By Gabe Themar
On June 28, from 2-3 p.m., Matthew Collins and Tampa Taiko performed at the Riverview Public Library for kids and their families, totaling over 40 people in attendance. Taiko, which is the Japanese word for ‘drum,’ is an ancient form of percussion that uses large drums ranging in size from roughly the same size as a snare drum to as big as a small car. Taiko is considered a martial art just like taekwondo, Muay Thai and karate. In its early days, taiko was played both on battlefields and weddings because the powerful percussion instruments were seen as both intimidating and celebratory in ancient culture.
Tampa Taiko is a family-run business that performs and teaches the drumming style to children at various venues, including schools and libraries. Matthew, who is the son of Tampa Taiko’s founder, Ron Collins, has been practicing taiko since he was 15, when he played at the Paralounge Drum Gathering for his first taiko performance. Matthew trained under the late Sensei Osoka Compton and has been doing solo shows for 15 years.
“I remember the shows in libraries and elementary schools when I was little,” said Matthew. “Its humbling looking back and being able to be back in these spaces as a teacher now.”
Matthew began his instruction by explaining some of the history of taiko, and then he played Renshu, a typical warm-up song which includes all six of the existing musical notes. Once he finished, he invited the kids up to play the taiko drums themselves, offering a hands-on learning experience of the martial art form. This method of teaching comes naturally with the taiko style, which predates the invention of paper, so taiko songs and proper drumming form were originally passed down through stories.
Those interested in learning more about taiko drumming or would like to book Matthew for an event can contact Tampa Taiko via their website at www.tampataiko.com or call at 727-531-7999. Those interested in attending other events hosted at the Riverview Public Library or another Hillsborough County public library can find more future events at https://hcplc.org/.
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