How to build a Minyo music community outside of Japan

General
#1

Hi,

Does anyone have any strategies to build a Minyo community locally?

Facebook group?
Hosting monthly meetup.com events?
Contacting Japanese community groups and asking for interested people?
Finding relevant multicultural organisations and asking for suggestions?

After coming back from japan a 3rd time, I have really enjoyed immersing myself in Minyo music/live performance culture and when I come back it’s tricky to access the same style of music. Though I know there are a handful of musicians in the city where I live, Tsugaru shamisen, Taiko, Shinobue and Shakuhachi. (Hard to find Minyo singers of the common songs we know though).

I’m sure there are people I don’t know that would be interested/have experience though maybe it’s hard to find them.

I think the goal is to build a performance group, share skills, improve and work on songs together, make connections and enjoy the energy and fun of Minyo.

(Then build an Asakusa Oiwake performance restaurant haha)

Thanks for any advice.

#2

Hello!
Maybe you can create a forum. I think someone will discover it around the web. When I started choosing members for the wapop project, I just search on the web

#3

Thanks Sakura, that’s an interesting idea, people use google to find things they are interested in so maybe creating a dedicated website and creating a forum on the website to build initial connections is the way to go.

#4

Do you know: I found my best friend on Google!!!

#5

We are a minyo dance troupe with no musicians. We are in Sacramento but maybe we could find common ground. We know a lot of popular dances such as Aizu Bandaisan, Yagibushi, Hanagasa Ondo, and Soran Bushi.

#6

Wow! Fantastic! And do you dance with a background track?

#7

Yes, we use cd’s. We used to have a few shamisen players and singers but some got too old, some went away to college! We are Sakura Minyo Doo Koo Kai. Our website is old and needs work but here it is…

#8

I recommend going to local communities that are already interested in japanese culture. Search for Origami, martial arts, Ikebana, Tea ceremony… Among those people you might find people that are also interested in Min’yo. I founded a Shamisen group in Berlin in this manner. Just one or two people from other organisations and afterwards being visible at events and festivals in japanese context.

I think a web presence is usefull but not the key to forming a group. People sometimes don’t even know that something you offer is a thing they are interested in. So be active and search for them. It’s worth it! :smiley: That I can promise.

#9

Thanks Martina, a very inspiring post to hear that you have already made it happen through this method.

A few of those things I have seen at our annual Japanese summer festivals, I am sure there are people with some interest/ability with Minyo also.

“people sometimes don’t even know that something you offer is a thing they are interested in.” Same as when I was in Japan and I found Minyo performances, makes sense too. Thanks very much.

#10

Martina, I’m searching through Japanese cultural associations for a shigin shihan, but the majority of associations are interested in ikebana, Japanese Language, origami, and don’t even know this Amazing world as traditional Japanese music… so, I’m really in troubles also with a project I want to start in 2017 regarding new way to experiment with traditional Japanese instruments, not playing Japanese traditional music
Some Japanese cultural associations, regarding my experience, are very small and, sometimes, they don’t have Japanese members
Also, it will seem strange because I’m only a 15 years old teen!!!

#11

But I have to say I found a koto player who lives in Japan through the case and the web. Now we are more than friends and I talk to her every Sunday

© 2020 Kyle Abbott