Purcussive Art

I am so privileged and honoured last spring to be taught, coached, tutored, and mentored by a top-notched North American taiko drum group, indigenous to Winnipeg, Hinode Taiko, for my Annual Principal's Reading Challenge stunt-performance (alias, Tomfoolery).

For six solid weeks, twice a week, six energetic and talented young ladies coached me how to taiko-drum, the traditional Japanese way. The pupil-teacher ratio was 1:6. Who can fail to learn with that kind of learning intensity?

I had a jolly good time learning to do two songs on stage with this august group of artists in June, 2009.

I was so particularly privileged and honoured once more when they invited me this past weekend to take part in their two-day intensive taiko workshop which looked more like taiko boot camp. This time, the pupil-teacher ratio for this two-day workshop was 1:1, with six talented teachers to six "newbies".

Taiko drumming is at once aerobic and intelligently poetic. It works on all parts of one's body, particularly those non-moving parts for those who are sedentary, like me. However, it does not stop there. Taiko, as an art form, requires focus, discipline, and a big portion of intelligence to pull through. Thus, we worked, and we worked hard for eleven hours over the two-day boot camp!

I noticed a special quality about Hinode members. They are exceptionally talented, intelligent, physically fit, rhythmically magical, and oh so caring!

Not only did the group map out the weekend's lessons, they delivered them methodically, incrementally, and most caringly with tons of personal encouragement for every participant. I wish all teachers are like that, exuding the joy of teaching with unlimited stretchability in patience and wisdom.

I am a better person by being associated with this group of artists, teachers, taiko masters, and, wonderful human beings who see gifts and talents in every person.

Thank you very much, Karleen, Margaret, Peggy, Sandi, Dana, and Zoey.

I am so honoured to dance in your shadows and drum in your echoes!

Leadership or Servanthood?

Is a true leader a servant?

Do those two concepts share identical roles and functions?

Are they synonymous?

Well, conceptually I know the answers to those questions. Practically, I yet have to prove it in my life.

When one thinks of a leader, what comes naturally to one's mind would be Sir Thomas More, Lee Iaccoca of Chrysler, John F. Kennedy, Mohandas Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, General MacArthur, John A. McDonald, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Theresa, to name just a few.

As leaders, what they had in common were their transcendent vision, their uncommon valour, their personal charisma, and their ability to influence and mobilize the hearts and minds of people around them.

There is a marked difference between secular leadership and spiritual leadership. The latter does not lead as a landslide result of a popular vote. Rather, they lead by offering themselves sacrificially to meet a dire need, having been the first to identify that need.

Mother Theresa certainly met that criterion. So did Thomas More, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The charisma that exuded from them was nothing more than the uncanny willingness and impeccable personal integrity with which they abandon themselves for the good of others whom they had come to love, be they friends, strangers, or foes.

A true leader leads by personal example by charging headlong into the discomfort zone first.

As one leadership credo declares:

"True leaders are not those who strive to be first; they are the ones who are first to strive.

True leaders are those who give their all for the success of the team (A leader is not a Lone Ranger!).

True leaders are first to see the need, envision the plan, and empower the team to take action in meeting those needs.

By the strength of the leader's commitment to success for all, the power of the team is thereby unleashed.

Therefore, leadership is not a trumpet call to self-importance; rather, it is an opportunity to quietly serve."

What a quaint credo sharply juxtaposing the "Me, Me, Me!" culture of the world!

But, that's what makes a person stand out head-and-shoulder above all others as a leader, not a wind-tossed follower.

Another one of those paradoxes that makes one re-think what truly counts in life.