Every year, the Kyodo directors ask their newbies to collaborate and compose a piece together. This piece should be a representation of the class as a whole, and all are to contribute. Speaking as a participant of this activity, I wholeheartedly declare that it was the best thing we could have done as a class. It brought us closer and taught us how to work together peacefully. As an observer of this activity, I must say that it is so rewarding to witness a group of new drummers work so hard together to create their masterpiece. The clip above is "Taiza," a piece written by the Kyodo Newbies of 2006-2007. The masterminds are, in no particular order, Vanessa Yee, Mimi Yang, Karen Nakasato, Keiko Harada, Dan Kao, Andrew Chen, Andrew Lin, David Okikawa, Zachary Scott and Edward Kobayashi. Enjoy!

[Kyodo Taiko at UCLA was the first collegiate taiko group to form in North America, founded under UCLA's Nikkei Student Union. Striving to live up to the group’s name, Kyodo Taiko functions as a family, sharing the joy and spirit of taiko with more and more of the surrounding community each year.]