As taiko players and teachers, we know how profoundly the art form changes people. The personal power, pride, and inner strength that can be found through taiko can fundamentally shift a life path. (I believe this is true of any arts education, but I'm a taiko person, so my focus is there.)
But have you ever thought about WHO is benefitting from this opportunity for transformation? Overwhelmingly, it’s people with the money to pay for classes, or students who attend schools that can pay for a residency. This perpetuates systems of inequity present throughout the US. I challenge all of us to take a look at who can access our programs. Yes, we all need to make a living - but have you looked at how you might be able to bring in the same revenue by offering your classes on a sliding scale? Have you worked with under-resourced schools to help them obtain grant funding to bring in your program? Do you offer reduced residency rates for Title I schools? (A Title I school is one where 40% or more of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.)
If you’re able to answer yes to any of those questions, take your examination deeper. Do your lessons encourage students to explore and discover, or do they hold you up as the gateway to specialized knowledge? Do you equip your students to investigate on their own, or do you mold your students to become your disciples? These questions reflect radically different attitudes towards teaching, and the difference between them is the difference between transforming a student life or replicating systems of oppression.
Taiko education, done well, holds a key to changing our world for the better. Like-minded folks in the taikosphere, please contact me if you want to talk more about this. Let’s be the small, thoughtful group.