Taiko Drumming Visits Lacey
On February 5th, at approximately 2 pm, with a rumbling so powerful you could feel the vibrations through your body the two Taiko drummers from Seattle literally shook Lacey to its core. Taiko is a drumming style of Japanese origin that has been used in Japan for over 1,400 years. As explained during the performance,
taiko means "fat drum," although there is a vast array of shapes and sizes of taiko. In Japan there are over 8,000 taiko groups who perform at festivals, celebrations and religious occasions.
Historically, taiko were used in battle to issue commands and coordinate movements by the 1500's; the taiko being the only instrument that could be heard across the entire battlefield. The rumbling power of the taiko has also long been associated with the gods, and has been appropriated by the religions of Japan. Taiko ensembles were only developed much later, in the 1950's.
During the assembly students were taught how to say good morning, good day and good evening in Japanese and a few of us were lucky enough to actually try out the drums under the watchful and patient eyes of our two encouraging instructors. This is an assembly many of us will long remember, and we are grateful to our PTA for funding this wonderful cultural experience.
