Mark H Rooney Taiko

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!