A message from Mark H

03.31.2020 by Mark H //

Warm (though distant) Greetings, Everyone!

I am somewhat without words for the moment. I was caught as off-guard as anyone when the world shut down and I went from trying to figure out a line-up for a busy season of performances to trying to figure out which groceries have the best shelf life.

As I come to a place of acceptance, I still harbor the need to provide … SOMETHING for my students, my taiko family and the broader community. Largely, I have the MOST inefficient skill-set to face the “current abnormal” (I refuse to call it the “new normal” as it implies both longevity and business-as-usual!). But, luckily, I am surrounded by people with amazing adaptability and energy for moving forward. Inspired by those people, I am determined to do what I can.

A few quick updates…

Intro Workshops for April 19th and 26th are both CANCELLED. We will be sure to get new workshops scheduled as soon as we can get back to the studio!
The Tsuru For Solidarity March and Rally set for June 6th is POSTPONED. We’ll share the new date for this event as soon as it has been set (May not be til Summer 2021, but stay tuned)
CONNECT 2020 is currently STILL SCHEDULED for August 1&2. There is of course the possibility that it will need to be postponed, but that discussion is still a few weeks out as we all wait to see how the world changes. In the meantime, deadlines for early registration and full refunds are extended indefinitely until we have more information.

For the time being…

I will work on my virtual game! I am fortunate to have not only a huge backlog of videos from recitals, performances, etc. that I can share, but also space in my house where I can play taiko AND a garage where I can make drums and stands. I also have the materials to make at least a dozen taiko on hand and MANY drums that need re-heading! I intend to put all these resources to work for the duration and be ready to come out on the other side of this pandemic SWINGING (a bachi… at a large drum. I’m not a fighter!)

Please stay connected!

Even though we can’t be together in person, the Mark H Taiko School lives on!

Check out our newly-hatched Taiko Voices blog featuring members of the Mark H Taiko community from long-time players to newer students!
Visit my YouTube channel for past performances by my students, Miyako Taiko and others (with exponentially more content coming soon!)
Follow me on social media: I’m MarkHTaiko on both Instagram and on Facebook
And, of course, feel free to explore my website – there are quite a few items to discover!

And stay tuned!

I will do my best to keep y’all up-to-date as we generate new content online and plan for the future. In the meantime, everyone please take care of yourselves and loved ones, continue to connect at a responsible distance and show your support for all those on the front lines – medical care workers and other essential fields. Try to patronize local businesses and services much as you can. And, if possible, show some love for your favorite artists and entertainers to make sure that we all have a vibrant world to return to once we all get through this crazy time.

Be Well, Stay Strong, Move Ahead,

— Mark H

If you’d like to support The Mark H Rooney Taiko School and its various future programs, please consider a donation of any size. Greatly appreciated!

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@MarkHRooney

Taiko Voices: Four Questions with Laura Colter

03.24.2020 by Linda Lombardi //

For this week’s post, we present Four Questions with Laura Colter. Some of her answers will be no surprise to fellow taiko players who’ve admired her sparkly shoes. Enjoy!

1. TELL US WHO YOU ARE – WHAT YOU DO OTHER THAN TAIKO, AND A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR TAIKO HISTORY.

Outside of taiko, I’m a mom, and a preschool teacher, and my side hustle is something called Color Street. Color Street is at-home nail polish, salon quality at a fraction of a cost. It’s sold like Avon. A friend gave me a sample of it last winter and you know how you get the funk in the winter sometimes? Applying that hint of sparkle to the tips of my fingers just made me happy. Everything has a sparkle about it.

One of the reasons I do it is it allows me to help others. I do a lot of fundraisers through it – I just finished raising funds for a little boy who just had a heart transplant. I pick things I’d love to give to and can’t because of financial reasons. Color Street lets me give back. And it’s such a frivolous first world thing, but it really makes people happy, in such an affordable way.

I came to taiko because I thought it was interesting and I wanted a form of exercise. What I like about taiko is that it keeps me active but also gives back to the community. I’m not just sitting in a cycle studio. I enjoy it, and in turn it gives someone else something to enjoy. That was one of the big draws.

2. HOW HAS LIFE PREPARED YOU FOR TAIKO?

I feel like coming to taiko is out of character for me. At my first intro workshop, I sat down on those benches outside the classroom and people asked, ‘so what are you doing here?’ I said this is my yearly out-of-my-comfort-zone outing. I think it’s important to try to stretch yourself and I don’t do that as often as I should.

3. HOW HAS TAIKO PREPARED YOU FOR LIFE?

I was held back in second grade, which was not a boost to the ego. As a second grader, you think, oh I’m not good enough for anything. You carry that for quite some time, or at least I did. As a child I had unspecified learning disabilities and I was never really taught the way I could learn- hello undiagnosed ADHD. So, I didn’t think I’d ever feel good enough. I think a lot of people feel that way. It’s also the biggest factor in why I became a teacher. I like to find the way a child learns and then teach them.

But in this community, you’re always good enough. I really appreciate Mark for his unique teaching ability – he finds the way we learn, whether we know it or not. I have no musical experience – I was in choir but I didn’t read music, I just sang along with whoever I was standing next to – but he has all the confidence in the world that we’re going to get it. And that has prepared me in other areas of my life to just try it, and it’s ok to goof up, but as long as you show up and give it your best, it’s good enough.

I value the community that I’ve found in taiko. It’s such a welcoming and diverse community and I just really appreciate the confidence Mark has in our abilities. I think there’s something special about being in that room, sharing that energy. It’s like church or sanctuary on a Sunday night. The energy we get from each other is such a nice way to end your weekend and begin your week.

4. TO END ON A LIGHTER NOTE: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO… GIVE PEOPLE!

Glitter! A twinkle in their eye. The sparkle in their eye, whether because I made them a cupcake, or sat and listened to their concerns and showed up or donated to their cause. I just want to leave people better than when I found them.

Taiko Voices: Gearing up for the busy spring season with Miyako Taiko

02.11.2020 by Linda Lombardi //

This week’s post is by Abena Oteng-Agipong. Abena took her first taiko class with Mark six years ago and is now a member of Miyako Taiko, the community group of the Mark H Taiko School. She says, “My first encounter with taiko was in college when my lion dance group, Cornell Lion Dance, did a collaboration with the taiko group on campus, Yamatai. I tried to drum once in lion dance, decided I was terrible at it, and didn’t try again until I came across Mark’s school. When I am not playing taiko, I work in the ‘fascinating’ world of IT and web development. On a more interesting note, if I am not playing taiko, I may be practicing martial arts (I started wushu – Chinese contemporary martial arts – in college as well) or trying out something new – this year it is ballroom dancing.”

Abena wrote for us about Miyako Taiko’s busy spring season of performing and organizing events. Enjoy! -Linda

three taiko players at a performance — Abena with Kat and Trish at the 2017 Sakura Taiko Fest

Spring with Miyako

The spring season is probably the busiest time of the year for Miyako, but also the most accomplished. It starts off with the Shinshun Matsuri at the Washington Marriott in Woodley Park. This event takes place in late January or early February. As the first performance of the year, it serves as a marker of the upcoming performance season.

Each year that we do this performance, I can see how our group improves in the logistics side of a gig: our sets get tighter, transitions smoother, load in, setup, take down, and load out faster. This year, our set was exactly on time at twenty minutes, which is impressive considering we have twenty people playing, positioning, and moving drums in between songs. We also did a somewhat impromptu procession in the morning before our set as kickoff for the festival. We only talked through what we were going to do the morning of, but we were again, exactly on time at four minutes. As Mark puts it, we are working towards becoming that well-oiled machine. And of course, our playing gets better each time!

Shinshun Matsuri is also a special performance for Miyako as it is usually one that most of our members can participate in. Miyako is a big group, about twenty members strong, so it is hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time. But on the rare occasion that we can all play together, it is amazing! As soon as we started with our first song, Ringu, I could feel the excitement and engagement not only from my fellow members, but the crowd as well. This year, every member of Miyako was able to perform and share our energy with the Japanese community of the DC Metro region.

Miyako Taiko after their 2020 Shinshun Matsuri performance

After the Shinshun Matsuri, we go into full Sakura Taiko Takeover at the Tidal Basin/Sakura Taiko Fest (STF) mode. We may have other events going on, such as attending and sometimes even performing at the East Coast Taiko Conference, but our main focus is putting on this event. One area where I feel like Miyako really shines is supporting each other. Every member of the group will, without hesitation, be there to lend a helping hand to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Organizing a full day event like STF is no small feat, but every year, I am amazed at the show our community puts on. It has been getting bigger each year, involving more groups from the United States and even Canada, different branches of the Mark H Taiko school and, yes, even more equipment and drums. And on top of the organizing, Miyako is also working on our own set for the performance. It is a lot of work to pull all of this off, but it is very rewarding.

Miyako Taiko performs at the 2019 Sakura Taiko Takeover at the Tidal Basin

While Shinshun Matsuri connected us with the Japanese community of DC, STF connects us with community groups, collegiate groups, and other taiko players in North America. I look forward to seeing familiar and new faces each season. Being part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival also allows us to engage with a huge audience. The best audience members, without a doubt, are the kids rocking out in the front while we play. I can’t wait to see them again this year!

We can’t rest quite yet after STF, as we usually have a few more gigs after that. These are usually smaller gigs, such as the Freedom Walk or Lantern Lighting Festival. One of the advantages of having a big group is that we can split up for the smaller gigs. We also play at the Sakura Matsuri, the DC area street festival associated with the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Each performance is a little different in nature, and sometimes not everything goes according to plan, but Miyako has a remarkable ability to recover and adapt. All the members of Miyako put a lot of energy and effort into spring performance season, I really enjoying playing with my taiko family and representing the Mark H Taiko school in the DC area. With these amazing people behind me, I have no doubt we will have another successful performance season this year.