WORLD SOUNDS. The taiko performance group, en, recently performed at the Portland Children’s Museum as part of the popular World Sounds series. Pictured are group members Kazuyo (right), Miyuki (left), and Mieko (in the background). (AR Photo/Julie Stegeman)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #7 (February 12, 2008), page 13.

By Julie Stegeman

Music you can feel right down into your bones. An audience of kids and their parents experienced a powerful, musical treat at the Portland Children’s Museum last month. The group en gave two taiko drumming performances and workshops as part of the popular World Sounds series, which features music, dance, and storytelling from different cultures.

En is a trio of women led by Kazuyo Ito. Ms. Ito was born in Japan and moved to the United States in 1996. She started her taiko career about 12 years ago, wanting to influence people through her music. She performed with the group Matsuriza at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where she remained for seven years before returning to Japan to pursue further training in the art of taiko. The other two members of en are Miyuki and Mieko. The women were also born in Japan and are fairly new to taiko, but they have a great enthusiasm for the music. The group was named from the Japanese word en, which indicates the relationships between people.

Taiko has its roots in ancient Japanese culture and, according to Ms. Ito, was a common feature in ceremonies and festivals she experienced in her own childhood. Recently, the drumming has become popular as a performance art form. A taiko performance group can range from a solo act of one drummer to a large troupe with drums of many sizes and timbres. In fact, the only limit to the size of a taiko group seems to be the number of people that can fit on a stage.

In addition to performing, Ms. Ito also teaches taiko lessons to children, adults, and people with disabilities. She finds children in particular are very responsive to drumming. When asked where she drew inspiration for the songs she writes, Ms. Ito said she often gets ideas from children, who can be very creative at coming up with interesting rhythms.

As the crowd entered the small theater where the performance was held, ushers handed out earplugs. This seemed a bit ominous, but years of attending loud rock concerts had deadened this reporter’s hearing to the point that I didn’t personally need them. It did seem to be a sensible precaution for small children whose hearing is still sensitive, since the music was booming.

As the performers began drumming, I could feel the rhythm reverberate from head to toe. The crowd watched with amazement at the athleticism displayed as these three women brought the bachi (drum sticks) down hard on the drums and leapt between the drums, at times switching which drums they were playing in between the beats, all the while keeping the rhythm going.

After completing the first song, the group introduced the Japanese names of the drums and a flute made of smoked bamboo, and had the children repeat the names. Next the group taught the crowd how to drum on their own laps, and once they had practiced sufficiently, children were encouraged to come up on stage to play the real drums. The children had varying degrees of success keeping the rhythm going, but each did keep an enormous grin on her or his face while enthusiastically beating on the drums.

The performers then asked adults to come up and play. They were more reluctant to volunteer, but once on the stage, they too got into the spirit of the drumming. After the performance, the children rushed up to the stage, and those who hadn’t yet had the chance to try the drums got to take a turn. En followed the performance with a drumming workshop for those who wished to continue with the excitement.

For more information about en, contact Kazuyo Ito at (503) 367-3597 or e-mail <ran@entaiko.com>.