I visited LA in the week of June 5th to June 12th and had a blast! A few awesome Taiko things that happened:
- Stayed in Kris Bergstrom and Minh Nguyen’s apartment and did jam sessions at his studio!
- Participated in a UnitOne practice with Jen Baik, Young Kang, Fred Visaya, and Yuta Kato
- Took a Hachijo and Odaiko/Naname/Yodan private lesson with Yuta Kato
- Took an Odaiko private lesson with Isaku Kageyama
- Took a Naname private lesson with Yeeman “Manman” Mui
My trip to LA was the first time I took a private lesson and the first time I felt I was making a step twoard progressing my Taiko skills and training in a meaninful way. It was exhilarating talking to professionals who heard every nerdy thought I had about Taiko and consider them with complete consideration and seriousness. I learned about artist expression, performance mind-set, odaiko soloing, the boundary between music and taiko, and the limitations of my own playing. Can’t wait to go back!