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Mark H Rooney Taiko

Taiko Instructor & Performer

2020 is almost here!

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Happy Holidays from Mark H Taiko!

Thanks to all of you who are part of the Mark H Taiko family for making 2019 such a fun, taiko-filled year! We’d like to pause and give a shout-out to all our incredible students, fabulous Miyako and MHTX members, and amazing friends from near and far who’ve joined us for workshops or for the Sakura Taiko Takeover over the past year. YOU are what makes our corner of the taiko world such a wonderful place to be and we are so glad to have you with us on this taiko journey. Doumo arigatou gozaimashita!

Another year is almost here … and with it, as always, MORE TAIKO!

Three awesome taiko workshops to kick off 2020!

As is our tradition here at Mark H Taiko, we’ll be starting the New Year with some workshops to help you get your taiko year in gear! Please save the date and join us in Takoma Park!

Saturday, January 4

Katsugi Okedo: The Moving Drum (12:00 – 3:00pm)
The okedo daiko is a tied drum with a barrel-shaped body – and it is light enough to move with you as you play! Learn the fundamentals of this exciting style and how to move as you drum!

Taiko Communication (4:00 – 7:00pm)
Spend some time focused on the connection and communication among taiko players while also learning key techniques for improvisation and soloing in a kumidaiko context!

Sunday, January 5

Intro to Naname Uchi (1:00 – 4:00pm)
Naname uchi is a favorite of many taiko players because it offers so many interesting possibilities for movement and expression. Whether you are new to naname (pssst, it’s our focus for the Winter Advanced Skills Class starting in January!), looking to brush up on fundamentals, or interested in exploring the methodology for teaching this style in your own group, this workshop is for you!

We hope to see you there!

All three of these workshops are open to anyone who has taken at least two full series of Mark’s Rec Class or has equivalent experience (about 6 months). We welcome visitors from out of town who are looking to start 2020 off with some taiko camaraderie! (And as always, those who sign up for multiple workshops get a special discount!)

Of course there’s lots of other great stuff happening next year too – our first Introductory Taiko Workshop of the year is on Sunday, January 12; classes will be starting up again in January; we’ve got a new Taiko Voices blog series in the works, featuring many of YOU from the Mark H Taiko community; the 2020 Sakura Taiko Takeover is happening at the Tidal Basin on Saturday, March 28; AND we’ve got CONNECT 2020 coming up on August 1 & 2! SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

We’ll see you in 2020!

Join us for July Workshops!

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summer to do list

Summer is a time when many of us try to take things a little easy … and in that spirit, the Mark H Taiko School will be taking a brief “summer vacation” in the month of August (though Mark will see some of you at the North American Taiko Conference!).

But before we do, here are all the details on our awesome July workshops! We just KNOW that you don’t want to wait until the fall to get your next taiko fix, so go ahead and register today!

Sunday, July 14, 5-8pm

Introductory Taiko Workshop

Whether you are new to taiko or just want to brush up on the fundamentals, if you’re interested for this, register soon – our Intro Workshops have a history of selling out! This workshop is open to ANYONE – if you are interested in joining us for our next Rec Class series, this workshop is the right place to start!

Sunday, July 21, 5-8pm

Odaiko Like a Boss!

Whether you are new to the form and looking to learn the basics or inspired to take your odaiko solo to the next level, don’t just play odaiko – odaiko LIKE A BOSS! In this workshop we will start with basic form and technique, learn multi-leveled drills to challenge any level of experience and build stamina and even explore the creative process for building solos. This workshop is open to anyone who’s taken at least two full series of our Rec Class or who has equivalent taiko experience!

Sunday, July 28, 2-4pm

Make your own Gomikan Taiko!

In this workshop, you’ll not only learn how to make a practice drum out of a heavy duty trash can and tape (lots and LOTS of tape!), you’ll also leave the workshop with your very own completed model to use at home so that you’re ready to roll when our classes start up again in the fall! (Ready to ROLL … get it?) This workshop is open to pretty much anyone who would like to make their own practice drum!

Sunday, July 28, 5-8pm

Taiko Drills from Basic to Insane!

If you’ve been looking for more ways to practice taiko at home, don’t miss this workshop – drills are the perfect way to keep your taiko momentum going between classes and work on speed, coordination, ambidexterity, and bachi control – in short, all the foundational skills of excellent taiko playing! This workshop is open to anyone who’s taken a full Rec Class series or who has equivalent taiko experience.

See y’all in July … and stay tuned for info on our fall classes coming SOON!

Save the date for summer workshops!

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calendar with notebook and laptopSummer is a time when we’re supposed to relax, but somehow, it always ends up being a really busy time – there are vacations to plan, pools to swim in, barbecues to attend, and lots of ice cream to eat!

As you’re planning all your summer fun, don’t forget to save time for TAIKO! Although we don’t run a standard 8-week session of our Rec Class or Advanced Skills Class in the summer, we know that it’s just not possible for you to go all the way til September without a few chances to hang with your taiko peeps!

With that in mind, here are some dates to reserve on your calendar…

Saturday, June 29, 5:30-7pm

Bon Odori Workshop

Learn folk dances from one of Japan’s favorite summer festivals! Open to ANYONE: no dance or taiko experience required!

Sunday, July 14, 5-8pm

Introductory Taiko Workshop

Whether you are new to taiko or just want to brush up on the fundamentals, if you’re interested for this, register soon – our Intro Workshops have a history of selling out!

Sunday, July 21, 5-8pm

STAY TUNED!

We’ll reveal all the details of this workshop soon – but we can tell you that it’s open to anyone who’s taken at least two full series of our Rec Class or who has equivalent taiko experience!

Sunday, July 28, 2-4pm & 5-8pm

STAY TUNED!

W H A T ? ? ? More mystery workshops?! Yup, you know it! After all, we don’t call Mark “the world’s most dangerous half-Japanese/half-Scottish solo improvisational taiko artist” for nothin’ … we like to live on the edge here at Mark H Taiko! There will be TWO workshops on this date and BOTH of them are open to anyone who has taken one series of our Rec Class! We guarantee that these workshops will give you plenty to practice and keep your taiko mojo going until our fall classes kick off in September.

Watch this space for the rest of the details and we’ll see you this summer!

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