In Zhutang Township, we have a musical team named "Tuku Flaming Taiko" that everyone knows. We are often invited to be the opening performances in the village, and even press conferences handled by the Changhua County Government. There’re only 41 students and about 10 teachers in our school. What makes us have such superb performances? When we interviewed the teachers, we learned that our teachers hoped that students could build their confidence at the same time when they were planning the aesthetic musical course. Therefore, students from the rurals like us can have the opportunity to learn talents and music.
So, around 2011 our teachers have planned curriculum throught the MOE EPA project and invited external professional teacher Miao-wen Wu together with our teachers to teach us playing the Taiko during the Wednesday afternoon. The 3rd and 4th graders interested in playing the Taiko take the basic percussion course; the 5th and 6th graders take advanced percussion courses. During the summer vacation, the teachers also actively applied for resources and projects such us SELPS of the MOE to keep us learning playing the Taiko. Our school also welcomes the students from other schools in Zhutang Township to experience the different learning acticities during the summer vacation.
"Taiko" is written in “たいこ” in Japanese and it originally means big drums. Because its majestic momentum could scare away demons and ghosts during performances, that’s the main use in the beginning. On the other hand, the sound of Taiko is serious and solemn; it’s also used when meeting the gods. Because the sound of Taiko is so inspiring and it can boost people’s mood, that is the reason why our teachers choose to learn this instrument with us. At the same time, during the learning process, we also realized that it is Japanese culture and art. "Taiko" is the generic term of Japanese drums. Japanese drums are various. They could be roughly divided into three categories. In short, they’re "Miya-Taiko", "Okedō-Taiko" and "Shime-Taiko". With the differences of arrangement and use, the 3 kinds of Taiko could present different musical styles and form diverse and rich performances interactive with life.
- source:
- Taiwan Soka Association (2019). ASKA Japanese Drum-Taiko Tempos Amaze Life Taken from: https://www.twsgi.org.tw/intro-care-detail.php?ic_id=1379
- Chung-luan Lin ( July 24, 2017). Performance by Tuku Elementary School Taiko team at HSR station attracts tourists to appreciate. Reported by Taiwan Hot. Taken from: https://n.yam.com/Article/20170724186032
- Yu-ting Hsiao ( July 25 , 2017). Talent Shows at HSR station-Tuku Elementary School Taiko team performs Taiko at Taichung HSR Station. Reported by Great News.Taken from:
https://n.yam.com/Article/20170725559221