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Get ready to party with two pre-Block Party intensives designed to challenge and inspire!
Overview
In anticipation of a big taiko weekend comes big taiko playing time! We present deep pathways into different intensive tracks leading up to the Taiko Block Party. This is a great option for those who cannot get enough taiko and want to play and intentionally learn as much as possible. Both kaDON pre-intensive tracks are progressive, with the intention of performing and sharing what you’ve learned or created while leading up to Taiko Block Party.
The kaDON Pre-Intensive: Groove, Creativity, and Improvisation
Gain the tools, confidence, and new repertoire to lead and inspire in your own community.
Details at a Glance
- Dates: Wednesday September 2 – September 4, 2026
- Instructors: Shoji Kameda, Elias Chanteloup, & Emily Harada
- Times: Wed-Fri: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm (Two 3.5 hour workshops + lunch hour and breaks)
- Instruction: 3 Days (18-20 total hours)
- Experience Level: Open to all from beginners to advanced. There will be something challenging for you whatever your experience level!
- Registration Fee: $500 General / $450 kaDON Member / $395 Collegiate/ recent grad
- Location: Makoto Studio, 1465 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103
- Meals and Lodging: Not included
About the Intensive
Kick off your Labor Day weekend with a three-day deep dive into groove, creativity and improvisation. Led by Shoji Kameda, Elias Chanteloup, and Emily Harada, this intensive is designed to help you break out of established patterns and find your unique musical voice.
This intensive will focus on:
- Mastering the Groove: We’ll explore how to use our bodies as instruments of rhythm. Participants will learn to refine their sensitivity to timing and tone, discovering how subtle shifts in movement and strike quality can transform a sequence of hits into a deep, infectious groove.
- Unlocking Creativity & Improvisation: We’re taking the fear out of the solo. Through deep-listening exercises and collaborative improvisational games, you’ll learn to stay present in the moment and respond to the ensemble. These sessions are designed to lower the barrier to creativity, helping you unlock ideas you didn’t know you had.
- A New Piece for the Community: Over the course of the three days, we will learn a new kind of “structured improvised” piece. This format provides a framework for expression that is easy to jump into but deep enough to keep exploring. We’ll debut this piece together at the Taiko Block Party, and you’ll leave with a structure you can bring back and share.
Your Instructors
Shoji Kameda
Shoji Kameda is a Grammy-nominated musician, composer, and producer. A lifelong taiko artist (starting at age 8), he has performed with icons like Stevie Wonder, composed award winning soundtracks, and was a founding member of and the primary creative force of the genre-blurring group On Ensemble. In 2014 he cofounded kaDON, a dynamic taiko initiative empowering taiko players worldwide through workshops, original repertoire, high-quality instruments, and accessible online resources. Shoji’s work bridges tradition and innovation making him a defining voice in the contemporary taiko world.
Emily Harada
Emily Harada began playing taiko at the age of 7 with Ho Etsu Taiko at the Midwest Buddhist Temple of Chicago. She went on to study with Somei Taiko and Taiko Center of the Pacific in Hawaii, and returned to help lead the ensemble. Following a 2-ish year intensive study under Kaoly Asano of Tawoo Dojo and Gocoo in Tokyo, Japan, and has returned to the midwest to work full time for TaikoArts Midwest as an artist, performer, instructor, and community outreach staff member and as core staff for kaDON. With a masters in athletic training and experience in biomechanics, she’s interested in movement and what the body can do with taiko.
Elias Chanteloup
Elias Chanteloup (he/him) started playing Taiko at the age of 9. He first saw Taiko being performed at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple and started playing with San Francisco Taiko Dojo shortly after. He studied under Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka for 10 years until he went off to college in Seattle. He was one of the founding members of Seattle University’s Hidaka Taiko and post-COVID became the artistic director for Inochi Taiko. He has performed Taiko all across the US and toured around the world.
MikAnS Pre-Intensive: Rhythm, Voice, and the Spirit of Minyo
Move beyond the drum in this high-energy intensive blending rhythm and voice.
Details at a Glance
- Dates: Wednesday September 2 – September 4, 2026
- Instructors: Michael Gonhata, Anju Madoka, and Sho’on Shibata
- Times: Wed-Fri: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm (Two 3.5 hour workshops + lunch hour and breaks)
- Instruction: 3 Days (18-20 total hours)
- Experience Level: Open to all from beginners to advanced. There will be something challenging for you whatever your experience level!
- Registration Fee: $500 General / $450 kaDON Member / $395 Collegiate/ recent grad
- Location: Koyasan Buddhist Temple, 342 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Meals and Lodging: Not included
About the Intensive
About the Artists: Hailing from Honolulu, MikAnS is a dynamic trio featuring Michael Gonhata, Anju Madoka, and Sho’on Shibata. Their name—a playful blend of their initials and a nod to the mikan (citrus fruit)—captures the essence of their sound: rooted in tradition but delivered with a bright, “sweet-and-sour” twist. Blending taiko, shinobue, shamisen, and vocals, MikAnS reimagines Japanese folk traditions for contemporary global stages.
The Workshop Experience: Join MikAnS for a high-energy intensive that pushes you to step beyond the drum and into a fully embodied musical space. This session focuses on the intersection of rhythm and voice, blending taiko technique with minyo-inspired singing, rhythmic kakegoe, and vocal percussion.
Over three days, you’ll dive into a brand-new piece composed specifically for this gathering. We’ll explore how to balance the physical power of the drum with the expressive nuance of the human voice, building the confidence to perform as a unified, singing ensemble. It’s a chance to challenge your coordination, expand your musicality, and embrace a more holistic way of playing.
The intensive culminates in a showcase performance at the Taiko Block Party, where we’ll bring this new work to life for the whole community. You’ll leave not only with a fresh piece of repertoire but with a deeper understanding of how to weave melody and voice into your performance.
Your Instructors
MikAnS
MikAnS is a Honolulu-based trio featuring Michael Gonhata, Anju Madoka, and Sho’on Shibata. Their name reflects the combination of their three voices, brought together through a shared approach to Japanese traditional music in contemporary settings.
Having performed across the Hawaiian Islands, the trio blends taiko, shinobue, shamisen, and voice, to create performances that are rooted in tradition but with a little sweet-and-sour citrus twist.
