Emeryville Taiko Open House |
Saturday January 2
Emeryville Taiko will host an open house to celebrate the new year. Please join us from 1 to 3pm for food, fun, and taiko. All are welcome. Experience the Japanese tradition of mochi (glutinous rice cake) making! You'll be invited to help us pound mochi the traditional way, in an usu (hollowed-out stump) using long wooden mallets. We will end the celebration with an informal taiko performance. Please dress warmly!
Location: Emery Secondary School Shop B |
Kids' classes January 9 through March 27 |
 We are delighted to announce a series of classes for kids 8 to 12 years old! Echo Costanzo (pictured) will be the instructor. Guest assistant will be Noah Aguilar.
Classes will be held every Saturday from 10am to 10:50am. Students will learn basic rhythms, forms, principles and a song to perform.
New students will be accepted on January 9 and the first Saturday of each month and must attend a registration and orientation session at 9:45 am 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 (5/$45 and 10/$80) are available. Please email (info@etaiko.org) to reserve a space. |
New classes starting January 7 and 9 |
Classes for beginners are held every Thursday from 7pm to 9pm and Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. 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. |
Next free lecture and hands-on demonstration: January 29 |
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Taiko: What is it? Come find out at our free lecture and participatory demonstration on Friday, January 29 at 7pm. 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! |
No classes on December 24, 31, or January 2 |
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The Beginning 1 class is canceled on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. All other December classes will occur as usual. Beginning 1 and Beginning 2 classes are canceled on January 2 for our Open House celebration. Please see below for the complete class schedule. |
Class schedule |
Beginning 1 classes: Thursdays 7pm to 9pm, Saturdays 2pm to 4pm
New students accepted January 7 at 6:30pm and January 9 at 1:30pm
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. |
Welcome new students |
We would like to welcome our new students to the Beginning 1 classes: Louise Bertelsen,
Lucero Chavez,
Ellen deNeef,
Allen Feldman,
Anna Hirsch,
April Jorden, Naomi Kuwahara,
Micah Mucklow,
Michele Sheehan and
Harry Yuen.
Thank you for bringing your energy and inspiration to the group! |
Meet the student: Jennifer Pesek |
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| Photo by Alisa Schulman |
Emeryville Taiko: How long have you been playing taiko?
Jennifer Pesek: I started playing in about 1998, but I took time off for grad school. All together, I've played for about 5 years.
ET: How did you get introduced to taiko, and where did you play before joining Emeryville Taiko?
JP: I grew up in San Jose and often went to the Cherry Blossom Festival with my family. When I saw San Jose Taiko playing there, I thought it looked really fun. I knew I'd love to do it, but I was sure it would be too difficult and I wouldn't be good at it, so I didn't try.
As an adult I lived in Santa Cruz and went to the Cherry Blossom Festival there every year. Watsonville Taiko always played, and I still wished I could learn. My husband picked up a flier about their beginning classes, and I decided to finally give it a try.
Back in those days Watsonville Taiko didn't have enough drums for class. There would be 20 people in a class and only a few drums, so we'd play on tires a lot of the time. Other than that, it was a great class.
After a long break for graduate school, I started playing taiko again with Wadaiko Newark. That was where I first studied with Susan Horn (though I originally met her in Japan). She taught some workshops at Wadaiko Newark and I really liked her as a Sensei. I left Newark to study with the San Francisco Taiko Dojo for about two years, and finally I landed here two years ago.
ET: Wow, You've been part of a lot of different groups! What do you like about Emeryville Taiko?
JP: I like it that our Sensei teaches us about traditional Japanese culture and keeps a high standard of expectations about form and musicianship while still being inclusive. No matter what level you're at, there is support and encouragement to help you improve. I appreciate that, and it is what motivates me. It's OK to not be perfect. If you're motivated to work hard, you're going to get back everything you put in. I also like the positive attitude that comes from our Sensei and is reflected in the dojo. We're taught to be encouraging and make everyone feel welcome.
The community is part of what makes Emeryville Taiko special as a group. We're all making this dojo work together. We all respect our Sensei and she is our leader, but she also gives us a lot of respect and there's an atmosphere of give and take. The volunteer work I do is fulfilling and gives me the feeling that I'm creating this community with other people.
ET: Do you have any other musical training?
JP: As a kid I used to play viola in a western style orchestra and I played with the San Jose Youth Symphony for a year. I liked playing a harmony instrument and being part of a musical team. I always enjoyed listening to percussion, but taiko was my first experience making rhythms. Being in an orchestra was good training for taiko, because for my part you had to wait 40 or 50 measures before it was your turn to come in. It gave me good practice counting beats in my head.
ET: What else do you do with your time outside of the dojo?
JP: I am in a really busy phase of my life. I'm starting a business (a private practice as an attorney). I also like to go hiking, I really love to write, and I'm a huge fanatic about old movies.
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November performances |
Cal women's basketball game
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| Photos by one of the Haas Pavilion employees |
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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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