Podcasts about japanese taiko

Kate Savage, host of Art Throb, engages in a vibrant discussion with Lee Carroll and Connie Milligan, co-founders of the Greenroom Exchange. Lee, a career musician, and Connie, a social worker passionate about social change, share their work with the nonprofit organization that brings international artists to the Bluegrass. They delve into their upcoming event featuring Kodo, a renowned Japanese Taiko drumming group. With a performance at the Singletary Center, Kodo, known for transcending cultural boundaries, embodies a unique musical experience steeped in rich tradition. Lee and Connie elaborate on Greenroom Exchange's mission to foster cultural understanding and celebrate diversity through the universal language of music and art. A notable highlight includes their collaborative efforts to host artists from across the globe, further enriching Lexington's cultural landscape.For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

For the first time, Hands Percussion's professional percussionists will be performing with current students from the Little Yellow Flower Foundation and the Hands Percussion Academy (HPA), as well as former students who are now professional performers, DeafBeat. We're promised a showcase of the 24 Festive Drum in this year-end production called RhapsoD, which will explore the fluidity of rhythms on the gamelan, to reworkings of a classical Beethoven piece using the Japanese Taiko drums as a centrepiece, and more. We catch up with Bernard Goh, the Founder & Artistic Director of Hands Percussion to find out what's in store.Image Credit: Hands Percussion

Phantom Electric Ghost Interviews: Natalie Fayman: Stress Resilience, Mental Fitness, and Weight Loss Coach Recovering from Over-Giver Syndrome Biography My passion is helping exhausted, stressed-out women create healthy, confident, and energized lives, so they can look and feel like who they were truly meant to be. Whether it's weight loss, stress-resilience, self-esteem, or career burnout, I can teach proven, real-world techniques to build a more fulfilling life starting today. I'm in my mid-50's. In the last 5 years, I've lost 85 lbs, earned my 5th degree black belt, began performing onstage with a Japanese Taiko drumming group, learned to believe in myself unconditionally, and started on a totally new career path. I've completely changed my mindset, and now I teach other women to do it too. Every day is a chance to take one step closer to the life you want. When you change the way you think, you change your world. Link: https://www.nolimitscoachingnow.com/ Donate to support PEG free artist interviews: PayPalMe link Any contribution is appreciated: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/PhantomElectric?locale.x=en_US Support PEG by checking out our Sponsors: Download and use Newsly for free now from www.newsly.me or from the link in the description, and use promo code “GHOST” and receive a 1-month free premium subscription. The best tool for getting podcast guests: Podmatch.com https://podmatch.com/signup/phantomelectricghost Subscribe to our Instagram for exclusive content: https://www.instagram.com/expansive_sound_experiments/ Donate to support PEG free artist interviews: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube/phantomelectricghost --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/phantom-electric/message

Welcome to episode 37, today we are talking with Chizuko Endo who is a Japanese Taiko player in Hawaii.  We talk about the history of Taiko drumming, the health benefits and the spiritual aspects of this art.  If you want to try out Taiko for yourself or listen to a concert look out for the Scottish Taiko Festival at www.scottishtaikofestival.com 28th-30th April 2023.   You can connect with Chizuko here   Chizuko kindly donated some bonus material for the patreon...check it out! HERE You can support the podcast and get bonus materials from these wisdom keepers at Patreon: Wise Herbal Ways

After 30+ years of struggling with being overweight, depressed, and miserable in my job with no hope for the future bringing anything better, my life was profoundly changed by my first encounter with a Life Coach. I thought I was there to lose weight (and I did lose 85 pounds!), but weight loss was the least important way that my life got better. I learned to be a calmer, happier, less stressed-out human. My relationships improved. My outlook for the future shifted to one of optimism for the first time in decades. When I realized the incredible power that Life Coaching has to help people create positive change in their lives, I realized there was no better way to spend the rest of my time here on Earth. Since then, I've devoted myself to learning the skills that help people change their lives for the better. The struggles and emotional trauma that I've had in my life are no longer things I think of as “bad”. They are things that give me the perspective, drive, and experience to be able to help other people through the tough times in their lives. The obstacles I've had to overcome in my life mean nothing. The obstacles I can help people overcome in their lives mean everything. My passion is helping exhausted, stressed-out women create healthy, confident, and energized lives, so they can look and feel like who they were truly meant to be. Whether it's weight loss, stress-resilience, self-esteem, or career burnout, I can teach proven, real-world techniques to build a more fulfilling life starting today.I'm in my mid-50's. In the last 5 years, I've lost 85 lbs, earned my 5th degree black belt, began performing onstage with a Japanese Taiko drumming group, learned to believe in myself unconditionally, and started on a totally new career path. I've completely changed my mindset, and now I teach other women to do it too. Every day is a chance to take one step closer to the life you want. When you change the way you think, you change your world.www.nolimitscoachingnow.comThis is the link to my website, where users can browse a library of free videos and blog articles on various topics such as weight loss, motivation, emotional intelligence, and stress resilience.

Biography"My passion is helping exhausted, stressed-out women create healthy, confident, and energized lives, so they can look and feel like who they were truly meant to be.  Whether it's weight loss, stress-resilience, self-esteem, or career burnout, I can teach proven, real-world techniques to build a more fulfilling life starting today.I'm in my mid-50's. In the last 5 years, I've lost 85 lbs, earned my 5th degree black belt, began performing onstage with a Japanese Taiko drumming group, learned to believe in myself unconditionally, and started on a totally new career path. I've completely changed my mindset, and now I teach other women to do it too. Every day is a chance to take one step closer to the life you want. When you change the way you think, you change your world." Weight Loss | Stress Relief | Mental Fitness | Live Without Limits (nolimitscoachingnow.com)Facebook(7) Natalie Fayman | LinkedInThis is Dr. Lino Martinez the host for A Little Less Fear Podcast. For more information, please use the information below. Thanks so much for your support!Author | A Little Less FearWriters Work | Write Your Way to the Life You WantA Little LESS FEAR Podcast (@alittlelessfearpodcast) • Instagram photos and videosLino Marinez (@alittlelessfear) TikTok | Watch Lino Marinez's Newest TikTok VideosWriters Work | Write Your Way to the Life You Want

Inspired by my brother who is living and working in Japan, tune in to explore the ancient and immersive art form of Taiko Drumming!

New Zealand's only drum-dedicated festival kicks off next Friday. It'll explore percussion from many different cultures, like African drumming, Tasmanian leather string drums, and Japanese Taiko drumming.

Stress Resilience, Mental Fitness, and Weight Loss CoachMy passion is helping exhausted, stressed-out women create healthy, confident, and energized lives, so they can look and feel like who they were truly meant to be.  Whether it's weight loss, stress-resilience, self-esteem, or career burnout, I can teach proven, real-world techniques to build a more fulfilling life starting today. I'm in my mid-50's. In the last 5 years, I've lost 85 lbs, earned my 5th degree black belt, began performing onstage with a Japanese Taiko drumming group, learned to believe in myself unconditionally, and started on a totally new career path. I've completely changed my mindset, and now I teach other women to do it too. Every day is a chance to take one step closer to the life you want. When you change the way you think, you change your world.www.nolimitscoachingnow.com

Ep #127 with Kaoru Watanabe, flute player, taiko drummer and composer. Kaoru Watanabe was born and grew up in the US but after studying classical and jazz flute he got very interested in exploring his traditional Japanese culture. He has gone on to work with luminaries like Baryshnikov, Yo Yo Ma and many musicians all over the world. He was a member of Kodo, the leading Japanese Taiko ensemble in Japan and toured with them for 10 years. A Worldsoul Records production derrikjordan.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/109866072979176/videos/880526606681251 YouTube: https://youtu.be/ObevaMkgDeU Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hilljoy/ep-127-with-kaoru-watanabe-flute-player-taiko-drummer-and-composer

In this episode, I discuss with young composer and Kodo performer Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga about the strict 2-year apprenticeship training -away from civilization- to become a Kodo member, how they rehearse new compositions, how they reach such a group precision and resonance, the deep spiritual meaning of playing these giant drums and much more. Join us in this journey to traditional rituals and contemporary thoughts about ancient instruments.

In today’s episode, Mr. Henry and Mr. Fite talk with two-time Grammy-Award winning composer Christopher Tin.  Learn how he got started in music and the story behind how he wrote the theme song for Civilization IV. Be sure to leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks so much for listening! To learn more about Christopher Tin, visit his website christophertin.com Subscribe to Christopher Tin’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtA9_lHZUPRSJcFKmCxYUA Check out our YouTube channel: Remember to Share and Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdGhqK_DWpRIKS45ICqN3eQ ***Classroom and Homeschool Teachers***  Find our digital resource to help enhance your classroom HERE! Like us on Facebook!  Mr. Fite Check out original fun and educational music from Mr. Fite at  https://brucefite.com/music and subscribe to Mr. Fite’s YouTube Channel   Mr. Henry Learn music and the piano with Mr. Henry by subscribing to his YouTube channel:  Mr. Henry’s Music World Hey there Music Podcast for Kids listeners! This is Mr. Henry and we want to thank you so much for listening to the show. We absolutely love educating the world all about music and you know what's pretty cool? You can be a part of our mission as well. If you leave a review, more people can listen to the show. So, you can help us with the journey of educating the world all about music. So if you could take a moment to leave a review of the show we would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much!  Let the music begin in 3, 2, 1... Learning music, having fun. That’s what we’re gonna do. Mr. Henry, Mr. Fite, exploring along with you. Learning music, having fun. That’s what we’re gonna do. Mr. Henry, Mr. Fite love hanging out with you. The Music Podcast for Kids! Hello and welcome to The Music Podcast for Kids we're your hosts Mr. Henry and Mr. Fite - Music educators extraordinaire! The Music Podcast for Kids is a fun and educational podcast where we learn and explore the best subject ever -  music!   And now, the music joke of the day. We love jokes, so if you have a joke, please visit our website themusicpodcastforkids.com to submit your joke. And guess what? It doesn't even have to be a music joke; it can be any joke. We will read and enjoy your joke on the podcast and also let everyone know who it came from and where you are in this great big wonderful music world.  Our joke of the day is: This joke comes from Ethan, a listener of the show. Why does a golfer wear two pairs of pants? In case he gets a hole in one. This joke comes from Zenni, a listener of the show. Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide.  Make sure to send in your jokes by visiting our website themusicpodcastforkids.com a link to the website can be found in the show notes.  Thank you so much for listening. We hope you are enjoying the show so far. Please subscribe to the podcast to receive the latest episodes and leave a review through iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Also get updates on what we are up to through Facebook and Instagram by finding us at Music Podcast for Kids. Links will be found in the show notes. On to the show! Just Chattin’: Christopher Tin is a two-time Grammy-winning composer of concert and media music. His music has been performed and premiered in many of the world's most prestigious venues: Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Mr. Tin’s music can be found in video games such as Civilization and films such as Lilo and Stitch 2 and X-Men United to name a few. He also has incredible classical crossover albums which we learn more about in this interview! Be sure to visit christophertin.com for more information.  We have a very special guest with us today on The Music Podcast for Kids! Christopher Tin, thanks for being on the show! Glad to be here.  Since we are a music podcast for kids, we always like to ask our special guests how they got started with music. Can you tell us how old you were when you got started? Did you take private lessons? And where your musical journey took you through your growing up years?  I started music when I was 5. My parents enrolled me in piano lessons, and you know that's kind of like what you did right? Put your kids into music school at that age. I really enjoyed it and I found that as I got older my curiosity with other instruments sort of expanded. So I started playing trumpet maybe in third grade or something like that.  I started playing guitar in high school and bass in high school, started singing in high school. And writing music. And all these other things in high school. And it just kind of blossomed form there. So from an early age I was exposed. So you've received many awards including two Grammy Awards which is amazing but I first would like to ask you about the Guinness Book of World Records award that you received. Could you tell us more about that? That was for winning the very first Grammy award for a piece of music written for a video game. That was my song Baba Yetu which was written for the game Civilization IV. It became kind of a hit. And when I re-released it at the opening track on my debut album it won a Grammy. And the album also won a Grammy so that's what my claim to fame is. Yeah cool. So speaking of that, an album you wrote called Calling All Dawns in 2011 that won the Grammy for the best classical crossover album. First of all can you educate us about what a crossover album is and then when you were creating the album were you specifically trying to have your music cross over to another genre? Well I was absolutely trying to make my music cross over to another genre. I mean that it is essentially what a crossover album is,  it's a piece of music that brings together two different genres of music. And in this case Calling All Dawns was an album that fused various World music traditions with sort of a classical sensibility. So it was just a crossover between you know non-western folk music and classical music, hence,  classical crossover. That's great. So alongside composing music, you’re a conductor, artistic director. I’d like to learn more about your conductor director role in two different scenarios. So first, responsibilities for like a live concert and what you would tackle within a recording session with studio musicians. Would you say those scenarios have a big difference as to like what a conductor would do or is it kind of the same thing? Yeah could you elaborate on that? Well the only real similarity they share is the mechanics of conducting. You know your baton technique, where the orchestra is placed around you. But beyond that they are very different tasks. When you're conducting a concert for one thing your rehearsal time is very limited. Everyone is watching you, you're giving feedback because you're, you know, you're the person in charge of the sound that is coming at you. And then you try to figure out the balance issues as best you can on the podium. But when you're in the recording studio it’s a completely different story because a lot of times everyone's wearing headphones you know they're trying to hear each other. Sometimes there's a click track sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes you have to record the orchestra separate from the choir and in fact usually you do. you record the orchestra separate from the soloist and the choir and other special ensembles. And frankly when you're in a recording studio with an orchestra around you can't really hear everything the same way the people in the control room can hear everything.  So a lot of times your main task in that recording session is just to get an inspired performance out of performers. But it's hard to really know if that was a good take or not because frankly I can't hear everything because the way everything is baffled off, like screened off right. That's when you rely on your producer who is sitting in the control room to help tell you whether that was a good take or not. That's cool. And does  that feel different too? I imagine when you're not responding to the having all of hearing all of the sounds do you have to kind of creative almost a pseudo inspiration to you know to to keep the emotions there throughout throughout the pieces when you're in the studio or do you have enough information to go for a measure as you're conducting to to keep it real and what was the feeling that you you want to get from it? I think your thoughts are on very different things. I mean when I'm in a recording studio I know there whatever is being performed is being captured for posterity and so my mind is actually less on trying to Inspire an emotional performance and more on listening to what's coming back at me as best I can. Right? And I'm trying to decide whether this is good or not.  Whereas in performance you know that whatever they play that's it you know what to do with it is done with your moving on. So you’re actually thinking ahead in the piece a little more in performance. You’re thinking about what  is coming up and I know that this is a tricky temple change and the harp really needs to stay with me. So I need to know to look at the harpist and and and you know get a good performance out of them. So in a way in live performance I'm a little less aware of what's actually going on. My mind is sort of thinking ahead and trying to steer the performance as best I can. So we’re always really interested in the process a composer takes when getting started and working through their own process.  We spoke with Eric Whitacre a while back, a choral composer and he was telling us that he draws sketches that eventually will be represented by the music he creates. So what kind of process do you have to get started as you're piecing your music together? I think I have the complete opposite process as Eric. I have never warmed to the draw a sketch of your piece and then sort of fill-in-the-blank later. I have more of a general sense we are going to end but start and then start writing from the beginning and move forward and try to end up there. I’m really more that person because that’s how we experience music. We experience music from the start to the end right? And so if I write the first 30 seconds of a piece of music I want to be able to sit back and reflect on how those 30 seconds make me feel before I tackle the next 30 seconds and calibrate those next 30 seconds accordingly. So I’m very much a start from the beginning and more forward sort of person. And when you’re doing that are you typically at the piano kind of coming up with an arrangement on the piano and then adding orchestration to it or just straight writing it down or how do you tackle that? In recent years I've started staying on the piano as long as I can and sketching things out and then tackling the orchestration. I think that comes from a bit of a position of self confidence and experience. Because I know that as I'm sketching things out on piano I already have a sense of what the orchestration is. I don’t really feel the need to go down and notate it. I'm not going to forget what the orchestration is going to be. I also like to stay unencumbered by minuscule decisions for as long as possible. Orchestration is one of these very bogged down with like how am I going to to bow this and like is this the right notation for this. I would much rather kind of sketch a  really sloppy piano sketch out from start to finish and then go in and refine it. And in the process of refining, actually ideas get revisited and revised and you know you throw out some ideas that maybe you sketched out on piano. relaxing idea that maybe you expand certain sections you know a way to have a second pass at your material having already had the benefit of sketching everything out. Going back and saying now that I know how I’m filling in the blanks, now that I know how the whole thing is going to be laid out, how can we adjust knowing that we’re going to do this later on. So that's sort of the way I like these days. So you’ve written many pieces of music for video games. First is writing for video games something that you were always interested in like as a kid growing up like I want to write for video games? I hear kids saying that all the time. Is that something that you were looking to do? No not at all. If you asked me as a kid what I wanted to do with my life it wasn’t that. I wouldn’t want to write music for video games, it’s totally to play video games. Truth be told the video game thing sort of stumbled across my desk randomly. I went to my college reunion and I bumped into my old roommate who was now a celebrated video game designer and then we connected and just  talked about his next video game. And that next video game turned out to be Civilization 4 which I wrote the song Baba Yetu for. That was the first piece of music I ever wrote for a video game actually. It was never a lifelong dream of mine.  I love it. I love writing for games and I love the industry. I think there’s really great talented, smart people in the business. But I like doing a lot of things musical. Like recording albums. I like you know scoring films. I like conducting my music. I like teaching. I like a lot of different things. It’s never been you know I want to be a video game designer. That’s just one component of the whole thing. The piece Baba Yetu recently celebrated its 15th year anniversary. And this piece also won a Grammy in 2011 which is incredible. And to give some context to the audience Baba Yetu was the theme song for a popular game released in 2005 called civilization 4.  You were just talking about that. Could you explain the characteristics of the piece and how it translated so well to that game civilization 4? The piece itself is a bit of a crossover piece like we talked about before. It's a fusion of African Gospel vocals, Orchestra, and big cinematic percussion. And these are actually three different areas of music that I have a lot of familiarity with. In college I directed an a cappella group that specialized in African and African-American music. And then I studied composition orchestration. You know the classical way right. And then I also played Japanese Taiko in college. The giant Japanese drums that you see. That was I played in an ensemble and I typically played the largest drum. It’s the o-daiko drum that you play sideways like this. So these are things I very much know about already. I was given the chance to sort of synthesize them all into one piece for this video game. Yeah that's kind of a sound of Baba Yetu this fusion. And why it works so well for Civilization, this particular video game. Civilization is a video game about founding a civilization from the earliest days to modernity, right. And sort of this world music but classical sweep of the piece just lends itself very well to this idea of fusing cultures across history. So you recently released an oratorio about the history of flight called To Shiver the Sky. And first can you educate the audience a little bit about an oratorio? So oratorio is a  large-scale work, uses of the orchestra and voices focusing on a particular theme but no costumes and production acting that kind of stuff. Can you tell us more about To Shiver the Sky? Well, yes like you mentioned oratorio. I call it an oratorio. Oratorios typically deal with sacred subjects. I like to bend definitions a little. So Handel's Messiah for example is the most well known oratorio. It is with soloists and choir and different vocal groups. And tells the story of Aviation from the earliest days from Leonardo da Vinci sketching in his notebooks about a flying machine all the way up through Jules Verne writing fantastical stories about exploring space. To Amelia Earhart and her solo flight across the Atlantic to Yuri Gagarin being the first man launched into outer space. And finally when John F. Kennedy in 1962 said we choose to go to the moon before the end of the decade. We’re going to put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth. And in my mind that is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. The fact that we were able to pull together and say you know what we're going to do this crazy thing. We're going to put a man on the moon within 8 years and by the way we have no idea how we’re going to do this. The technology, the science had not been invented yet. We don’t know anything about this. But we’re going to do it. This is just an amazing sort of example of leadership and vision right. Beside that and the entire nation pulled together behind this visionary president and we made it happen. And it was an amazing story. And I think it's an amazing story to reflect on, especially in this world we live in now where we still have lost a bit of our confidence as a people to do the big difficult amazing things. It’s a nice reminder that you know what? We’re still those people and really do the great things. The piece is just great. I've been listening to it and just such a cool idea. I love the idea and I love how people can be educated and learn about all these different you know all these different examples of the progression of flight to of course getting to the moon so just think it's just fabulous. Well, thank you I appreciate that. So many of our listeners are kids. What advice our bit of wisdom would you share with our listeners as they explore music around them? My advice to young musicians is to stay curious about music and to foster that curiosity. And you know explore the world of music around you because as we all know there are so many different types of music genres, of music instruments that you can play, pieces that you can write, formats that you can write in. You can be a recording artist. You can write musical theater. You could score films, you could score video games, you can do anything right? It's an amazing playground in a world to live in. And the way you stay happy living in that world is to always foster this lifelong excitement about discovering and doing new things in music.  So I would say soak it all up you know like practice being a hungry musician and devouring all the music around you. You know, cultivate this curiosity. I think and that'll keep you engaged and excited about music for the rest of your life. That's great Christopher Tin, we want to thank you again for your great music and for taking time out to chat with us on the music podcast for kids and wish you all the best as you continue inspiring, entertaining and educating the music world. Thanks so much. Thank you for having me. 

Japanese Taiko drumming is not only a musical artform but also a visual and very physical one, says instructor Steve Seth, who teaches workshops at Auckland schools and holiday programmes with the group Tamashii Taiko.

n the Japanese language “Taiko” means “great Drum”, and the Japanese Taiko drums have been enthralling audiences for centuries in religious ceremonies and festivals. Epcot’s Japan Pavilion hosted the Matsuriza Drums from 1998 until 2020, the thundering sound of the great drum could be heard all around World Showcase. A stroll around World Showcase will be a little different without the drums in the background.  We learned via Social Media that the final performance after almost 25 years was March 15th, 2020.   Here is a performance from an ordinary summer day at Epcot in 2015, before the transformation.   Take a look at the “skyline” of World Showcase at the beginning, that view will change dramatically as the transformation continues. Watch the video here

Welcome to Member Voices, an NJEA Podcast.  In this episode, we welcome Bergenfield High School English and ESL teacher Joan Froehlich. Follow our Hosts Sean M. Spiller | @SpillerForNJEA Jeff Bradbury | @JeffBradbury Subscribe to Member Voices We are proud to be listed in the iTunes Directory. Please take a moment and subscribe to this show on your favorite podcast player today! Show Hosts Sean Spiller Sean Spiller, a high school science teacher in the Wayne public schools, is vice president of the New Jersey Education Association. Spiller was elected as NJEA vice president beginning Sept. 1, 2017. At NJEA, Spiller has served as chair of the Congressional Contact Committee, as a member of the Urban Education Committee and as an ethnic minority-at large representative to the Delegate Assembly. He was also a member of the National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA). Jeffrey Bradbury Jeffrey Bradbury, author of Kidblog: An Introduction to Blogging With Your Students, is the creator of TeacherCast.net, TeacherCast University, and Educational Podcasting Today, is an ASCD Emerging Leader, Google Certified Teacher, Google Education Trainer, PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator, speaker, writer, broadcaster, consultant and educational media specialist. He is currently the Coordinator for Technology Integration for the Westwood Regional School District in New Jersey.  In 2012, Jeff was recognized as one of Top 50 educators using social media at the first-ever Bammy Awards and has been nominated three times in the category of Innovator of the Year. Jeff has Keynoted for the Pearson Authentic Learning Conference, EdTechNJ and most recently at Columbia University’s Teacher College and Podcast Mid-Atlantic.

Our second episode of Season 2 continues looking at study abroad for students of color through the lens of the study abroad office at a well-known HBCU, Howard University. In this episode, MaRaina Montgomery gives us a look at the work she is doing at Howard University to prepare her students for their study abroad experiences. Our conversation covered the challenges she faces as well as her successes, a deeper look at some of her pre-departure workshops and advice for those preparing student of color for their study abroad experience. She also gives insight into the #studyabroadsoblack movement that has been named a Finalist for the 2019 GoAbroad Innovation Awards in the category of Innovation in Diversity. As a contributing thought-leader on theory and best practices within the field of International Education (IE), Maraina Montgomery’s area of focus is on the preparation and ongoing support of traditionally underrepresented students traveling abroad. She has 12-years of professional experience, domestically and abroad, as a teacher and administrator. Using a combination of in-group understanding and up-to-date theoretical standards, she works to support the holistic development of college students participating in overseas programs. Ms. Montgomery is as an active member of NAFSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, the Forum’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and on the 2019 NAFSA Local Arrangements Committee. She is committed to influencing change within the IE field that supports the increased employment and participation of culturally diverse professionals and students. Maraina has lived, studied and traveled in 24 countries and in her free time, she enjoys time outdoors with her dog, Sage, and playing the Japanese Taiko drum.

Lichia Liu is the founder and creative director of Gotamago, a stationery & gifts brand based in Toronto, Canada. A self-taught illustrator, Lichia took a detour from her urban design career in 2013 to start Gotamago when she realized that she needed more authenticity, autonomy and artistic exploration in her work.  Besides running Gotamago and being a mom, Lichia is a musician, an urban sketcher, a member of a Japanese Taiko drumming group, and a foster dog parent.   On today’s episode we’re talking about how Lichia left her day job to pursue her passion, how she involves her team in building systems to automate and streamline her business and why she thinks it is important to jump before you feel ready   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Lichia was doing before she started Gotamango & how that lead her to start her business The first time she was reached out to by a retailer who wanted to carry her line & what her reaction was When she decided to leave her full time job Where Lichia gains inspiration for her work How she makes time for designing while trying to balance the rest of Gotamago How becoming a mom has changed her routines and schedules within her business Lichia’s team & the systems she has in place that allow her to step back and prioritize her family The types of canned email responses that she has written How her team grew slowly over time Some of the challenges that she faces being a Canadian exhibitor at U.S. based shows How preparing for her second National Stationery Show is different from preparing for her first The advice she would give to someone who is just starting out in a product based business What’s coming up for Gotamago KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I was working on weekends and I thought, what am I doing? I really need to be grabbing this creative force that I have inside of me and giving it a chance.” - Lichia Liu “It's just such a different feeling when you know that strangers who don't know you at all are really liking your products, it gave me a lot of confidence.” - Lichia Liu “Everything I've done is pretty much a reflection of what I've been going through in my life.” - Lichia Liu “I was kind of a workaholic before I had my baby.” - Lichia Liu “Leading up to the baby being born, I really took time to start to systemize everything and delegate it out.” - Lichia Liu “Because I feel so much emotional attachment to my products that I'm not the best person to be dealing with things when things go wrong.” - Lichia Liu “The first lesson I learned was that when you take your stuff across the border you have to have all your forms filled. So make sure you get your forms filled.” - Lichia Liu “If I had waited until I thought it was perfect, I would have spent way more time on getting it to what I thought people wanted rather than actually making a good product that people actually will want.” - Lichia Liu LINKS: Website: http://gotamago.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/shopgotamago Instagram: http://Instagram.com/go.tamago Twitter: http://twitter.com/shopgotamago SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Having immersed himself in percussion from every part of the globe, Pete Lockett is one of the most versatile multi-percussionists in the world. He has worked with: Peter Gabriel, Jeff Beck, Björk, and Robert Plant, as well as alongside great drummers like Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, and Evelyn Glennie,to name just a few. He works globally in styles covering pop and rock, free jazz, the classical avant-guard, traditional Indian Carnatic and Hindustani music, and Japanese Taiko drumming. He has also worked extensively in the film industry, arranging and recording all the ethnic percussion for recent Hollywood hits, The Incredible Hulk 2, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale, and Die Another Day. Pete’s compositions continue to be featured on TV shows including; The Osbournes, Anthony Bourdain, and America's Got Talent. Pete has also released two books on drum techniques. www.petelockett.com Website             Newsletter         Become a Patron  

MACEO HERNANDEZ is a professional Taiko drummer whose passion for the ancient Japanese form of percussion began in the 7th grade. Despite having no rhythm or musical experience, young Maceo was determined to play Taiko, leading him on a life-changing journey to Japan and inspiring a documentary film. (51:11)       EPISODE NOTES: MACEO HERNANDEZ was in the 7th grade when he experienced an epiphany while listening to a Japanese Taiko group performing at a family friend’s wedding. MACEO: “You could really feel the impact and the vibration of these Taiko drums. And it just blew me away. I went up to them and helped them load these drums into their car. I just wanted to touch and feel these drums. I knew then I wanted to play these drums, even though I had no rhythm. I never drummed in my life. I never played an instrument. But the Taiko drum drew me to want to play it, even though I didn’t know anything about it.” Having a Mexican-American teenager dedicate himself to the ancient Japanese form of percussion made Maceo something of a curiosity to many in LA’s Japanese-American community, including documentary filmmaker John Esaki. John produced and directed a film called “Maceo: Demon Drummer From East LA.” JOHN: “Here was a young person who was not Japanese or Japanese-American and he was really so passionate about playing the Taiko drum. It just fascinated me that someone outside of the Japanese culture would have this interest. With Maceo, I always thought he was very genuine about following his interest. He found something that gave him great joy to participate in and he was going to follow that path to see where it led.” Where it led was to Japan. At the age of 15, Maceo was recruited by Ondekoza, a celebrated and highly athletic Taiko troupe that performs concerts around the world. MACEO: “One of the main things we did in Ondekoza was run. We were very famous for running a marathon and then performing Taiko afterwards. So running was a big part of our daily life. We’d wake up in the morning and we’d run. In the afternoon, we’d run again. Part of this training was to build up stamina for the shows that we would perform. One day, I was running and this truck was carrying metal pipes. They rolled off and landed on me. I woke up in the hospital after a seven-hour operation. A week later, they amputated my left leg. And there began a new journey.” The first steps of Maceo’s new journey began with long, dark nights far away from home in a Japanese hospital. He says it was difficult for him to reconcile his newly altered physical form with his intense desire to be a professional drummer. But over the next couple months, Maceo’s Taiko drum helped him find his way out of the darkness. MACEO: “It might sound strange, but I used to talk to my drum and try to have a communication with it on a different level than other members had. Hitting this drum, gave me all this energy back and gave me the will to continue on with my goals. It pretty much took over me and helped me not be sad all the time and not feel discouraged. This drum was my friend. It was my therapy.” Less than a year after his accident in Japan, Maceo Hernandez returned to the United States and ran the New York City Marathon on a prosthetic leg. Moments after crossing the finish line, fellow members of Ondekoza carried him to a nearby stage where he performed a 15-minute Taiko solo. The spectacular moment epitomized Ondekoza’s principle of Sogakuron – that running and drumming are one, and a reflection of the drama and energy of life. BP   Many thanks to the Blue Dot Sessions for the opening and closing music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "Cases for Rest" by Blue Dot Sessions - sessions.blue/sessions/ 2. "Thannoid" by Blue Dot Sessions - sessions.blue/sessions/  

The everyday empowerment of shamanic life is available to all who choose to step into direct relationship with their own helping spirits. This act of power is even more accessible to us all with Sandra Ingerman’s new book Walking in Light: The Everyday Empowerment of Shamanic Life, her new CD for journeying, “Shamanic Visioning Music” with Japanese Taiko drums, and her wildly successful new work creating virtual ceremony for personal and global healing. Author, therapist, and internationally recognized teacher of shamanism, Sandra Ingerman, continues to create excellent engaging resources and experiences for contemporary parctitioners. She joins host, Christina Pratt, this week to explore how we all can use our shamanic practices to take responsibility for living a spiritual way of life, whether being the shaman is our destiny or not.