By: Allison Ballard
Those early call times are painful for me. “Call time” is the time a person needs to be in the studio for a performance. It has to be early enough to allow for time to load the van, travel to the performance site, unload, set up and get grounded, focused and ready for a show. Call time is usually a couple hours before the actual start time. If we are performing somewhere at 9:00, we are usually standing in the studio at 7:00. Good grief.
I naturally wake up early, but I don’t usually go out into the world until 10:00 or after. I’m used to getting several hours of work done on my computer before I head out the door. It’s hard for me to move out into the morning cold. This time of year, that time of day, the car windshield is usually still frosted for goodness sake! (Which is unnerving to those of us who don’t normally emerge until the sun has warmed and melted the cold November world.)
And it’s not just me…I think it’s hard on all of the performing taiko drummers. They wait in the parking lot for me to arrive with the key that lets us in the building. I pull up and they climb out of warm cars with backpacks, water bottles, stick bags and mumbled greetings. Fort Wayne Taiko drummers are not great early-morning conversationalists. Fortunately, we don’t have much that needs to be said. We know the drill. Like a well-oiled machine, we gather equipment, load it onto the elevator and into the van. Few words are needed to execute this familiar ritual. And then we’re off to whatever new taiko adventure awaits. Usually this time of year, we are headed to a school to perform before assemblies of 300 to 500 students.
As much as we dislike those early call times, we certainly appreciate the opportunity to share our art form and expose Indiana students (and teachers!) to taiko. Most have never heard of taiko, much less seen it. Due to budget cuts, some of the schools don’t even have an established music program. And suddenly there we are. We roll in with big drums and for 45 minutes we entertain and inform with a show that also gives students hands-on opportunities to play. Sometimes we stay and teach one or more classes. We share our music and our joy. We make the work accessible. We role model. And we change lives.
After a recent middle school show, a student approached me to ask how I became a taiko drummer. We spoke briefly and as she walked away I heard her say to a friend, “I want to be a taiko drummer when I grow up!” That morning she had never heard of taiko. A few hours later, she was sculpting a vision of her future self as a drummer, as an artist, as a woman. Whether she accomplishes it or not isn’t the point; her psyche now recognizes the possibility. Mission accomplished.
As we head home, there’s animated conversation between us. We talk about our triumphs. We review our mistakes. And we celebrate. We expose approximately 5,000 students a year to taiko. And in the process, we gift ourselves with a rich sense of purpose. We recognize the privilege of doing this work. We realize we are creating a bounty of fond memories we will reflect upon as we age. I think I safely speak for our entire group when I say we are grateful. We are grateful for each other, for our instruments, for our skill, for our teachers, for FWDC and for our families, friends and donors who support us….Happy Thanksgiving from Fort Wayne Taiko!