We believe that taiko should be enjoyed by as many people as possible, and accessible to all. That’s why, since 1998, we’ve had a strong focus on helping people learn taiko, and providing training and resources for those who want to teach.
Taiko Training and Resources for Teachers and Group Leaders
To help you start your own groups and classes, we provide teacher training supported by comprehensive video and printed resources. These now include Taiko Tapas in addition to Taiko for Schools Vol 1.
Click here for more about teacher training and resources.
A Long History of Producing High-Quality Taiko Training Materials
Do you remember the days before DVDs, before YouTube, before Facebook, before the existence of taiko websites…?
2001 Introduction to Taiko Vol 1 – VHS tape.
The content was rudimentary, but every little helped at this time, when the UK was something of a taiko desert. It included the first version of a song called Shimabayashi2004. Introduction to Taiko Vol 2 – VHS tape with accompanying booklet.
This was produced as part of a project to start taiko groups in 12 different schools across the 4 counties of south-west England.
2008. Teaching Taiko: Principles & Practice – book with 4 DVDs.
Not just the “what” and the “how”, but also the “why”.The first person to buy this teacher’s toolkit lived in Hawaii. The second was in Western Australia.
“Teaching Taiko…” went on to sell more than 200 copies across the English-speaking world.
That number may not seem huge, but bear in mind that most of the buyers were teachers or group leaders…
2011. Jonathan Kirby’s Taiko Drumming Book – printed book with DVD.
Commissioned by Drums for Schools in 2011, this book and DVD formed part of a series on teaching world music / percussion.
Central to the book was the teaching of Shimabayashi, a taiko song by Jonathan Kirby which had been presented in embryonic form in Introduction to Taiko Vol 1. The song has continued to be popular, and is still played by groups in North America, Europe, and Australia.
2018. Taiko for Schools, Vol 1 – book with online videos.
Working with music teachers in North Devon, Jonathan created a set of “bite-size” materials designed for teachers in primary and secondary schools who want to start teaching taiko, or who are already doing so and want support materials that they can use quickly and easily themselves, or make accessible directly to their students.
“Taiko for Schools. Volume One: Fundamentals” was commissioned by Devon Music Education Hub, Taiko Outreach Programme for Schools, working in partnership with Kagemusha Taiko.
The book, which comes with the password for the online videos, can be ordered here.
2018. The Way of the Drum – taiko without borders
To flourish in the UK and Europe, taiko needs a new philosophical base. We are playing taiko in a different cultural context, so it is not enough simply to copy the way taiko is taught and played in Japan. We need our own reasons. Why are we playing taiko? What are we trying to achieve with it?
Jonathan Kirby believes that taiko can be accessible to everyone and enjoyable for all. From that starting point, The Way of the Drum… lays out a principled basis for taiko in Western Europe, via the story of development from humble beginnings to national and international presence, including a celebrated youth taiko programme, innovative repertoire and curriculum development, UK Taiko Festivals, European Taiko Conferences, and much more besides.
More details can be found here, including book reviews and details of how to buy a copy.
2024. Taiko Tapas – a suite of online videos, freely available to all.
“How can I help and encourage the development of taiko in the UK and Europe? With the skills, knowledge, and experience that I have, what can I offer that is relevant to the needs of people today and at this point in the growth of taiko?”
This kind of thinking has guided Jonathan over the last quarter of a century, and the answers to these questions have changed as time has gone by.
In 2024-2025, Jonathan’s offering is a suite of videos called Taiko Tapas – a series of tried-and-tested workshop routines intended for people leading taiko groups or classes either in schools or in the wider community.
You can find a Taiko Tapas trailer right here.
Workshops and classes at the Taiko Centre are now offered under the umbrella of Taiko South West.
Please follow this link for information about the exciting programme of taiko opportunities available to you.
You can consult the Taiko South West Calendar here.
Kagemusha Taiko and Bullfrog Arts
Click here to read about the work we do with this amazing organisation based in Leicester.
Corporate Workshops
Jonathan Kirby, the artistic director and the company’s lead teacher, had a 10-year management career with Hewlett Packard before setting up Kagemusha Taiko. Working in USA and UK, Jonathan managed globally-distributed teams and multi-million dollar budgets for divisions of Hewlett Packard that were realigned and reorganised regularly in response to rapidly evolving market situations. When it comes to offering taiko programmes for business organisations, Jonathan’s experience and expertise gives Kagemusha Taiko a strong USP.
A taiko workshop “for fun”, can be a brilliant thing for a business team of 10-20 people to do. It can also work for larger teams subdivided into groups of that size. We normally handle sessions like this as private workshops. When managers at all levels and members of a board of directors are dealing with difficult change management issues, integrating taiko as part of an offsite / awayday programme can be hugely beneficial. There is no “one size fits all” solution here, so it’s necessary to consult with Jonathan directly on this. He welcomes approaches from HR departments and management consultants as well as personal calls from business leaders.
While every situation is different and needs to be treated differently, there are some common themes. When it comes to taiko workshops, the major benefit is one of transformation. People will do something that will surprise them, changing the way they feel about their own potential, the potential of their colleagues, and the potential of the team. The training will be utterly memorable, and the experience of it will be thoroughly absorbed. If there were a single “mantra” for the training programme, it could be written as follows:
If ordinary people believe in themselves, trust each other, and go for something wholeheartedly with genuine commitment and effort, they can achieve extraordinary results that will surprise and delight themselves and others.
To enquire about engaging Kagemusha Taiko to be part of an offsite programme like this, please contact, Jonathan Kirby personally.
