Did you learn to ride a bike with training wheels? To read “cat” before “category?” Then you have experienced scaffolding! It’s the best way to teach ANY new skill, taiko included. If your students are struggling, it’s possible you aren’t properly scaffolding your material.
“Scaffolding” is supporting students while they build skills towards more complex capacities. For example, to learn Matsuri you need basic kuchishoka fluency, the ability to play patterns on beat, a working knowledge of basic kata, and to memorize the patterns. Teaching is most effective when you teach these skills over time, gradually stepping down support as students learn.
Good scaffolding for Matsuri would include exercises that introduce and build skill in kuchishoka (my Drills 1-2 would work, as would countless other drills in the taiko world). You should also include activities that help students learn to feel the beat; the way I teach songs organically incorporates an awareness of pulse and where beats fall. Of course you can’t forget about teaching kata, and you should definitely scaffold naname-uchi by teaching tachi-uchi first.
Scaffolding is a key factor in artful teaching. Next time you’re planning a class, take a moment to look at the basic skills required to succeed in the class and evaluate if you’ve taught those skills yet. If you haven’t, take a step back and figure out how to scaffold them. It will take you a class or two longer to get to your goal, but your students will achieve much greater mastery over the material.
Feeling stuck? I can help! I’ve been at this for nearly two decades. Drop me a line to set up a consulting session, and happy teaching!