Cosme Del Rosario-Bell ’12, Ethnomusicology
Archive for May, 2010
Interview with the Colby Taiko Club
Posted in Uncategorized on May 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Taiko Maine Dojo
Posted in Uncategorized on May 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
When I first learned that I would be interviewing members of Taiko Maine Dojo, I had no idea what to expect. I knew the founder of the group, Liz Berg, had trained with Tanaka-sensei of San Francisco Taiko Dojo for four years, so I immediately pictured a very stern, intimidating woman who was likely to [...]
Bowdoin Taiko
Posted in Uncategorized on May 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Founded in 2002 by Dan Bensen ‘06, Bowdoin Taiko is now in its eighth year and going strong. As an incoming freshman, Bensen was already quite versed in taiko, having trained with the Stockton Bukkyou Taiko Group of Stockton, California during his high school years. He began the group early in his freshmen year, and [...]
Thoughts on Arranging
Posted in Uncategorized on May 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Rhiannon Ledwell ’11 is a multi-instrumentalist and music major at Colby College. For her final class project, she arranged the Paul Desmond and Dave Brubeck classic “Take Five” for soprano saxophone, guitar, bass, and taiko. Recruiting two drummers from the Colby Taiko Group, Rhiannon experimented with different setups and eventually crafted two interlocking base rhythms [...]
The Drummers of the Hall-Dale High School Taiko Group
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Like many high schools in the state of Maine, Hall-Dale High School represents the small-town New England values found throughout the Pine Tree state. Situated in the town of Farmingdale, Hall-Dale High School provides education to the quiet suburbs of Augusta. The high school mirrors the climate of the towns it represents, with a small, [...]
Mr. Naoto Kobayashi and the Hall-Dale High School Taiko Group
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
It was a gloomy, cold, and windy day when I, and my companions, made the trip to Hall-Dale High School in Hallowell, Maine, on April 8, 2010. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Taiko is something of which I have recently become aware, and I surely didn’t expect to find it flourishing in mid-Maine. [...]
Hall-Dale High School Taiko Club: Drumming between the Bookcases
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I had the fascinating and revealing opportunity to observe a highly-impressive group of high school students from the Hall-Dale High School Taiko Club, based out of Farmingdale, Maine. I was able to see the club both practice during their usual after-school time slot and perform publicly at a Barnes & Noble in Augusta, the very [...]
Eyes Wide Shut: A Day at the San Francisco Taiko Dojo
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2010 | 1 Comment »
The first day of spring break, I sat silent and clammy rocking up and down hills in a yellow taxi destined for South San Francisco, home of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Less than ten stoplights into the ride, my stomach began singing the same the song it does when faced with maritime conditions, swimming [...]
Essays to be published
Posted in General on May 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Students from Wynn Yamami’s class Taiko: Music, Movement, and Meaning at Colby College will soon be publishing their essays on this blog. Watch for essays on the Hall-Dale High School Taiko Group and its instructor, Mr. Naoto Kobayashi, written by Bonnie, Jay, and David. Ayako and Cosme will be contributing articles on Colby Taiko and [...]
