Directed by Jonathan Kirby, the European Taiko Conference was created by taiko players, with the participation of taiko players, for the benefit of taiko players. “Developing the community… developing the art form.”
These pages are an archive of materials published in respect of the four European Taiko Conferences that took place from 2016-2019.
- 1st European Taiko Conference
- 2nd European Taiko Conference
- 3rd European Taiko Conference
- 4th European Taiko Conference
Why come to the European Taiko Conference?
European taiko is in its infancy, and exists in relatively isolated pockets across the continent. Those people who come to the ETC believe that there are multiple benefits in getting together in a structured and yet relaxed, friendly, collaborative and supportive environment. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
- the sharing of ideas and experiences
- take-aways that are either conceptual, practical or both
- skill-development
- making new friends and meeting old ones
- building networks that provide encouragement, support, and ideas for future projects
Who should come to the European Taiko Conference?
ETC is intended primarily for taiko players in European taiko groups. Since the aim is to spread ideas, techniques and repertoire, the players who attend should be prepared to share what they learn with their own groups after the Conference. Typically, this will mean that group leaders will attend ETC, but those group leaders might identify others in their groups who would benefit personally and who would be best able to help the sharing process. There is a limit of 3 members per group to register as participants.
Please note that the language of the Conference is English, although care is taken to make it as accessible as possible for people for whom English is a second or third language.
Players from outside Europe are welcome. Diversity and the free movement of taiko players enriches the Conference.
What will you do there? What will you get from it?
From Thursday evening to Sunday lunchtime, participants have the opportunity to live in a communal space populated exclusively by other taiko players and taiko teachers, learning, eating, drinking and socialising together. It’s a lot of fun!
ETC includes a series of practical taiko workshops, but the Conference is much more than a forum for technical skill development. Gaining experience of a number of different taiko teachers can help participants decide what kind of further training they might want for themselves or their group, and from which teachers they would like it.
For the people who come to ETC, technical training is only part of the story. It is widely said that “taiko is more than just drumming”. The Conference provides a unique opportunity to explore precisely those things that make taiko “more than” just drumming.
When is the next European Taiko Conference?
At the moment, there are no plans for further ETCs. Instead, we encourage people to go to the ever-increasing number of regional/national events such as the Scottish Taiko Festival and the Italian Taiko Conference, both of which are happening in 2023.
See also: European Taiko Conference Homepage; 1st European Taiko Conference; 2nd European Taiko Conference; 3rd European Taiko Conference. 4th European Taiko Conference