Taiko Drummer Performs for ZHS Japanese Cultural Club

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Zanesville High School’s Japanese Anime & Cultural Club were the audience of a Taiko drummer in the school’s Cafetorium Friday afternoon.

“They do fundraising throughout the year and they get to choose what they want to do with the money that we earn. One of the things we wanted to do this year was to bring in a musician,” says Chris Miller, Club Advisor.

Taiko drumming was established as a performing art about fifty years ago.

“Taiko means great drum, and the accompaniment rhythms come from the sounds we hear in Japanese old society, so sounds of waves hitting the side of a boat, and the sounds of galloping horses,” says Eric Payton, Drummer.

Miller says it’s a unique opportunity for students to gain a cross-cultural perspective.