I think I used that same title last NATC, ha.
In a few weeks a bunch of us taiko nuts will be down in ever-sunny San Diego, playing and sharing and watching and talking and overdosing on taiko. Woo!
I always enjoy NATC, whether teaching or not, whether helping out behind the scenes or not (but at this point, it's never "not"!)
It's interesting that historically, 50% of the attendees are new to NATC. This is their first conference and they tend to be the most excited, most starry-eyed, and most tired afterwards!
For the first time in a while, I'm going as a participant instead of a teacher or observer, and I'm looking forward to learning new things - or at least learning new ways to learn old things! It's hard for me to have that experience, simply because of all the things I've done and all the time I've spent doing them. It's one thing to learn a new style of playing, a new song, even a new instrument, but to put my ego aside and be open to re-learning how to strike, how to listen, how to think, that's something I hope I can be a good example of.
If you're going to conference, I hope you come - and leave - with these two things:
- Realize, what you have is what someone else wishes they could have, whether it be equipment, talent, opportunities, or even a personal attribute. Appreciate.
- Also realize that the conference couldn't happen without so many people doing so many things behind the scenes, both before and during the weekend. We have people willing to volunteer, to teach, to coordinate, to help where it's needed. Gratitude.
I hope to see many of you there, and it's always a sincere pleasure to hear from those of you who have enjoyed my blog and benefited from it. Play on!
image credit: https://taikocommunityalliance.org
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