For hundreds of years, people in Japan have played large wooden drums called taiko (ty-koh). Today I play taiko to celebrate my Japanese American culture!
When I was 5, my family was at a Japanese market in Chicago when we saw a local taiko group performing. It was so interesting. I asked if I could take lessons.
My sensei (sehn-say), or teacher, showed me how to stand properly and hold the sticks, called bachi (bah-chee). She taught me how to hit the top and sides of the drum to make different sounds. I began memorizing different songs.