Do you feel the taiko community or communities is/are different from other communities you have been involved in? How so?
| don’t know |
| No – I think all communities have their positives and their negatives, and taiko is no different really. |
| Yes and no. Reminds me of non profits and grass-roots I’m put of, but the cultural respect and interaction are easier to work with. |
| I’m new so I don’t know yet. But it seems 1 big family |
| Very rarely do I hear any “bad-mouthing” of other taiko players or groups. I feel that the taiko community is nurturing and more open than other communities. I’m biased to the taiko… |
| sports never gave me the same satisfaction than Taiko |
| The people I know around the world are really awesome. Many of them I wish I could see much more often. The FB community is important to me because that is how I see how these awesome people are doing, people who live in Europe, Canada, or elsewhere in the US. I have heard of bad things happening, like sexual harassment, etc., but I haven’t experienced it. I think in many ways it is like other art groups. Locally, there are a lot of politics and talk between the different groups. |
| Yes, it s all about the group, no discrimination whatsoever |
| Yes. Everybody is happy to play and there is no competition |
| No I don’t think so, because every group thing has its own charms, soap like appearances and “politics”. Whether its a workplace, friends group, soccer, dance, taiko, we are all humans 🙂 |
| i have no experience with other “communities” than the taiko community. but i realise that not all dojo’s are open for “community” or “sharing” … |
| the European Taiko groups I’ve met during ETE 21+1 in Hamburg seem less formal compared to Japanese martial arts or Japanese Taiko groups. |
| Taiko isn’t just an activity, but a way of being. |
| There is so much devotion |
| They are a loving group of friends, but i have a few of those (lucky me!), But i feel the Taiko group grew quicker, but still organically. |
| More accepting |
| No. I don’t find it particularly different from other activities from a community standpoint. |
| I think every group has it’s own vibe. I think I am very lucky to have a female instructor/leader. Taiko makes stuff come up, and relationships are hard… But we can grow through hurdles together. I just wish our sensei was more into trying to keep us together during the pandemic but she has her own problems too… |
| Sometimes I feel that the taiko groups I have been a part of are a little bit clique-y. On the whole music groups though are rather welcoming to anybody who comes. |
| The main differences between Taiko community and other communities have to do with the cultural and historical aspects. Stepping into the taiko world means learning new vocabulary, eating Japanese food, learning Asian cultures and history. History in the US also includes the poor treatment of Japanese Americans and Asians. |
| One thing that has stood out to me is the overall incredible level of humility, generosity and accessibility of taiko masters/taiko pioneers/taiko mentors to share their knowledge and support. There is a passion and sense of obligation to share and develop the art at the community, amateur and pro levels. |
| The taiko community is welcoming and inclusive. |
| There are some members of the taiko community who are more exclusionary, and feel that taiko must be done the “right way”. I believe this mentality comes more from the traditional “lineages” stemming more directly from Japan. It seems to be the case that groups in the USA, Canada, and Europe tend to be less tied to a strict methodology. I have found taiko players I have met to be generally very agreeable, enthusiastic, and welcoming. |
| No |
| Connection |
| There is endless support in this community, people always want to help you with your goals rather than competing against you. |
| Yes, totally different. I think that taiko people are always questioning and checking to make sure they are respecting the art-form, the roots of taiko, the future of taiko for their particular groups. I think taiko invites introspection and an honouring of traditions. It also requires that you are clear in your dreams for how you want to develop the art form or use it in your community. I think all this thinking and genuine care for what we do is what makes the taiko community so very different. It is naive, it is optimistic, it is a little pie in the sky, it is all of the good things in life! There are of course the usual human tendencies for arguments, division, and disruption. I am not totally Pollyanna about taiko. It is hard for humans not to disagree and I see many groups struggling to work together sometimes. However, I think there is a generousness of spirit within the taiko community that exists to support and encourage the art form. There is very little of the snobby hierarchical mean spiritedness that you can sometimes come across in the world of music and the arts that comes from competition and scarcity. There is a genuine feeling that sharing your knowledge and experience of taiko will be a good thing. |
| Yes. Taiko appeals on many levels — musically, physically, culturally. |
| I love all the diversity!!!❤️ |
| I visited a singing course – the people stood in a big circle. Then more people entered the room but the circle stayed the same size. With taiko people that would not happen! |
| No |
| They are. It is a very small community in the end. I can get in touch with any taiko player from any part of the world in just a few clicks. |
| Things have all got a bit political in the past 18 months or so. We all face the same problems with LIFE in general, but the (totally appropriate) use of taiko to build particular communities or to fight specific political battles tends to fragment the global taiko (so-called) community. Taiko has universal appeal when it’s about the universality of the human condition. That’s amazing! Political activism is important, nay, very necessary (!!) but activism won’t attract everyone. |
| See above: Music is more solitary, self absorbed. Sports is more pressure on certain tasks, not the whole human being. Also less elegant and often without finesse. Religion is less moving and more restrictive in social interactions. |
| They are more accepting. I like to tell people that we get all our frustrations out by hitting the drum, not ea ch other. |
| No, just the connector |
| Well. Interest in percussion music. |
| Not different in the sense of a group of enthusiasts. I do think that there is something intangible about the taiko community. One thing that is always striking about taiko is how big the tent is: folks of all walks of life and experience and aptitudes are all welcomed equally, which is great. |
| The taiko communities that I have met are such gentle, quietly peaceful souls! |
| Certainly, the taiko community is very diverse. Hard to come up with a comparison to another community though. |
| I’ve been a part of many communites before but the intensity of taiko makes it special to me 🙂 As a community it can resemble to other well working communities but as in power? I have doubts 🙂 |
| Not sure |
| Yes and no. There are still some issues that need to be worked out with racial inequities. |
| I have been in a brass band and with solo instrument players as well. They were more competitive and also less acceptive with regard to failure. It is easier to ruin a piece by playing out of tune on melodical instruments, so there is lots of pressure to keep up and perform well. I have also been in a martial arts community, which was also very competitive and gave a strong sense of failure when I reached my personal phyisical limitations (not strong enough, not flexible enough, etc.), I felt a greater need to perform well in order to not feel inferior. With the taiko community I don’t feel the pressure and I can enjoy the activity. |
| Yes. The taiko community I am part of is inclusive and inviting. They encourage everyone and have a sincere interest in your improvement. |
| Don’t know |
| No |