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Newsletter - August 2009
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Kids' classes September 5 through November 21 |
 We are delighted to announce a special 12-class series for kids from 8 to 12 years old! Students will learn Hisho (phoenix) Matsuri Daiko, a very energetic and playful song from a children's taiko group in Sakai City, Japan. The series will culminate with a recital on November 21st.
Echo Costanzo (pictured) will be the instructor for this series.
Classes will be held every Saturday from 9:45am to 10:50am. New students will be accepted on the first Saturday of each month and must attend a registration and orientation session at 9:30am before their first class. Each class is $10 plus a one-time $5 registration fee (cash or check only, no debit or credit cards). Multi-class discount cards are available. Please email (info@etaiko.org) to reserve a space.
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New classes starting August 1 and 6 |
Classes for beginners are held every Thursday from 7 to 9 pm and Saturday from 2 to 4 pm. We accept new students on the first Thursday and Saturday of each month.
Please check the schedule below and go to the Classes page on our web site for complete and updated information.
New students are required to attend an orientation a half an hour before the first class. The class is $15 plus a one-time $5 registration fee (cash or check only, includes Member Handbook). Please email to let us know you're coming before attending your first class, and have a look at the new
Frequently Asked Questions page on our web site.
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Free lecture and hands-on demonstration August 28
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Taiko: What is it? Come find out at our free lecture and participatory demonstration on Friday, August 28 at 7:00 pm. Please RSVP by email to info@etaiko.org. If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to play the big drums, this is your chance!
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Upcoming performances
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Sunday, August 9
Join us at the 53rd Annual Japanese Summer Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center in Concord, sponsored by the Diablo Japanese American Club. The two-day festival features Japanese food, bonsai exhibits, Japanese flower arrangements, Kendo and Judo demonstrations, Taiko drumming, Japanese dance performances and calligraphy demonstrations. We will perfom at 5pm on Sunday.
Sunday, August 30
We will open the LastSundaysFest on Telegraph with a performance at 11:30am on the Haste Street stage. This is the second of three monthly events that take place on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley between Dwight and Bancroft from 11am until 7pm.
Sunday, September 13 - Solano Stroll, Albany
Sunday, September 20 - Oakland Athletics Japanese Heritage Day
September 26 and 27 - San Francisco Dragon Boat Festival, Treasure Island
Sunday, September 27 - LastSundaysFest, Berkeley
October 3 and 4 - Meigetsu Festival, Dance Mission Theatre, San Francisco
Saturday, October 10 - Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, Treasure Island |
From barrel to drum: An interview with Emeryville Taiko student and drum building coordinator, Matthew Kertesz
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Emeryville Taiko: Tell us about your drum building role at ET.
Matthew Kertesz: I know how to make drums from scratch, but most of what I do is repair, rehead, or restretch the heads of the drums we already have, and coordinate others to help out as well.
ET: How did you learn to repair and make drums?
MK: Jenny Fuss, who made many of our drums, held a drum building workshop a few years ago. I was simply the most active at following up with that knowledge she so generously shared. The rest was just practice and keeping my ears out for what others do.
ET: What are the ingredients and the basic steps?
MK: Briefly? Well, from scratch, you start with making the body. Basically, you take a wine barrel apart, scrape out the wine residue, glue the barrel back together, and shape it. Heading involves two stretches of a round piece of cow skin that’s been soaked. The first stretch forms the skin to the drum. The second stretches the skin taut. At the end of the second stretch, you tack the head to the drum body using steel tacks that come from Japan.
ET: Sounds hard. Is it? What are the challenges?
MK: It is hard, but I think it is like any craft. The more you pay attention to the materials and how they react, and the more experience you have with them, the more successful you will be. The first time or two or five will be tough, especially stretching a skin and knowing when it is tight enough, but that’s learning. I think you learn the most when you just go ahead and try it yourself.
ET: What are you working on now?
MK: We have a few more drums that need at least one new head, including Sensei’s drum. And I’m working on two from scratch – a chu-daiko ("medium drum," the standard type of taiko drum) and a small hira-daiko ("flat drum," a drum shorter than it is wide) I’m making from a port wine barrel.
ET: What do you like about the drum building process?
MK: You end up with a completely different relationship with the drums. It’s difficult to describe. I realized in a way I couldn’t before making them that taiko is not only people making music, but a partnership between the people and the drums. Seeing all of the time, skill, and effort that goes into them, feeling the drum as you jump up and down on it (during the tightening of the head), and the final magic that happens when the skin dries – they all contribute to this heightened respect.
ET: What's valuable about playing drums made by members of the group?
MK: I think it connects us more to the music, like eating garden grown veggies or receiving a hand-made gift. The drums are like members of the group, each with a personality, strengths and flaws, and a history that is entirely linked to us.
ET: So it sounds like you think people should get involved in drum building?
MK: Absolutely. Even if it is just to help someone who is doing it, or to know how to replace a broken tack, or see what a drum looks like inside. Besides, it’s fun!
(Drum building photos by Mary Ann Furuichi)
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July performances
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LastSundaysFest in Berkeley
We accepted a last-minute invitation to join this series of free Berkeley Summer Festivals. We opened the July 26 fest with a performance that included audience participation and staffed a table for the afternoon. Thanks to all our members who helped out!
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Welcome new students
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We would like to welcome our new students to the Beginning 1 classes:
Alan, Allen, Amanda, Dave, Gina, Hillari, Jeri, Jonathan, Kai, Lisa, Monique, Shann and Tina.
Thank you for bringing your energy and inspiration to the group!
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Class schedule
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Beginning 1 classes: Thursdays 7pm to 9pm, Saturdays 2pm to 4pm
New students accepted August 1st 1:30pm and August 6th 6:30pm
Beginning 2 classes: Tuesdays 7pm to 9pm, Saturdays 11am to 1pm
Intermediate classes: Mondays 7pm to 9pm, Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm
Classes are held at:
Emery Secondary School Shop B
1100 47th Street at San Pablo Avenue
Emeryville, CA 94608
Our classes are in the Shop B space on the northwest corner of the San Pablo/47th Street intersection. There is plenty of parking along 47th Street west of San Pablo. Enter through the big roll-up steel door on 47th.
Click here for a map and directions.
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Support us
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Emeryville Taiko is a San Francisco Bay Area taiko group providing traditional Japanese drumming classes and performances. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible and your financial support is appreciated. You can donate online at our website.
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