Taiko master

It just hit me...in martial arts, we issue belts that indicate a student's level of proficiency. Reaching black belt is supposed to symbolize one's mastery of the basics in a given style, and that the student is now ready to learn the *real* techniques.

In taiko, there are no belts to symbolize one's level of proficiency. A player who's played 20 years with a community group may be less skilled than one who's played two years with a professional group. One player who's not as good with technical skills/chops as you may far surpass you in fludity of motion or ki generation. It's very relative.

Some taiko groups adopt the term sensei and/or the sempai-kohei (senior-junior) relationship, but there are few taiko players that people call "master" or "grandmaster". For the most part, that makes sense - how many of us can say we've mastered taiko?

I get frustrated by two things in this regard, however:

• Leaders of a group who feel that position = skill, and while they may not say it, act as if they have a mastery of taiko because of it.
• Those who feel they have little left to learn because they are skilled in one or more areas of taiko.

With the former, it often spreads to the students and sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a cultist when I encounter them. When a sensei becomes the Truth when it comes to taiko, you're in a cult. No one martial art is The Way, no one musical tradition is The Sound, and no one taiko style is The Art. To even want one correct "Truth" is scary! To not question one's teaching is to effectively lobotomize one's development.

With the latter, it's sad to see those in martial arts who've gotten their black belt and sort of...stop. It's a cliche to say "the black belt is only the beginning", but it's also common to have people reach that level and then stop pushing themselves. And in taiko, it happens without a black belt, but I see it time to time. It's not like every taiko player should push themselves all the time, and in some community groups, it's a lower priority. But even in those community groups, I meet countless numbers of players who want to learn more, see more, do more! There are endless ways to grow as a taiko player - musically, physically, emotionally, as a teacher, as a leader, etc.

Personally, I can't imagine ever wanting to "get there", whether it's taiko or karate. The path is more important to me at this point than the destination! To me, to stop learning is anathema. I crave new experiences in order to grow.

I may not be the easiest student to deal with, but that's my issue. :)