded and we learned to pick up the nuances and make the drum sound fuller.
Our youngest teacher, Kana Tsuji, played a special drum called the Shime; she was our timekeeper. Her position seemed akin to a coxswain for the rowers. We are taught to listen to her and follow her beat – she would set the pace for us.
And then they tell us … bom, bom, bom … we are going to learn a song – a traditional piece. No pressure, but we sure don’t think we are ready for a song!
The have a flip chart paper “cheat-sheet” for us to look at, and they have seasoned veteran Ken Murata coaching and demonstrating; they have more confidence in us than we have in ourselves. The chart looks like this:
Do Ro Tsu-Ku Do Ro Tsu-Ku Do Ro Tsu-Ku Don Don R L r l R L r l R L r l R L
Kana counts us in – ichi, ni, san (1, 2, 3) – and we begin. I think we sound fabulous; perhaps it’s because they gave us earplugs at the beginning of the class?
We practise and practise the song and it’s getting pretty darn fun and then the final element is added: a little cha-cha dance move where we shimmy/twirl over to our neighbour’s drum and repeat the song again and again. Oh my – I need to think and move and remember, simultaneously; this activity is testing my mature memory to the limit.
We bang, we tap, we spin, we shout, we laugh and at the end of the three hours, there are nine happy students and three pleased teachers in the room.
To me, any day you can employ a beginner’s mindset to learn something new is a great day and I would highly recommend trying this activity solo to strengthen your mindset and memory muscles or as a team to strengthen and connect people and create community quickly. Our group all had a great time!
If you are more the listening and appreciating type, you can hire the Uminari Ensemble to entertain at your next event.
What do you want to see Steph do next? Want to invite her to try something? Connect with Seaside at allison@seasidemagazine.ca.
