Participate for the entire weekend
or for the workshop(s) of your choice!
“Very well done! Great sequence. Nice blend of challenge and repetition. Please continue!”
“REALLY glad I was able to practice with online lessons before the workshop and then the workshop solidified and added to where I’d gotten online. Looking forward to another!”
“I found the pace of today’s workshop to be very well timed, able to accommodate both kaDON and non-kaDON subscribers’ experience with the piece [Lion Chant].”
— Voices of past kaDON workshop participants —
*** Registration for this workshop is now closed ***
Hosted by: kaDON and St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
When: 10/31/15 (Sat) and 11/1/15 (Sun)
Where: St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Studio, 10734 Trenton Ave St Louis, MO 63132 Map
Cost: See Schedule or Workshop Description below for details
*kaDON subscribers will receive a 50% discount on the workshop fees!
Housing: Homestay with a member of the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko community (optional and complimentary!)
Schedule of Events:
10/29/15 (Thu) 7:30pm – On Ensemble Concert (optional – tickets sold separately)
Location: The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO (St. Louis) 63143, (314) 560-2778
Opening Act: St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
$15 in advance, $20 at the door
Tickets on sale here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2234934
10/30/15 (Fri) 8:00pm – Welcome Reception/Registration/Jam Session (optional / RSVP required)
Location: St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Studio, 10734 Trenton Ave St Louis, MO 63132
10/31/15 (Sat) – Workshop @ St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Studio
9:30am – 10:00am: Registration & Breakfast
10:00am – 1:00pm: Workshop 1A: Lion Chant Intensive – Part I (by Shoji Kameda, Cost: $100 for both 1A & 1B)
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch Break
2:00pm – 5:00pm: Workshop 1B: Lion Chant Intensive – Part II (by Shoji Kameda)
5:00pm – ???: Dinner & Halloween Outing!
11/1/15 (Sun) – Workshop @ St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Studio
9:00am – 9:45am: Optional “Hit Club” Session
9:30am – 10:00am: Registration & Breakfast
10:00am – 1:00pm:
- Workshop 2A: Three Levels of Understanding (by Shoji Kameda, Cost: $50)
OR - Workshop 2B: Fue Basics (by Masato Baba, Cost: $50)
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch Break
2:00pm – 5:00pm:
- Workshop 3A: Improvisation & Solo Development (by Shoji Kameda, Cost: $50)
OR - Workshop 3B: Atarigane Playing (by Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, Cost: $50)
Workshop Description:
Lion Chant Intensive Part I & II – by Shoji Kameda
10/31/15 (Sat) 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, Cost: $100
Learn to play Lion Chant! This exciting piece is based on two of Shoji’s favorite styles of music: the taiko part for the Edo Kotobuki Jishi (Tokyo Lion Dance); and the Balinese vocal percussion style of “kecak.” The drills and techniques used to teach Lion Chant will deepen your understanding of rhythm and texture, develop hand independence and improve your listening skills and ability to play as an ensemble.
In workshop Part I, we will focus on the kecak-inspired second half of the piece, and participants will be playing three-part rhythms that interlock and two independent patterns on either hand all while changing gears by the end of this first session. In Part II, we will focus on the beginning part of Lion Chant which is inspired by the Edo Kotobuki Jishi. Layered rhythms, Improvisation and metric modulation will also be explored. By the end of this two-part workshop, participants will have a new insight into different compositional techniques and a deeper understanding of rhythm and texture. You will go home with new drills and techniques for breaking down and understanding complex interlocking parts, the ability to play two different patterns on either hand simultaneously and all the tools necessary to learn and perform Lion Chant! Content available on kaDON.com. Lion Chant workshop is open to all skill levels, however, 2-3 year of taiko experience is recommended.
Three Levels of Understanding – by Shoji Kameda
11/1/15 (Sun) 10am-1pm, Cost: $50
This workshop focuses on deepening our listening abilities and ability to play in an ensemble, and lays the foundation for learning ‘Ready, Set, kaDON!’, a kaDON repertoire composed by Shoji Kameda. Developing listening skills is absolutely critical to ensemble playing but often not focused on in the rush to learn the repertoire. It is also a difficult thing to develop drills and techniques around. In this workshop, we dive right into a step-by-step process that starts with re-examining how we use kuchishouga to learn and internalize patterns. By the end of the workshop, participants will have deepened their listening skills and ability to play as an ensemble, and have a powerful series of drills and techniques that can be applied to any taiko piece to tighten and improve your group’s performance. This workshop is open to all skill levels and no experience is necessary.
Fue Basics – by Masato Baba
11/1/15 (Sun) 10am-1pm, Cost: $50
Learn warm ups, basic drills, scales, and a simple song or two for shinobue. Please bring a #6, #7, or #8 Utabue (shinobue scaled to Western notation), a notebook and a pen for the workshop. Participants must be able to make a sound out of the fue. 2-3 years of prior experience is recommended but not required.
Improvisation & Solo Development – by Shoji Kameda
11/1/15 (Sun) 2pm-5pm, Cost: $50
Improvisation is often intimidating and soloing can be quite a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be that way! This workshop focuses on the critical skills of improvisation and solo development in a fun and relaxed manner. The foundational skill for improvisation is not the ability to play a lot of patterns but the ability to listen deeply and respond accordingly. By the end of this workshop, participants will be better listeners, more confident improvisors and have an entire set of techniques to develop an idea into a coherent solo. This workshop is open to all skill levels and no experience is necessary.
Atarigane Playing – by Eien Hunter-Ishikawa
11/1/15 (Sun) 2pm-5pm, Cost: $50
This workshop will cover some effective techniques for playing the atarigane (hand-held gong). Topics include: exploration of various sounds, grooves, vocalizing patterns, notation, traditional rhythms, and new applications. Participants are welcome to bring their own, but practice atarigane will be provided for use during the workshop. This workshop is open to all skill levels and no experience is necessary.
Instructor Profile:
Shoji Kameda [kaDON / On Ensemble]
Shoji is a Grammy nominated musician, composer and producer. He started playing taiko at the age of 8 and has played continuously since. He was selected through a highly competitive process as an Asian Pacific Performance Exchange fellow, collaborating with master artists from the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the USA. He was also selected as an Indonesian Arts Exchange fellow which sent him and three other master arts to central Java for three weeks to teach and perform. Collaborations with international artists have taken Shoji to Malaysia, French Guiana, Mongolia and Bali.
He composed the original score for Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story, Audience Award winner for Best Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival. He was featured in the music of the hit NBC TV show “Heroes” performed with Stevie Wonder at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and received a Grammy nomination with jazz fusion band Hiroshima for his work on their album Legacy. In 2010 he collaborated with award winning puppet filmmaker Sam Koji Hale to create music for the short film Yamasong, which won first prize as the Best Animated Film at the Dragon Con film festival. As a founding member of On Ensemble and the group’s primary creative force he produced On Ensemble’s critically acclaimed albums Dust and Sand, Ume in the Middle and Bizarre Heroes. In 2013 On Ensemble was invited to perform at the National Theater of Japan for their prestigious “Nihon no Taiko” series. Shoji is sought after for workshops, masterclasses and compositions. His compositions for taiko are performed by groups around the world. Shoji has partnered with taiko master Kenny Endo, leading taiko and fue artist Kaoru Watanabe and instrument maker Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten to create kaDON a new online venture dedicated to providing high quality video instruction for taiko and fue.
Masato Baba [On Ensemble / Taiko Project]
Maz began playing and studying taiko at the age of six under his parents, jazz musician Russel Baba and taiko drummer Jeanne Mercer, founders of Shasta Taiko. He was also a member of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and was an instructor and director of the Youth Group at Endo’s school, The Taiko Center of the Pacific. He continued his taiko and bamboo flute studies in Japan with Taro Kobayashi and Kyosuke Suzuki. Currently, Maz resides in Los Angeles and works as a key artistic lead with TAIKOPROJECT and On Ensemble.
Eien Hunter-Ishikawa [On Ensemble]
Eien Hunter-Ishikawa is a musician and educator based in Portland, Oregon specializing in drumset, taiko, and shinobue. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education at Central Michigan University, where he performed, recorded, and toured as a member of the Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble under the direction of the late Robert Hohner, and earned his Master of Music Performance at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. During his time in Honolulu, Eien performed and toured extensively as a member of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble throughout the U.S. and Europe and taught classes at the Taiko Center of the Pacific, a school of traditional and contemporary taiko. He is a member of On Ensemble, and performs with shakuhachi artist Bruce Huebner in a shakuhachi/vibraphone duet.
Eien has worked with shakuhachi artist Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos, dancer Colleen Lanki, Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra, tsugaru shamisen artist Hiroshi Yamaguchi, sho artist Naomi Sato, Michael O’Neill’s bagpipe ensemble Mearingstone, and Vancouverʼs Silk Road Music. He has performed at the North American Taiko Conference, Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival, Hawaii International Taiko Festival, Honolulu International Jazz Festival, and the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival. In addition to teaching online lessons, Eien has presented workshops at the North American Taiko Conference, World Taiko Gathering, Taiko Baka Gathering, Fue of the Bay, Pacific Northwest Regional Taiko Gathering, and Asano Taiko US. For more information, please visit: www.eienhunterishikawa.com