Bonenkai, like many other events this year, looked a little different.
Preparation for Bonenkai saw me spending lots of time (too much time!) at my computer editing video. There were 2 video projects specifically for Bonenkai:
Composition Project. At the end of the Fall 2020 semester, all the taiko students participated in a composition project. The entire piece was composed over Google Meet, including the rhythms, movement, and a dance! We drew inspiration from a word association exercise about the things in life that bring us joy (dance, baking, gardening, running, working, etc). None of the students could see what the piece looked like in its entirety prior to Bonenkai, so it was exciting to see what the final project looked like! It was really interesting to see everyone's individual contributions (including a puppet look-alike!). Here is the a link to the final video.
Taiko Name That Tune! I converted nine Christmas songs into taiko form, and put together a video to see how many songs people could identify just by listening to the rhythms. It was a really fun project, and interesting to see how many songs were identified. How many can you name? Name That Tune
After putting together swag bags full of Christmas treats, a cookie decorating kit, reindeer antlers, and a poinsetta plant, my family and I went on a Christmas delivery parade to deliver a bag to each student.
It was an evening of games, cookie decorating, chatting with each other, and learning about each other's Christmas or holiday traditions. As much as I would have loved to gather in person, this was a nice alternative, and I'm really glad that we were able to accommodate the current restrictions and still have a good time!
