This year we had the honour to be part of the St Peter’s Year 10 Activity week again and it was awesome! It never failes to amaze me the creative ways students come up with to combine different rhythms together - PLUS turn them into performance!

Well done St Peter’s Year 10 students!! We hope to see you again next year!

Kumo now offers a week night taiko class in our Mt Wellington dojo, so come down join us to hit the drums, relieve the work stress and meet some new people - there is no better way to round up the busy week with some taiko drumming!

Class schedule: 6pm - 7:30pm, every Friday night.

Location: 198 Marua Road, Mount Wellington.

Our Taiko player Jean-Francois and Melissa worked hard in the past few weeks with ASO for the Synthony Concerts in Auckland Town Hall and last night was the final performance. Taiko + orchestra + DJ + lights = one AMAZING party!! ❤️❤️❤️

Huge thanks to Synthony for having us, the conductor Peter Thomas was amazing to work with, and thanks to Ryan Youens for the amazing music arrangements!!

Synthony we hope to meet again in 2020!

Kumo turned 3 today! Time went so fast, we can hardly believe it's already 3 years!!

We would like to thank every one who supported us either through given us opportunities to perform or came to our class and allowed us to share our passion for taiko with them. And most importantly, thank you to our on-going members for their support and friendship - you guys are AWESOME!!

Kumo performed at the Tae Kwon Do National Competition today (yes same day as our Open Day! Today was a busy day...) and the venue was huge!! We had a blast playing, thank you John Matsuoka for inviting us!!

Kumo Winter Open Day! We had an hour of open drumming class and the turn out was AMAZING! Thank you all for coming and support this event, this was the busiest open day we've had so far - all drums were occupied and we had to rotate people on/off the drums! The total head count was around 35 people - amazing!

Winter is here and there’s no better way to combat the cold with some drumming followed by the hot pool!

Kumo just had our first Winter Taiko Camp down at Rotorua. We filled the Waiotapu Forest with the sound of Taiko - 33 participants from 3 different classes all came together to create one sound, AND, we got to enjoy great company in the hot pools!

Amazing experience, thank you all for coming and sharing this experience with us!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mums out there! We performed for NZ Hanoi Competition in Three Kings today - great audience and it’s so wonderful to see so many young kids passionate about Chinese culture. Amazing work Sheryl Tseng!! ❤️

The Sushi Sushi Restaurant chain from Australia just opened their New Zealand store in Botany Town Centre! We had the privilege to be part of this very exciting event - the weather was good, stuff were super friendly and their food is YUMMM~~ Thank you for having us!

New Zealand is definitely getting more and more popular in the world of taiko! We just had our 3rd taiko workshop with overseas taiko teacher this year and this time it's a teacher from Daidabo! This was the first time we had a workshop with teacher from Daidabo and it was an exciting (and tiring) 7 hours but all worth it, let's do it again next year!! Thank you Gen for your wonderful teaching and also special thanks to Heath and Nadine from Tamashii for joining us for this awesome workshop!

We had Kenji Furutate for workshop! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your song “Spring Spring Spring” with us!

Our Intermediate Class had their first public performance at the KidsCan Charity event - small venue but was packed with people!

Japan Day is held at Eden Park this year, new venue, lots of new performances - including Kenji Furutate from Japan! Kumo is collaborating with Seido Karate Club this year too and we are featured on Hana Stage!

The weather was hot but the stadium was packed with people! ❤️ Apologies to people who came to watch us perform at 3pm - they put us on earlier at 2:40pm instead, as a result many people who came on time only saw the last part of our performance.... sorry!!

Kumo performed on Sunday for the Chinese Lantern Festival at The Domain. We were blessed with lovely weather, good audience and great team work from both Auckland Seido Karate Club and our own Kumo members - well done team!!

One EPIC weekend of Miyake Workshop! 32 participants from Japan, Australia, Wellington and Auckland that took part in 10 hours of hard drumming this weekend. There were sweats and broken bachi but it didn't stop us.

Huge thanks to the Tsumura sensei - Kazu sensei and Haru sensei, thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion for Miyake with us!! Thank you to the talented Melanie for interpreting for us! Thank you to the Miyake participants that came all the way from Japan and Australia: Yuko, Mami, Noriko, Miki, Alison, Jaclyn, Masae and Ayako!! And also for the NZ taiko teams: Kumo members, Tamashii, Narukami and Taikoza; thank you for coming and supporting this event, couldn’t have done it without you guys! Washoii! ❤️

Kumo is having a Taiko Open Day on Saturday 26th January at 2:30pm to give the Aucklanders a chance to try out taiko drumming in a fun and friendly environment! We will show you some of the basic technique in playing taiko as well as teach every one a simple taiko piece. So come along to this FREE event, meet some new friends and have a jam with us!

Kumo got invited back again to participate in this “opening of the year” event 3rd year in a roll and we feel very previlleged to be part of such special event!

The energy and vibe from the Seido Karate Club was awesome and the breakfast really tops up the whole event nicely! ❤️

Thank you Auckland Seido Karate Club for having us!

First performance of 2019! Well done team, proud of you all 👍

Thank you Peter J. Russell and Archery NZ National Championships for inviting us to be part of your exciting event!!

What a crazy but wonderful 2018! Well done to every one at Kumo for your hard work through out this year!!

Looking back in 2018, we did:

Japan Day performanceLatern FestivalTaiko performances for private events and charity concertschool workshopsSpecial taiko workshop with guests from Japan and Australia2 Intro courses for new studenrsA joint concert with YuNiOnWe made lots of friends and had lots of happy faces

It has been a good year!!

Kumo took part in the Activity Week at St Peter's College and what a wonderful experience!

3 full on days, 6 taiko workshops, 12 hours of drumming, 180 students that shared our passion and drummed their hearts out - a truly awesome experience!

Thank you St Peter's for having us!!

This year Kumo had two Intro to Taiko Course, each runs 5 weeks long and the response has been amazing! I really enjoyed the enthusiasm the participants had and how hard they worked!!

Very proud of the team and keep an eye out for our young drummers!

We had a wonderful concert last night with YuNiOn and YuNiOn Kids. Well done team!!

Thank you to every one who came and huge thanks to our special guests, looking forward to have you back next year!!

We performed at Western Springs College’s Charity Concert this weekend.

The concert featured many young talented musicians from the school and we had the opportunity to show case our young performer James Gracewood - good job on the performance!!

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and support from the audience and stuff, thank you Western Springs College for having us!

Auckland Hanzi Competition is back! This year Kumo had the privilege to perform for the final round of Hanzi Competition which was held at Flicking Convention Center, Mt Albert. It was great to see so many young kids and their family taking a serious interest in learning the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy!

Special thanks to Sheryl Tseng for organizing the event - we really admire your passion for Chinese cultural and your support for Kumo!

Time flies when you are having so much fun! Before we know it Kumo is now 2 years old!

Thank you to all the old-friends for your continues support and also to the new-friends that we now have - we are very grateful that taiko gave us the opportunity to meet each one of you!!

La Zeppa is a chic, contemporary bar featuring a Mediterranean tapas menu, a lantern-lit patio & weekend DJs. To celebrate the mid-winter here in New Zealand, La Zeppa created their own "Asian Night Market" - the last weekend in July where the restaurant was theme and there were "street vendors" set up inside the restaurant to give the feeling of a night market.

We were lucky to be invited as their special act and Kumo send a small team to support this event. Great atmosphere, wonderful food and super friendly stuff - what a great night!! And we got to wear kimono while playing taiko!! Loved it!!

5 week taiko course from Saturday 21st April to 19th May

If you have always wanted to try taiko playing but missed our Intro to Taiko Course last year, here is your chance to have a go!

This 5 week Introduction to Taiko is designed for people who have had little or no previous taiko experience. The classes will teach the fundamentals of playing taiko such as basic striking technique, stance and movement as well as build awareness of ensemble playing skills. Each class is 90 min long and run once a week (Saturdays, 12noon to 1:30pm).

The course runs for 5 weeks from Saturday 21st April to Saturday 19th May 2018. The length of the course is designed to give people enough time to learn the bases of playing taiko, have an authentic taiko experience while meet some new people and make new friends. If the participants wish to continue taiko after the 5 week course they will be given the invitation to join our Level One class - which runs on Saturdays 1:30pm to 3pm.

Fee: $100 for the whole course (5 weeks, paid at the start of the term)

Time: Saturdays 12noon to 1:30pm

Address: 25 Taylors Road, Morningside, Auckland

For all enquires and class registration please email us at: kumotaiko@gmail.com

If you missed Kumo's performance at Japan Day, there is still a chance to catch us in action! Kumo is performing for the Auckland Lantern Festival this coming Sunday (4th March) at 5:50pm. We will be sharing the spotlight with Auckland Seido Karate Club on the Martial Arts Stage. Hopefully the weather will be good on the day - fingers crossed!!

This performance will feature both our Beginner class and Advanced class - for some of them it will be their first public performance, so come show your support and say hi!

Japan Day is here!!

Kumo will be doing a joined performance with Auckland Seido Karate inside The Cloud this coming Sunday at 3:30pm.

Come enjoy the sound of taiko and watch some awesome stick fight by Kyoshi Mark!!

Bring your friends and family for a fun day out, come say hi to us on Sunday 3:30pm!

Happy new year every one!

Team Kumo kick started 2018 with an early performance for Auckland Seido Karate Club. Special thanks to Baneen for leading the team while I’m away and thank you every one who took part in this ❤️

8am start is tough (the team got there 7:30am for setup) but it's all worth it - and we got yummy breakkie and coffee after!! What a great way to get in the spirit of taiko and ready to take on another exciting year!

2017 is now in the final countdown! Thank you to all our students and friends for your support. We are having a Celebration Performance Day on Saturday 16th December, at 3:45pm, where all our students will present what they have been working on this year with us. This is a FREE event open to everyone. We just want to share our passion for taiko with our friends and family and any one who might be interested in taiko. So come along and join us on Saturday 16th December for some drumming and meet some fun people on the team!

Date: Saturday 16th December

Time: 3:45pm

Location: Kumo Dojo (25 Taylors Road, Morningside, Auckland)

Kumo has just finished our taiko workshops at St Peter’s College.

3 busy days, 12 hours of Taiko, 140 students = we rocked up a storm!

It was very exciting to share our passion for drumming with the Yr 10 students and to watch their group improvisation was a treat!!

Thank you St Peter’s College for having us!!

Come and experience a fun and soulful music journey through the sound of Japanese Taiko drums. Featuring special taiko artist YuNiOn - an unique duo that has mastered the art of blending Western percussion with the powerful sound of taiko. The concert will also feature local taiko teams: Tamashii Taiko Drummers and Kumo Taiko to showcase a variety of styles.

Time: Sunday 1st October 2017. Door open 5:45pm, show starts 6pm

Location: 13 Reeves Road, Pakuranga

Cost: $15 per adult; $10 per child

Seating is limited so book your tickets now!

Email: kumotaiko@gmail.com for more information.

Kumo turned 1 yr old today!

Woo~hoo~ we just want to say a quick thank you to all the friends that supports us - couldn't have done it without you!!

The first Miyake Taiko workshop in New Zealand was a huge success!

What an AMAZING weekend! We were so lucky to have Akio Tsumura and Hidenori Tsumura coming to NZ to share their knowledge and wisdom with us. The 10 hours of Miyake almost felt too short! There are still so much more to learn!!

And thank you to all the NZ taiko friends from Tamashii, Haere Mai, Narukami and Taikoza for coming to share and support this event! And special thanks to Yuko, Mami, Noriko, Manabu and Ayako for coming from Japan and Australia!!!

Huge thank you to Melanie Taylor for an amazing job interpreting the workshop through out the weekend! Your knowledge of the language and the insight of the art of taiko playing is definitely one of the key elements that made this workshop successful!

Let's do this again!!

Jane is on TV talking about Taiko!! Thanks to TV28 host Ling Ling Liang for giving me the chance to share my passion about taiko drumming. Appologies to our non-Chinese speaking friends as the whole interview was done in Mandarin. During the interview I got to talk about how it was Tao's taiko performance inspired me to pick up taiko drumming and I love the fact that playing taiko involves the whole body as well as keeping the mind sharp! But the most important part for me is that taiko gave me a sense of belonging - when you are playing taiko you are part of a team that supports each other, life a family!

You can see the full interview here:

Kumo had the previlige to perform for Hanzi Competition that was held in Epsom Primary last Saturday. The event aimed to promote Chinese Calligraphy in New Zealand and it was great to see lots of young kids (both Asian and Kiwi) taking an interest in the event!

And check out our new performance outfit!!

Taiko artist Kenji Furutate was visiting NZ and Kumo was lucky enough to have a 2 hour workshop with him. We worked on techniques in playing upright (odaiko) drumming. Sore arms but happy faces, thank you Kenji!!

Japan Day is one of Auckland's biggest event promoting Japanese culture, food, entertainment, art....etc. It's the one stop for everything Japan related. This year Kumo was invited by the Auckland Seido Karate Club to present a collaborated performance combining Karate and Taiko and it was AWESOME!!

The Auckland Seido Karate Club demonstrated some kata then Kumo rocked it up with some taiko which lead to Kyoshi Mark's stick kata demonstration. Overall was a very exciting event and we drew huge crowd during the performance!

Oh and Jean-Francois broke one bachi during his Miyake solo...... was an exciting moment for the audience..

Kumo Taiko was invited to the first Auckland Drum Fest on Saturday 18th February. It was great to see so many talented drummers and drum enthusiasts under one roof! The team played hard, well done!

It was an early start (8am on Saturday morning!) but it was all worth it. Thank you Auckland Seido Karate Morningside dojo for inviting us to perform for your Kagami Biraki (breaking the mirror) - this is a special event Auckland Seido Karate Club do every year to start their new year. The ceremony started with a formal speech from the Kyoshi Patrick, to explain the meaning of Kagami Biraki and set encouraging goals for the members. Then we (Kumo Taiko) and Auckland Tsugaru Shamisen both performed a few items to show case the power of taiko and the beauty of shamisen playing. The best part was the breakfast after - with freshly made coffee and icecream!

It was a great event, good energy, yummy food - fantastic start to 2017!!

Kumo Taiko is honored to present workshops by the famed Tsumura family from the Miyake Island. The Tsumura family, led by father Akio Tsumura, is credited with preserving and teaching Miyake style to many taiko groups around the world, including the iconic Japanese performing arts ensemble Kodo. It is through Kodo’s international concerts and tours, Miyake has become a hugely popular piece imitated by taiko groups across the globe. The members of the Tsumura family have devoted themselves to share the enormous depths of their cherished tradition to the world through workshops and performances and we are thrilled to host the first ever Miyake workshop in New Zealand!

The two day Miyake workshop will take place in Auckland, from Saturday 1st July 2017 to Sunday 2nd July 2017. Participants will learn the fundamentals of playing Miyake (including striking technique, stance and rhythm) as well as having the rare opportunity to learn Kiyari (the traditional Japanese ceremonial song).

Date: Saturday 1st July - Sunday 2nd July

For more information please email: kumotaiko@gmail.com

Here's a promo video for Tsumura family concert featuring members of Kodo as guests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oXhtXfrEOU Here's an English website with great information about the traditions:

Studio Takumi hosted the "Mini-Shime Workshop" today and it was a success!

We all had a go stretching out our own cow-hide, sewing it onto the steel ring, then tension the drum with ropes... it was a lot of hard work but look at the happy faces in the end!

Have you ever wondered about how a taiko drum is made? Here is your chance to go behind the scene and learn the art of making taiko drum!

Studio Takumi is hosting a "Mini Shime Workshop" on Sunday 13th November at 1pm.

The workshop will provide a hands-on experience for making small taiko drum - from stretching and stitching a real cow hide to assemble your drum with the correct rope tension.

All materials are supplied and you get to take home your own handmade mini shime taiko! Workshop fee is $120 (including all material costs) and places are limited. So get in qucik and book your place!

Date: Sunday 13th November 2016

Time: 1pm start (please allow 3 hours to complete your shime)

Cost: $120 (includes all materials PLUS you get to take home your very own shime!)

For all workshop enquires and bookings, please email Studio Takumi on: "jeffvognin@gmail.com"

Thank you to all those lovely people that came to our Intro to Taiko Course, it was really awesome meeting you all!

We are having a special one hour taiko demo/workshop this Saturday where you will get to see a variety of different taiko playing style and you'll get to have a go playing taiko too!! And the best part is it's FREE!!

So bring a friend (or two) and come try out taiko on Saturday 1st October at 1.30pm.