Ponderings

Next Sunday it's just me and Janet at rehearsal, and I'm supposed to come prepared with some ideas on what I want to work on. I've decided to use Sunday as a goal to work on things. No pressure or anything, but I'd like to have the curriculum for teaching the adult classes, and maybe a logo for Maze Daiko and maybe a couple pieces of a song that I've been kicking about in my head and which, at this point, are just a couple of patterns, but maybe by Sunday a couple more patterns.

We have a little bit of extra time, and it's a good opportunity to work on those things that you always mean to work on, if you had time. Last week she was encouraging me to work on my teaching skills, which I know I need to work on. Also I wanted to work on kata (form and posture and how to hold your drumsticks and how to project what you're playing). I don't regret asking to work on kata, since I need it so badly, but boy am I sore today. We worked on basic slant stand stuff and I realized how out-of-shape I am for a taiko player. But she gave us some good stuff to think about, and which I hope to incorporate into my overall playing style. She was like, Pretend like you're trying to show someone a hundred yards away the rhythms you're playing. It's kind of like trying to find the balance between totally exaggerating your movements and also playing well. It's something I need to work on still. Good things.

We had a little meeting and were talking about expectations and where we'd like to see the group go and stuff like that. When it was my turn to talk, I really didn't know what to say. Not that I didn't know what I want, but I just didn't know how to express the fact that what we're doing, or what I'm doing anyway, is exactly what I want to be doing. I mean I'm working with wonderful people on new and exciting and interesting material and I'm doing everything I've always wanted to do. True, having a clearer idea on what performances we want to do and what kind of audience we're looking for and what we envision ourselves as a group are important things, but how do you say: All the things I've ever aspired to do, I'm actually doing?