The sound of thunder piercing the night sky as to honor our ancestors long past.
Each strike for tradition and honor. They play in perfect form and synchronization as their cherry red hapi coats danced to the beat. The taiko drummers were always the crowd pleasers for the Bon Dance which was a yearly Japanese festival of the dead . While only a child, I gazed upon their flawless performance in awe. Secretly, I wish I could be one of them.
It was nearly 10 years later when I entered college did I get the chance to revive a childhood dream that I had long given up on. Though it was only a taiko recreation class, it nonetheless gave me an opportunity to play those giant drums which I envied as a child. The first time I stroked at the taiko drum it surprised me. The sound was nothing like I remembered, because the sound was so dull and soft. My instructor then came up to me, who was only a petite asian girl about half my size, readied in her hitting stance and told me, “When you play taiko, don’t be afraid to hit the drum. Strike through the drum”.”DONNN!!!” The sound she produced sent shivers down my spine and through my entire body. Now that was the taiko that I remembered.
A year later I finally had gathered enough courage to take my childhood dream to the next step. I signed up for the tryout process for UCLA’s Kyodo Taiko which is one of the greatest collegiate taiko groups in the country. I knew my chances were slim to begin with, but I had more to lose by never trying in the first place. A month later, from 5am practices to blistered hands, the payoff came in the form of being selected to be a part of Kyodo Taiko’s newbie class. From that initial burst of joy from being a member of the team, to the frightening experience of playing in front of hundreds of people, I knew that it was all worth it. I cannot think of a greater satisfaction then having a childhood dream come true.
Why do I do what I do? Because childhood dreams never die even if it takes 11 years to be a taiko player, it can happen.
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