What's louder than recess, gets your heart pumping, and teaches you Japanese phrases? If you guessed "Taiko drumming," you're absolutely right! Today, Sunrise Drive students experienced something truly special when visiting scholars from TaikoMind introduced them to Taiko, the ancient Japanese art of drumming that's equal parts music, movement, and pure energy.
What is TaikoMind?
TaikoMind highlights "mindful learning" as participants play taiko—Japanese ensemble drumming. Activities, games, and self-reflection support the learning process in playful, interactive, and meaningful ways, with a focus on real-world applications.
Taiko drumming is irresistible fun and easy to learn. It's a perfect venue for learning about culture, music, performance art, team building, and mindfulness. Playing drums in a team requires focused attention, cooperation, and self-discipline: key elements of the art form and essential life skills. Every person's part matters to the whole group's success.
Five mindfulness themes are emphasized in TaikoMind classes: Calming, Noticing, Focusing, Adapting, and Connecting.
More Than Just Beating on Drums
From the moment the lesson began, students knew this wasn't your average music class. They learned to greet each other in Japanese—"Ohayō gozaimasu" (good morning!)—and to say it "with their heart," which set the perfect tone for what was to come.
Before anyone picked up a drumstick, students made a special agreement with each other using the phrase "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," which beautifully translates to "please teach me, please help me, let's do our best together." Talk about setting the stage for teamwork!
Full-Body Music Making
Taiko isn't just about your arms. Students discovered that playing these powerful drums requires:

• Strong posture
• Bent knees (like you're ready to spring into action!)
• Focused breathing
• Your whole body working together

Speaking the Rhythm
Before drumsticks came out, students got creative with their voices and fingertips. They learned about kuchi-shōga, or "mouth music," where you speak rhythms out loud before playing them. Patterns like "don" and "doko" helped everyone connect the sounds they were making with the movements of their bodies. It was like a secret musical language!
When the Whole Room Drummed Together
The magic moment came when everyone played in unison. The room vibrated with sound and energy as students used their voices, bodies, and focus to create powerful rhythms together. You could feel the excitement!
But here's what made it even more special: students learned that the drums are respected instruments (not toys!) and that discipline, attention, and respect for one another are part of making beautiful music together.

When asked how Taiko made them feel, students shared words like "energized," "focused," and "connected." One student gave us a new word we're going to start using immediately: hypergenic (super energizing!). They discovered that music can actually change how we feel in our bodies and our emotions—and that sometimes the most powerful moments come when we balance excitement with calm and control.
We appreciate our TaikoMind scholars for sharing their expertise, culture, and passion with our students. It was a joyful, high-energy morning that we will remember for a long time.