Two new drills for beginners

Lots of beginning taiko classes focus on teaching beats and songs. Those things are important, but it’s just as important for new students to learn to move their bodies while playing. This prepares them to be more visually interesting players as they develop.

Drills 4 and 5, demonstrated by our current community taiko class in the video, introduce these skills. Drill 4 is relatively straightforward, but Drill 5 can be tricky, especially the second part. Teach the footwork first, then the arm movement, then add the beats. You’ll notice students make some mistakes in the video, which is a normal part of learning (see #9 here). We took the video in the mirror, so if you copy the students exactly, you’ll be doing the correct sticking. (I’m in the blue t-shirt modeling both drills as well.)

If you’re interested, Drills 1-3 teach other basics. Happy teaching!