And here we are! No bells, no whistles, just one last post.
Two posts ago, I focused on this blog. My last post focused on me. And this one, dear reader, is about you...my audience, the taiko community, taiko fans, the whole lot of you! I had too much I wanted to say and it didn't flow together well, so I decided to make a list of different things:
1.) The taiko community is a microcosm of the world around us. There are people you like, there are people you disagree with, there are people who sacrifice a lot to make things happen, there are jerks, there are movers and shakers, there are those who just want to go with the flow, there are people who are here for the social aspects, there are people who are just here for the art. We like to think taiko as this special, unique experience that brings everyone together and magically makes things better...but we're just another art form, among too many other forms to count. The struggles outside of taiko don't go necessarily away within taiko, and I think that realization (or the refusal to accept that realization) causes a lot of frustration for many people.
But it's not to say that taiko isn't transformative for many of us, for both the players and the audience. It's also not to say that it can't bring about change, empowerment, growth, and a whole host of good things with it. What's more, by making positive change within our taiko community, we can make positive change in many communities - local, global, musical, artistic, political, what-have-you. Being realistic about are art form might seem like a bummer at first, but better to see what a thing really is so you know what it can really do!
2.) There are celebrities in the taiko world, but celebrities - in any realm - are still people, with good traits and bad, strengths and flaws. I've nothing against those who wear this title, but it's really really good to realize that there are people who don't put themselves out there that sometimes do (or have done) more than any of us might realize. The people who have the loudest "voice", or are the most prominent, or the most featured may very well be great resources, but you owe it to yourself to look in other directions, look around the corners, and try to see what others are doing that you might not have noticed at first.
Having said that, learn from as many people as you can! We have so many resources in the way of teachers right now, founders and "classics" and people that are more than willing to provide knowledge. We're still at a point where we can actually meet these people in the flesh, so take advantage of this as much as possible!
3.) No style is better than any other style. No one way is the "right" way of playing. No ethnicity/gender/race/creed/orientation/religion/age/cheese preference/height/weight makes a person inherently better than any other player. What's good for one group may not be at all what works for another. It's really important to acknowledge your biases (we all have them), then understand why you like one group more than another, rather than state your opinion as a fact.
4.) The question of "what is taiko?" is only as important as you want it to be, but it's a question that will never be definitively answered. What is taiko to you may very well not be taiko to the person next to you, and you're both right...and wrong. It's a fun question to pose at times, to make you think and even re-consider your definitions, but it won't make someone enjoy a performance more or less, it won't determine whether or not a player is skilled or not, and it certainly won't make you a better player or not.
5.) Gratitude first and foremost. Those without it tend to always be searching for something to make them happy, but those with it can easily find happiness even in the little things. Sometimes the amount of gratitude I see in this community can be overwhelming, and I hope it continues even longer than I do. Appreciation is sometimes harder to come by, as people and groups may do things that you don't quite agree with, don't quite understand, but you don't have to like something to appreciate that it was done - or for why it was done. Many of us have privilege in our groups that we take for granted, that other groups only wish they could have. The sooner you realize what those things are, the sooner you'll appreciate them.
6.) Authenticity is something the community doesn't address often, but it can be a huge issue on a personal level. I hear and see both people and groups worrying about being "authentic" in playing taiko. To me, if you are genuine about getting better, about learning, about sharing, about approaching the drum with nothing to prove, then you are being authentic to yourself. If you're trying to practice what you've been taught to the best of your abilities, then you are being authentic to yourself. If you are exploring in different ways than what's "normal" because it truly speaks to you and your artistic vision, then you are being authentic to yourself. Mind you, you can be authentic and alienate people around you! It's not always easy to be authentic when there's baggage or group dynamics or life getting in the way, but just because something doesn't come easy doesn't mean it's not worth working for.
7.) Regardless of whether or not you teach taiko, you are a taiko teacher. People learn taiko from you even if you've never led a class or a workshop. They're watching you on stage, they're listening to you after a show, they're learning about taiko from you at work, etc. You represent all of us, every group out there. No pressure.
But seriously, the things you say may very well have an impact on another player. On the flip side, sometimes it's what you DON'T say that has the most impact. We can all agree that the sound, the feel of taiko makes people feel something, but don't forget that we are just as much a part of what makes that sound as the drum is, and that we have the power to make an impact with our words and actions our actions off-stage just as much as striking the drum on it.
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And my final piece of advice? Question everything. If you don't know what questions to ask, look up that tag on my blog; I asked a lot of 'em. If this blog is remembered for one thing, I hope it's for the idea that nothing should go un-examined, even when it's uncomfortable. Ask yourself questions - ask your compatriots, students, teachers, founders - but don't always expect straight-forward or easy answers! A good answer, in my humble opinion, often leads to more questions. Always search for your own truth.
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Well, here we are, at the end of a pretty decent run. I know that this blog wasn't a major force or a huge resource in the taiko world, but I didn't intend for it to be. It was enough work as it was! But I really enjoyed maintaining it and I really enjoyed that it helped people out as well. If you go through my posts and see something you want to ask me about, I'm easily found; please do!
Now go out there and inspire someone.
image credit: http://www.best-speech-topics.com
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