Dounen Daiko Enthusiastically Performs at Greenspring Retirement Community

Dounen Daiko is Nen Daiko's teen taiko group. The group brought energy and cheer to the Greenspring Retirement Community with a performance and drumming session.

The performance started with Dounen Daiko singing as they walked into the room. They were singing the "kuchishoga" or spoken rhythms of the song Renshuu. Then they played the song on the taiko, playing it slower, then faster, then faster. This was the first performance for three of our members.

Next, Greenspring residents were invited to give taiko a try. Dounen Daiko members put the drums on rolling carts and brought the drums to the residents so they could play from their seats and wheelchairs, while some residents leaped at the chance to come up front and play. We played a happy base rhythm while everyone drummed and danced. The performance ended with the song Matsuri, a festive song. 

Thank you to the Greenspring residents for your attentiveness and open-mindedness to our performance. Taiko can be loud, but that didn't dissuade you at all! You seemed to enjoy the feeling of taiko as much as us! We could not ask for a more enthusiastic audience with many people tapping out the rhythms with us and getting into the groove.

Photos by Mike Gallan

Thank you to the volunteer coordination team at Greenspring for welcoming Dounen Daiko for our second performance at the community. We look forward to making music with the Greenspring residents again!

​If you are teen ages 12-18 interested in playing taiko with Dounen Daiko, be sure to follow Nen Daiko on Instagram or Facebook. The next time you could join will be September 2020 at our teen workshop. In the meantime, you can try taiko at our monthly open houses.