In our last article, Roy Hirabayashi provided a definition of leadership for us to consider. In this space, I would like to explore why leadership is important.
It is no secret that we are still in a pandemic and a majority of our taiko community continues to face challenges we have never encountered before. It has been a challenging and exhausting past two years. Yet, our community has shown resilience and perseverance, adapting to our new way of life. I am constantly reminded that taiko is more than just a drum.
In this next chapter of our art form, community leaders will be critically important to our community’s recovery and growth. Leaders will need to learn from the past to make informed decisions about the future. We will need to understand how to build a strong team, communicate effectively. And for our community to thrive, leaders will need to understand the arts industry at large to ensure our art form receives the recognition and resources it deserves. We will need to rely on one another and our networks, for we cannot possibly do this all on our own.
Roy Hirabayashi and I will be leading a TCA leadership course in 2022 where we will further explore important concepts of leadership and strengthen the existing network of leaders within the taiko community. The program will begin in April and end in October. To learn more information and apply, please visit https://taikocommunityalliance.org/leadership-apply/.
Applications are due by Saturday, February 26th at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time.
We hope you can join us on this journey. We need strong leaders like you, now more than ever. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!
Stay safe and be well out there!
Derek Oye
TCA Volunteer
Member of Kinnara Taiko
derek@taikocommunityalliance.org