Introducing the Mugen Taiko Dojo
The Mugen Taiko Dojo is the UK's first Centre for Taiko Drumming; an educational organisation dedicated to the spread and development of the art form of Taiko Drumming in the UK. The Taiko Dojo was established in 2002 by Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, who since 1994 have led the way in popularising Taiko drumming through their extensive touring & hard-hitting energetic shows.
The Dojo itself is a purpose-built space for taiko drumming, a converted farmhouse in the South Lanarkshire countryside. The word Dojo means school or place of learning in Japanese. More specifically it means "The Place of The Way", so it is a place for learning the path of the art form: the philosophy, the training of the heart and mind as well as the actual technique of how to play.
The twin goals of the Mugen Taiko Dojo teaching programme are accessibility and excellence. Weekend workshops at the Dojo are open to the public and attract participants from all over Britain and Europe. The teaching work at the Dojo ranges from introductory workshops for beginners through to intensive courses for Taiko performers, taught at the highest professional level.
The Taiko Dojo's extensive outreach programme takes Taiko drumming into the heart of communities throughout the UK through Dojo performances, educational concerts for schools and hands-on workshops for both children and adults, introducing the art-form to a wide range of new audience & participants.
At the pinnacle of the Mugen Taiko Dojo's teaching programme is their in-house training, which develops and nurtures players right through to touring professional players. The members of the Dojo training programme also perform as the Dojo Performance Team, representing the Mugen Taiko Dojo at a wide variety of events.
It is the aim of the Mugen Taiko Dojo to make Taiko accessible to everyone, set a standard of excellence, respect and preserve the ancient traditions of taiko, while at the same time develop taiko as an art-form relevant to the time and place in which we live.