As a result of taking this course, students will learn the history behind the art of taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) in North America, as well as learning basic stance and hitting technique, multiple styles of playing, and the oral traditions of song learning/teaching. In addition, they will learn of the historical roots of taiko in Japan. This study of taiko’s history will compare and contrast the experiences of its Japanese and Japanese American practitioners, and examine taiko’s role in each respective culture.

Much of the instruction will be teaching students the actual techniques of playing taiko, allowing them to learn kinesthetically and engage in this cultural activity. The other primary component will be a portion of time each lesson dedicated to a discussion of that week’s main topic.

Attendance will be the primary requirement for a student to do well in the course. They will have 2 allowed unexcused absences, where any more than that will result in failing the course. Another large portion of their grade will depend on a final performance that will be held on the final day of instruction. This grade will depend on their presence, participation, and preparedness. They will also have three 1-2 page papers due over the course of the semester, as well as smaller assignments each week to prepare them for the week’s discussion.

To sign up for the decal, students will first submit an application with short (one to two paragraph) responses to the following questions:
● How were you first exposed to taiko?
● How did you hear about our decal, and why are you interested in taking it?
We will limit the class size to 16 people, as this is the maximum number of participants we can support at one time given our limited equipment. In addition we will open up a waitlist of 4-5 people, so that in the case that someone drops the course early on we can fill their slot. Students are accepted based on their enthusiasm for taiko (especially Taiko in the North American context).

The application is online! Please follow the link on this page. Please do not hesitate to direct any questions or concerns to Cal Taiko.
We hope to hear from you soon.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: If you submitted an application without your name and email, please re-submit your application with the name and email fields. Thank you!