Welcome, students of taiko!

Log into your GLTC account here

Link to GLTC taiko class LISTING

Great Lakes taiko Center (GLTC) Taiko activities & events:

GLTC Winter 2024: January - February - March
[GLTC Spring Break: MON 3/25/24 - SUN 4/7/24]

GLTC classes & group practices

All our Taiko activities are generally scheduled for three weeks of each month, followed by a GLTC Break Week/s of Ma (check our GLTC Class Calendar).
Our Taiko Classes for adults of all levels, are held online (recorded Zoom sessions), outdoors in Ann Arbor (MI), and with optional practices outdoors in Novi (MI).
- Members may sign up for classes at any time, but the start of a season (Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer) and beginning of any month are generally good times to begin a class.
Our Taiko Groups practice weekly with meetings online, optional outdoor group practices, and scheduled indoor practices.

GLTC membership meetings — Taiko Centering will usually be held on the 1st or 2nd Monday of each month.

GLTC performance events — our Taiko Groups perform at events throughout the year.

Staying Connected @GLTC-Online

GLTC MEMBERS can sign up for our ONLINE CLASSES which provide students with live session learning experiences as well as online access to class recordings and class materials for review and study on your own time.

Accent Wall Chart

Rhythm Wall Chart

Dot Wall Chart

A complimentary kaDON.com subscription ($20/month value) for our adult/teen students is included with your membership fee (current kaDON subscribers are transferred to our school plan) which provides access to kaDON online Taiko resource and discounts on select kaDON events and activities.

A complimentary Flat.io account ($7/month value) and instruction for this online music composition software is included with your membership fee for students enrolled in a Taiko Music Lab course or upon request.

playing it safe

For the health and safety of all participants, we will follow GLTC COVID Safety Guidelines for Taiko Activities, including classes and group practices.

As we plan to gather for in-person activities, please check our guidelines for safety protocols. Outdoor classes will be cancelled in case of inclement weather.

Taiko share equipment

GLTC Members may contact us about borrowing Taiko equipment (drums, stands, other instruments) for use during class and/or to take home through our Taiko Share program.

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world of taiko

Explore the World of Taiko with us!

When you join our Great Lakes Taiko Center community, you are also joining a whole world of Taiko people and experiences. Through a variety of Taiko-related classes and performance events, particularly with our GLTC partners and friends, our members can connect with others in communities around the world.

GLTC Partner: kadon.com!

We are empowered by kaDON!

GLTC members can access online Taiko arts resources & class-related material on kaDON.com to explore at your own pace. As GLTC/kaDON subscribers, our members also enjoy discounts on select kaDON LIVE workshops & concerts!

All GLTC Membership levels, except for Youth, include a kaDON subscription! We’ll send you an invite to set up your kaDON subscription after you register with GLTC. If you’re already a kaDON subscriber, you can be credited and transferred to our school plan.

link to kadon.com

GLTC Friends: Taiko Learning Opportunities

Community Taiko with Rome & Kristin at South Bay Beat Institute
Join online classes for Taiko (drumming for adults & kids) and Yokobue (flute) w/Rome Hamner & Kristin Block at South Bay Beat Institute (SBBI) in San Jose, CA. Visit their website at https://sbbeat.online

**continuing YOKOBUE** 1st and 3rd **Saturdays** **12:30-1:00 PM ET**

**COMMUNITY TAIKO** 1st and 3rd **Saturdays 2:00-2:45pm ET**

JABS & All Things Taiko with Carrie Alita Carter
Learn about JABS (a joint mobility program uniquely designed for Taiko players) & All Things Taiko (an educational resource for taiko players) by Carrie Alita Carter. Visit her website at https://carriealitacarter.com

KIONline with Ingmar & Mel at Kion Dojo
Groove with our friends Ingmar Kikat & Mel Ski streaming from Hamburg, Germany, at Kion Dojo through KIONline: virtual classes and global Taiko learning community. Visit their website at https://kion-dojo.de/kionline

Lessons in Percussion, Taiko, and Shinobue with Eien Hunter-Ishikawa
Take online lessons, watch instructional videos, and read informative blog posts by artist and educator Eien Hunter-Ishikawa. Visit his website at https://www.eienhunterishikawa.com

Eien Hunter-Ishikawa

Click for private online lessons and instructional video offerings from Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, Taiko artist and educator in Portland, OR.
*Eien is a Michigan native and recent guest artist at our Taiko Center in Novi, teaching Taiko and shinobue/flute playing through workshops and lessons.*

Virtual Taiko Classes & Queer Taiko with Kristy Oshiro
Join new virtual class offerings for beginners to advanced players, and hybrid sessions for the group Queer Taiko on Meetup, with professional Taiko artist Kristy Oshiro. Visit their website at https://kristyoshiro.com.

TaikoPeace Workshops with PJ Hirabayashi
TaikoPeace workshops led by PJ Hirabayashi are one-of-a-kind intimate experiences designed to take your body, mind, and spirit on a journey of self-empowerment. Taiko drumming, dance and body movement, chanting, singing, haiku, and journaling are among the modalities used by PJ to allow participants to connect with themselves and with each other. Visit her website and upcoming events at https://taikopeace.love/calendar.

TAIKO Community RESOURCES: a sampling

TCA

***Mission: To empower the people and advance the art of Taiko!***

www.taikocommunityalliance.org

photo-from-Paul-Sakamoto — **Taiko Community Facebook Group**

**Public group for taiko players and supporters interested in all kinds of taiko arts from around the world!**

visit Taiko Community on facebook

photo-from-FB-cover — **Quarantine Taiko**

**Group for taiko people (and not just taiko people) in order to share ideas and exercises during this "quarantine" time!**

Link to public Facebook Group

Adam Weiner in San Jose, CA, produces informative videos on various topics for Taiko players and enthusiasts at TIC TAC TAIKO on YouTube!

TAIKO PERFORMANCES online: a glimpse

So many great virtual presentations are being shared by taiko artists and groups who are creatively navigating pandemic challenges and healing communities through their art. Your ticket to engaging in their artistry and supporting these efforts is just a click away…

"WHY WE DRUM" presented in the 2020 World Taiko Conference (WTC) Taiko Community Video Forum

"Last year Raion Taiko and community members of the Great Lakes Taiko Center shared WHY WE DRUM as the opening performance for our 9th annual showcase event. This taiko and spoken word piece was co-created with special guest Mike Ellison and presented by taiko players of all ages and diverse experiences as a communal expression of empowerment through taiko drumming. Although our 10th anniversary plans for this year were sadly disrupted by the pandemic, the importance of taiko in our lives has become ever more clear, and we are so happy to share WHY WE DRUM for the World Taiko Conference 2020 online video forum as we remember, respect, and reimagine what performing taiko in community with all means to us now."

“Why We Drum” (June 2019)
Watch this performance, hear interviews of music composer Brian Sole and spoken word artist Mike Ellison, and read the poem (in English with Japanese translation) in the video subtitles and description at https://youtu.be/U_NJd3nYbHc.

“My Song 31 this is why I drum” (July 2019)
Find the mixed soundtrack of taiko and vocals created by Eileen Ho for the GLTC 9th Annual Showcase slideshow in her #TaikoLove Sounds 2019 collection at https://eileensho.rocks.

Raion Taiko & Great Lakes Taiko Center (Michigan, USA)

GLTC classes & events, GLTC Partner & Friends, and World of taiko:

ALL our Calenders in one place!