Chōchō Daiko is the umbrella for several projects rooted in healing, creativity, and community. Our programs include Taiko Shine (aka Recovery Taiko), Recovery Dharma connections, and Dr. Jo Shares.
🔗 Mission, Vision & Values – Chōchō Daiko
🔗 Mission, Vision & Values – Taiko Shine
My Taiko Story
Taiko has been a life-changing experience for me. The first time I saw taiko was at the Women’s March in St. Paul in January 2017. I signed up right away and began classes within weeks—and what a treat it was: Turning fifty weeks after that, and I knew I needed to gift myself a drum.
From the very beginning, taiko felt like more than music. The deep, powerful rhythms became a heartbeat I could share with others. Playing taiko is like being born again and again—shedding layers of the past and discovering freedom in my body and spirit. In my first two years of drumming, I had more memories, realizations, and PTSD episodes than I’d had in the previous decade. It was painful at times, but it was also healing. Each strike of the drum helped me let go of trauma and connect more deeply with myself and my community.
I started the Powers of Taiko project to explore how taiko transforms lives, gathering voices from around the world. That was the seed for this website, and for my teaching program, Taiko Shine, which started in the recovery community as Recovery Taiko.
Today, taiko continues to bring me joy, connection, and freedom. And I want to share that gift with others—helping each person discover their own rhythm, their own power, and their own shine.
Taiko can truly be a transformative art, and it feels wonderful to know I’m not alone in putting this out there. Playing taiko makes me feel free, and that is such an awesome feeling!
Chōchō Daiko Today
Chōchō Daiko is the umbrella organization for this work. It’s where different projects come together, connected by a single thread: the power of rhythm, voice, and community to heal and transform.
- Taiko Shine – the teaching program, where students of all ages and abilities can experience the joy and empowerment of taiko.
- Dr. Jo Shares – my storytelling project, where I speak openly about trauma and recovery in the hope of helping others feel less alone.
- Recovery Dharma connections – creating community spaces that bring together meditation, recovery, and rhythm.
Through Chōchō Daiko, I carry forward the belief that taiko—and the spirit of community that grows from it—can help us heal, connect, and shine.
Taiko Links