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River Ridge High School's Taiko Drum Ensemble is a premier student performing group that plays traditional Japanese drums (some made by the students themselves) around the region and community. It is the only active Japanese drumming group in public schools in Washington State. This group is open to all River Ridge students.Want Taiko to perform at your event? Email director John Theine at jtheine@nthurston.k12.wa.us! This is a student ensemble, so it all depends on the students' schedules. Please book early!
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We actually built our first Taiko drum a year before starting this project. Odaiko #1 was built in the Spring-Summer of 2007 to be used in performance by the school's Wind Ensemble for the piece, Rising Dragons, by Robert W. Smith. We performed the piece at the December concert in 2007 and then on tour to Southern California later that school year in early April.
Having the "big drum" up in the classroom for 2/3 of a year generated interest in it as well as sparked the idea that a taiko group would be really fun (so far, only one student had really been allowed to play the big drum). By March 2008, the idea was floating around that we could form a taiko group...we just needed funding.
In late March 2008, a grant request was submitted to the Charlotte Martin Foundation for a grand total of $6,840.43 to fund the creation of a taiko ensemble consisting of 19 drums (18 to be created from the grant funds). In the end, the foundation denied the grant in late May...no negative reason...just that they fund 1 in 4 grants and this one wasn't one of the lucky ones.
So, we decided to try a different route and started the River Ridge Taiko Project in late May 2008 with a direct appeal campaign to local businesses, service clubs, organizations, and individuals in the greater Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater area of Thurston County. Within two days of starting the project (and before we really got going with it), we had funded two full drums and are excited about the potential of the project to
reach its goals.Eventually, with generous donations and hours of students' and staff working, we have completed construction on 14 drums.
Drum Sticks Stand Shime #1 Completed Done Done Shime #2 Completed Done Done Shime #3 Completed Done Done Okedo #1 Completed Done Done (Strap) Okedo #2 Completed Done Done (Strap) Okedo #3 Completed Done Done (Strap) Chu #1 Completed Done Done Chu #2 Completed Done Done Chu #3 Completed Done Done Hira #1 Completed Done Done Hira #2 Completed Done Done Odaiko #1 Completed Done Done Odaiko #2 Completed Done Done Odaiko #3 Completed Done Done
