Japanese Music Unit

This week, as part of our East Asian unit, we have been studying Japanese music in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. We began by looking at some traditional instruments and learning two pentatonic scales and the famous melody "Sakura, Sakura." The we talked about the school band movement in Japan and how the ensembles meet 6-7 times a week for two hours after school. To illustrate what that kind of dedication can do, we watched this video of an elementary school band playing Slava! by Leonard Bernstein. Not only is this a Grade 5 piece that challenges the best high school bands, but the kids in the video are playing it by memory!

Then we talked about the kumi-daiko, or taiko, movement. This is a fairly recent phenomenon in which traditional Japanese drumming that accompanied rituals or dramas was combined with the excitement and flash of jazz drumming. The result is a wild mix of drum corps, aerobic workout, and stage spectacle. The most famous taiko group is Kodo. Here are two samples of their work:

After winter break, we'll be examining Chinese and Korean music cultures. It will all culminate in our Winter Concert on January 31 at 7:30pm in the auditorium when we'll perform Spring Festival by Chen Yi, Warabe by Akira Toda, Variations on a Korean Folk Song by John Barnes Chance, and Festal Scene by Yasuhide Ito. Don't miss it!