Kyoto Tachibana 2021 Executive Students Interview: “The New KT”

---

Interview, text and pictures by Rei’ichirō Fukuno (Wikipedia)

この記事は京都橘中学校・高等学校と同高校吹奏楽部のご理解とご協力により実現しました。諸外国の方々と日本との友好親善を目的として、英文での掲載・公開を条件に、吹奏楽部の生徒のみなさん、ご家族の方々、顧問の兼城 裕先生、関係者の方々にご承諾をいただいております。その趣旨と経緯をご理解いただき、大変申し訳ありませんが、インタビュー内容などの和訳転記や写真転載などは何卒ご遠慮ください。なお英文著述の版権は本サイトではなく著者に帰属します。インタビューと原稿と写真：福野礼一郎

---

I stayed in Kyoto for a one-week period from March 15th to 22nd, 2021. My first day, I visited the shooting of the KT’s performance at Yamashiro Park Taiyogaoka Gymnasium (which has since been made available as an unlisted video on the YouTube-channel of Kansai-suiren, click here). From that afternoon, with the school’s permission, I spent the week with Kaneshiro-sensei (the KT’s Band Director and trumpet instructor), Itani-sensei (Deputy Director and clarinet instructor), and 68 brilliant members of the KT.

After obtaining the permission of Kaneshiro-sensei and the parents of the students, I conducted a survey among the members and collected 68 sets of responses. The results of this survey will be used for statistical analysis in the following post.

The readers of the “Fan Corner” of this blog seem to be mainly interested in the individual members, so this post will focus on the members of the 5 Executive Committee students leading the 2021 team. I do not write here about interviews with sensei(s) and the new marching coach, also a practicing playing an instrument or education of the KT etc.

Please understand that in view of the school’s request and my agreement with this blog, I will not be releasing any unmasked pictures of the student or identifying them by their real name or nickname (in full).

---

The New KT:

There was once I asked a KT graduate who had participated in an event more than 20 years ago if I could interview her on her memories of the event. She declined to accept the interview and explained, “I was just a first-year student at that time, and it might be a big problem if I were to talk about my memories in an interview. Our representative for that event was the DM, so please interview the DM instead.” I believe this episode attests to an inflexible hierarchy that continues to exist even after more than 20 years have passed with the KT’s society.

However, the hierarchy of the members at KT currently has become much more relaxed. First-year students no longer have to walk around with their heads down, and they are free to engage in private conversations in front of their “senpai”. Even when they are not in front of a TV crew, members in different age groups now communicate with one another with smiles on their faces.

Starting from this year, all students have been tasked with helping the first-year students with the difficult job of putting away the heavy percussion instruments, something which Chippi from the 114th class said she had done in tears. This has not only saved them from one of the traditional “tapas” but also speed up the process of packing up (which continues to be a rushed affair).

Many positive changes like these have been implemented in quick succession over the last three generations. The 118th Class, who will be leading the team in 2021, belongs to the new generation who grew up in an era of change without knowing what the “old days” are like. This is also what makes this interview valuable.

The 117th class, who had led the 2020 team as its senpai members, effectively departed KT after the Regular Concert on December 24th, 2020, and graduated from the high school on March 1st, 2021, after the official departure ceremony. The current students do not have any more classes until the end of March once the end-of-year exams are over, making it possible for them to practice all day from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM in the last several weeks of March. The 74 members of the KT following the departure of the 117th, include the 119th Class who has improved significantly after a year of practice under their belt, and the 118th, who will take over the baton as the new leaders of the team.

Specifically, the 2021 team will be led by eight members of the Executive Committee from the 118th Class. The new semester will start on April 1st, 2021, and the new first-year students (= 120th Class) will join the band. The past three months since January have been a transition period for all members of the 118th to prepare to take on their new role as the most senior members in the band. In the eyes of the new first-year students who will be joining the band, the members of the 118th are their respected senpai who will warmly welcome them to the family.

Standing in front of the members of the team as their representative is the slim, diminutive, but wonderfully talented Club President, who is assisted by her two Assistant Managers. One of the Assistant Managers also serves as a member of the Marching Composition Team. The DM is now free to concentrate on her own duties since the President and the Assistant Managers oversee the day-to-day “bukatsu” (= a phrase widely used to collectively refer to all club activities) and liaise between the sensei and members of the band. The DM’s role is to consult with the Marching Composition Team to decide on the pieces and plan the choreography for the parades and marching.

The Marching Coach is responsible for guiding the marching and writing the script (“konte” in Japanese which contains instructions on formation changes). Ever since this young and talented individual was appointed in June 2020, she has been highly popular among the KT students. Over the course of my interview with her, I was tremendously impressed by her lively experiences, confident personality, and passion for marching. Her appointment has already become widely known throughout the Wind music club society in Japan.

Currently, the band is focusing as much on practicing instruments as they are on marching. However, this does not suggest that they are moving away from marching. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In order to achieve the goal of all the members, which is to advance to the National Finals of the All-Japan Marching Contest and win the National Gold, it is absolute necessary for them to brush up on their instruments performance skills.

Therefore, the last key member of the Executive Committee is none other than the third Student Conductor appointed in the history of KT.

A project was launched in the spring of 2021 to periodically invite well-known, highly competent professional conductor to the KT’s club room to offer guidance on their instrumental music. And each instrumental section has also been assigned a professional trainer. The intense moves and practice sessions have led to a number of injuries at KT in previous years, but a professional physical trainer is now always on hand to provide injured members with the necessary care. This is the new support team of KT.

The members of the band begin their practice early in the morning, but outsiders like me are not allowed to enter the school until the sensei have arrived. As I walked down the second-floor corridor to the club room at the west end of the school at 9:30 AM, I saw that the members had started practicing individually, in pairs, or in their respective instrumental sections, in different classrooms. The members seemed to have been informed of my arrival in no time, and the Club President Sc immediately opened the door and walked in right after I had put down my luggage in the performance preparation room that leads to Kaneshiro-sensei’s room.

“Good morning sir. Is there anything I can help with?” I responded, “Thank you. I would like to interview five members of the Executive Committee today. Is there a suitable place we can do this?”

After a brief consultation with Kaneshiro-sensei, the President went to the school office to obtain permission to use a classroom. She turned on the lights, opened the windows and the doors leading to the terrace for ventilation (all of which done in the blink of an eye), and ordered the members of the Executive Committee menbers who were practicing in various places to gather in front of the classroom. She then turned to me and said, “Room 303 is now ready. I’ll show you the way.” After making our way to the classroom and setting up the video equipment, she informed me that everyone has arrived and was waiting in the hallway. What an amazing student!

---

The Club President “Sc” (Tuba):

In this “age of masks,” it is her eyes that make the biggest impression on others. Sc’s large, sparkling eyes captivate the band members, and she is able to immediately command their attention whenever she says something in her clear voice. She is a natural born leader, the band secretary, and also an idol of the members. I have no doubt that all the new first-year students will become her fans before the end of the first day.

ー　Hi. Is it all right if I refer to you by the initials of your nickname?
Sc　Sure.
ー　Can you tell us more about the duties of the President of the club?
Sc　I take care of the day-to-day bukatsu-activities, decide on the practice schedule in consultation with the teachers, and share this information with everyone.
ー　When and how did you get nominated as the manager?
Sc　I had an interview from Kaneshiro-sensei during a band retreat in August 2020 and was nominated on the joint recommendation of the teachers and members of the 117th after a discussion. (a total of 5 positions, including the two Assistant Managers, Student Conductor, and the DM are nominated at the same time following a joint discussion. The system of nominating the DM through a band-wide election among the first-year students has been abolished.)

At the end of each day’s practice, Sc leads a debrief for everyone present. Many members raise their hand during the debrief for the manager to call on them by their nickname. When a student is called on, the student stands up, says her-his instrument and full name, and shares something good as well as something that can be improved on about the day’s practice with everyone in a loud clear voice. After calling on three or four students and hearing their comments, the President wastes no time in sharing her own thoughts. There was a good variety to the students’ remarks, and the President’s feedback was persuasive as well.

ー　So while you are the manager, you also play an instrument and take part in marching practice as a member of the band?
Sc　That’s right.
ー　How long have you been playing the tuba?
Sc　Since I was a first-year high school student.
ー　You were a student at a junior high school with a strong marching tradition located near Yamashiro Park, where you performed yesterday (March 15, 2021). When did you decide that you wanted to join KT?
Sc　When I was a first-year junior high student, I saw KT’s performance at Kyoto Marching Contest (September 9, 2018, Taiyogaoka Gymnasium, click here for video). I was struck by their positive atmosphere, their smiles and their stylishness, as well as their impressive skills of playing music instruments while dancing, which made me determined to join them. I also found their orange uniform really cute, even though I do not usually wear miniskirts. Haha.
ー　You have been in the band for two years now. Has there been any particularly memorable moment?
Sc　When I was a second-year student, Nokoko-senpai (the President from the 117th) gave her farewell address at our regular concert (on December 24, 2020). She was so emotionally overwhelmed that she cried when she tried to talk about how she could not perform because of COVID-19, even though she is usually a mentally strong person who never shows any weakness.
ー　I am sure she did not mean to cry.
Sc　I am sure she did not. That’s why I was so moved by what happened.
ー　Can you tell us your favorite pieces?
Sc　My favorite seated instrumental is Alfred Reed’s “Armenian Dances”, and my favorite marching music is David Foster’s “Winter Games.”
ー　What do you like about “Winter Games”?
Sc　I like its catchy tune, as well as the sound of the original piano version. I enjoy a lot of David Foster’s music.
ー　The first-year students will be joining the band soon, and the 2021 team is about to launch its activities. What is your resolution for the 2021 team?
Sc　The world was faced with many difficult moments last year because of COVID-19, and I believe our senpais were very disappointed that the All-Japan Marching Contest was canceled. As a member of the band, I hope all of us can work together to advance to the National Finals and win Gold to fulfill the dreams of our senpais. As the President of the club, I also hope to make our bukatsu more enjoyable and a place where everyone can leave with a smile on their face. My senpais were very patient in guiding me when I was a first-year student, so I hope to welcome the new first-year students who are joining us in the same way.
ー　The 118th is the first batch of third-year students who have grown up from being first-year students under the new KT era. Everyone is excited to see what you can achieve. I hope all of you can showcase wonderful abilities.

---

Assistant Manager “Ki” (Trumpet):

(The instrument shown in the photo is not Ki’s instrument)

(At the time of this interview, there are 15 trumpet players altogether: 7 from the 118th class and 8 from the 119th class. One of the trumpet players from the 119th class has been serving as CG since January)

One of the band’s Assistant Managers is the bubbly Ki who has an innocent and playful personality. She started playing the trumpet in the fourth year of elementary school and enrolled in KT from a public junior high school in the northern part of Kyoto City, where many Wind music clubs can be found.

She told me that she was inspired with KT after watching their performance of 2018 Rose Parade on YouTube in the fall of her third year in junior high school (=2018). She became increasingly obsessed with these and watched the performance over and over again, and finally decided to enroll in KT to join. The DM when she joined was Palinpu-senpai of the 116th class, who was the bearer of the GBA flag at the 2018 Rose Parade. Ki recognized her in person immediately and was star-struck.

Ki　Rose Parade, here we come! Hehe.
ー　Have you owned a trumpet since you were a 4th-year elementary school student?
Ki　I had one that someone bought for me, but the trumpet I’m using now is a different one.
ー　Do you like having your own instrument?
Ki　Yeah, I love it. Haha. I really really treasure my instrument.
ー　Can you tell us more about what you do as the Assistant Manager?
Ki　I assist the president, and personally, I always try my best to support our members psychologically. I try to help out those who are having a hard time with practice, as well as those who have suffered an injury and have lost confidence.
ー　Do you mean you offer them advice and encouragement?
Ki　I think just being there for them can be a powerful source of emotional support.
ー　You’re right. That is really nice. Would you like to have a job like this in the future?
Ki　I want to have a job in the future that can bring smiles to the faces of people. That’s something I feel strongly about.
ー　You wrote about your memories of the Kyūshū trip in the survey. Can you tell us more about it?
Ki　Thanks to the arrangements made by Kaneshiro-sensei, we were able to go on a trip to Kyūshū in July in my first year (July 23-28, 2019) to meet the members of the Wind music bands of Seika Girls’ High School, Tamana Girls’ High School, and Kwassui High School. That experience left the deepest impression on me in my two years here.
ー　Was their music good?
Ki　Yes. Everyone was really good, and their music really resonated with my heart. Not only were their second-year and third-year students incredible, even their first-year students like us were really good. They were also remarkably wonderful people.
ー　Did you feel any sense of disappointment?
Ki　I would say that the feeling of wanting to be like them and to be able to play instruments like them was much stronger.
ー　It seems that the performance skills, attitudes, ideas, and personality of others in your school year have had a huge impact on you. That is indeed the most powerful kind of influence, isn’t it?
Ki　Definitely. Their influence on us was so powerful that our sound changed completely, and we felt our own level of performance improve dramatically.
ー　But didn’t all of you do a great job at showcasing your dance moves too?
Ki　Yes, we did. Every time our senpai dance, it is a big hit!
ー　You wrote that your favorite marching music is “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)”. I believe that the ultimate goal in everyone’s mind is to compete at the National Finals in your orange uniform, dance “Sing, Sing, Sing” and win the National Gold. However, it has not really gone to plan these past four years. Can you tell us your thoughts on this?
Ki　I also joined KT because I had hoped to wear orange and perform “Sing,” and since my ultimate target for marching is the National Finals of the All-Japan Marching Contest, I am willing to do whatever it takes to win the National Gold at the All-Japan Marching Contest. I believe that everyone is as determined as I am to do that.
ー　Well, if you don’t get through the hellish summer, you will never get to experience the fall.
Ki　Haha, that’s right! Please support us! Thank you!

---

Assistant Manager “Rn” (Percussion/drum):

The other Assistant Manager of the 2021 KT team is Rn, a drummer with a striking, expressive countenance. She also serves as a member of the Marching Composition Team. She has been playing percussion since she was a first-year student in the Wind music club of a public junior high school in the western part of Kyoto City, and she has always enjoyed watching KT’s performances on YouTube. She was determined to become a member of the band after watching KT perform live for the first time at “Brass Band of 3000” in her third year of junior high school (June 23rd, 2018, click here for video).

ー　Which aspect of KT’s performance at the 2018 Brass Band of 3000 changed your future?
Rn　It had to be the percussionists standing in a line at the back. I was surprised to see them playing in such an upbeat way. I was far away since it was a baseball stadium, but I could still see how charming they looked. Percussion is usually a simple instrument that does not stand out, but the percussionists at KT seemed to be having a great time.
ー　I heard that this was a tradition started by Chippi-san from the 114th. I have interviewed her previously.
Rn　Wow, really? I think she is the reason why percussion has been attracting more attention!
ー　You are playing drums this year, right?
Rn　Yep. If the drummer messes up, everyone goes down, so it is a huge responsibility.
ー　(Looks at the survey) You practice for 45 hours per week?! That’s 6 hours a day on average?
Rn　That was what I got when I tried doing the calculations. Haha. I also practice on my drum pads at home.
ー　Did you suffer a stress fracture at your first actual parade (Brass Expo 2019, May 12, 2019) as a member?
Rn Yes, I did. I felt something wrong with my foot midway through the performance, and it turned out to be a fracture. I had to go to school on crutches for a while.

If you watch that performance video (click here), you can see Rn on the outer side of the bass drums executing the moves and performing right until the end. However, her expressions were a little stiff after entering the field. I wonder if she was desperately trying to ignore the pain.

ー　What kind of questions did Kaneshiro-sensei ask you at the interview where you were nominated to be the Assistant Manager?
Rn　I was asked about my opinions on club activities.
ー　How did you answer?
Rn　I answered by saying that I think having a distinction between the senpais and kohais (juniors) is fine, but our bukatsu would be more enjoyable if the relationship between members could be further enhanced despite this distinction, and that would ultimately benefit our performance as well. In our case, we have always enjoyed an environment in which we could talk freely with our senpais ever since we were first-year students. But as we often have the chance to talk to adults as well, I think we should further improve our communication skills.
ー　All of you convey your thoughts really well on the spot no matter what you are asked. Your accent and grammar are also perfect, something that even adults struggle with sometimes. I think this ability will serve you well once you enter the workforce. Do you think that the daily debrief has contributed to an improvement in your communication skills?
Rn　Yes. It has been extremely helpful. I have never been good at expressing my opinions in front of others, but because we have a daily debrief, I have learned how to organize the thoughts in my head and reflect on them every day, such as the areas of improvement for the day’s practice and what needs to be done for practice on the following day. So when I am asked questions like these, I try to connect these thoughts, which allows me to express my opinions.

ー　When you were packing up at Taiyogaoka Gymnasium yesterday, you carried the drums and the timpani and stored them away in the blink of an eye. When you were first-year students, you had to do all of this in tears on your own. What are your thoughts on that?
Rn　Bukatsu will not become enjoyable unless someone makes a decision somewhere. We came together with everyone for a discussion and decided to completely overhaul everything.
ー　The goal of your team is to win the National Gold, but what is your personal goal?
Rn　I hope to become a better person.

I did not engage in any unnecessary small talk or private conversations with the KT members during the entire week when I was covering the band, except when I was asking questions about their practice sessions, club logistics, and musical instruments, and when I was conducting interviews with them. This was the rule I had set for myself when covering high school students. However, after I had given my final address to everyone on the last day of my coverage, Rn unexpectedly approached me and said, “Thank you so much for everything sir. This was the first interview I have done, and it was really fun!”. There were heartwarming words of appreciation that I had not expected to hear from a 17-year-old high school student.

---

Student Conductor “Om” (Alt Sax):

The movement of Om’s right hand when she is conducting is truly elegant, especially the way she curls her fingers in a graceful dancing motion to bring each piece to a close. The third Student Conductor since Hiramatsu-sensei founded the band back in 1962, she was given the delightful nickname like a main character of an sentai-hero anime by her senpai. Her eyes are really striking, but beneath her mask is an endearing smile.

ー　The Student Conductor is a new role. What are your duties?
Om　Music is a decisive element not only in our seated instrumental music but in our marching as well. I am responsible for directing the instrumental music and overseeing the part leaders of the various instrumental sections. Of course, I also conduct in front of the entire band.
ー　In other words, you are the leader for the band’s musical aspects?
Om　That’s right. Before a march begins, I go in front of everyone with the DM to check how well the sound is coming through.
ー　But that means you have less time to your practice. Isn’t that a challenge? You play the alto saxophone.
Om　I used to play the tenor sax for three years in junior high school and one year in high school, but I switched over to the alto sax in October of my second year here.
ー　Why saxophone?
Om　Because it is kind of a cool instrument. Hehe.
ー　I heard that the saxophone is an instrument that bridges the brass instruments and woodwind instruments, and it is difficult to make sure you are matching both sections when playing as a unit in a brass band.
Om　Oh yes, and the saxophone also attracts a lot of attention, so I have to play well.
ー　You commute to school from outside Kyoto Prefecture?
Om　Yes, it takes me one and a half hours to commute to school from home.
ー　Why did you decide to join KT in spite of that?
Om　I had always wanted to participate in the All-Japan Marching Contest since I was a junior high school student. I wanted to go to a high school where every member in the club is really serious about aiming for the All-Japan Marching Contest, and I had hoped to devote all three years of my high school life towards achieving that goal. There are many schools with strong bands around, but after watching KT’s stage drill performance of “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” at Biwako Hall (La Folle Journée de Biwako, April 29, 2017) when I was a second-year junior high school student, I wondered how much practice they had to go through to be able to put up such a wonderful performance. I cried thinking to myself, “this is definitely the only place I want to be.”

ー You took the Dame-Kin (=Dud Gold) at the Kansai competition when you were a first-year student. Were you disappointed?
Om　I was really disappointed, although the competition itself was exciting because we got to perform in front of a huge audience.
ー The senseis and coaches have mentioned that the band needs to brush up further on its instrumental skills to break through the barrier of the Kansai competition.
Om　Yes, I think they are right. Many of our members who join our school to be part of KT are motivated by the desire to perform in marching and parades because they want to wear orange and dance, and they would admit that they are indeed not as good at the instruments. But I hope that these members can come to enjoy playing instruments as well. As they improve technically, there will come a moment when their music will be in harmony with everyone else. It will be a wonderful feeling when this happens, and it will inspire them to become even better and more. I hope to take the lead in helping others feel the same way. I believe that our collective effort on this front will ultimately allow us to achieve our goal of winning the National Gold.
ー Yeah!

Om has tremendous resolve, and her conviction, determination, and passion can be felt in every word she says. Despite a grueling three-hour commute to and from school every day, she devotes 45 hours per week to bukatsu and has vowed to do whatever she can to lead everyone to the National Finals. On the other hand, Om is also kind and patient with her friends. She is someone whom I am sure others will be happy to follow wherever she goes.

---

Drum major “Rc” (Clarinet):

KT’s dance moves have captivated many fans around the world. In fact, their choreography is composed of many individual units—over 60 different moves that have been passed down by their senpai. Every move has an interesting and unusual name, and the entire marching choreography is created by combining and arranging these different moves.

One morning, I plucked up the courage to ask the DM if she could demonstrate all the moves in front of the video cam. She graciously agreed and led me to the place where she always practices (she always practicing in front of a large window that she can see clearly herself). She then perfectly executed all 60+ moves in order, one by one.

She is tall, and her moves were as stunning as a ballerina’s. This is probably inappropriate to say with respect to a high school student, but she is undoubtedly the goddess of KT. After recording all the moves in 4K video, I finally realized that this was the biggest secret of KT. There was no way I could reveal this to anyone, so I donated the edited video to KT as a training tool for the next first-year students.

ー　Hello. I have been looking forward to interviewing you. Let me begin by being a little mean and asking you a difficult question. There is currently a growing movement in the world today against gender discrimination. The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics chief was forced to step down because of his inappropriate remarks. What are your thoughts on KT’s uniform of “skirts for girls” and “pants for boys” in this era?
Rc　I had joined KT with the hope of wearing this uniform, so I would personally like to wear it. But others may feel differently, so I think it would be nice if everyone can freely decide if they want to wear skirts or pants.
ー　I see! That’s a great idea that I hadn’t thought of. In other words, if a boy feels like wearing a skirt on a certain day, he should be allowed to wear it.
Rc　Yes, that’s what I really think.
ー　That’s a perfect solution to the gender problem. I really admire it. When did you decide to join KT?
Rc　I joined a brass band when I was a first-year junior high school student (her junior high school in the city where the Garasha Festival is held every year), where I played the clarinet. When I was a first-year, I was invited to participate in a “Joint Concert” at KT’s hall (May 3, 2016, click here), and it made me fascinated with KT. I saw KT’s performance at the 66th All-Japan Band Competition (August 6, 2018, Kyoto Concert Hall) when I was a third-year junior high, which made me determined to join.
ー　So you decided to join KT after watching their seated instrumental performance?
Rc　That’s right, because I had not done any marching in junior high school.
ー　Oh I see. You were nominated as the DM in spite of that. I believe that Kaneshiro-sensei and the 117th members made a wonderful decision in this regard. (Rc might not have been nominated as the DM under the system of a band-wide election held among the first-year students since she did not have any marching experience in junior high) .
Rc　I was surprised to have been nominated, but since I was going to do it, I hope I can become a DM that would make everyone think, “I’m glad we have her as the DM.”
ー　I believe that’s what everyone already thinks! When did you decide on the slogan for this year?
Rc　The eight of us in the executive member decided on the slogan after consulting with our English teacher before our new lineup was announced and launched.
ー　It’s a really nice slogan. I also like the fact that you did not just “Fly” When will the slogan be announced?
Rc　Our plan was to announce it at the Field Art Media Mix (January 23-24, 2021), but since that event was canceled, we have not been able to announce it.
ー　The Tachibana tension hasn’t been done either?
Rc　Not yet. We were going to do it the other day (March 15, 2021), but there was not enough time.
ー　So you will be doing the first Tachibana tension at the Parades at Blumen Hügel Farm on April 26, 2021, and the slogan will also be announced then?
Rc　That’s right!
ー　Many major reforms have been taking place at KT. What are your honest thoughts on them?
Rc　I really feel that everything is changing for the better with each day of bukatsu. Members from the 118th and 119th can go home together and talk to each other not only about music and bukatsu, but also about their private lives, and I think everyone has become closer. In terms of music, we are trying to give a jazzier feel to our performance of pieces such as “Sing, Sing, Sing” so that we can raise the appeal of the musical aspect of our performance in addition to the power of our dance.

Until now, there had been little interaction between members who are one school year apart while they are enrolled as students at KT, as well as after their graduation. This is one of the reasons why no member from the 115th participated in the Japan Honor Green Band of the Rose Parade in 2020, which featured nine members from the 114th.

Rc　Last year, there was no chance for us to perform at either our Regular Concert or the Marching Contest, which left many of our senpai in tears. I hope we can carry the dreams of our senpai this year by rallying everyone from the 119th and 120th and standing on the green floor together.

---

Marching Composition Team (Kosei):
“St” (A.sax), “Mf” (Trumpet), “Mi” (CG／Oboe), DM “Rc”, Assistant Manager “Rn”

From left: “Mf”, DM “Rc”, “St”

When I arrived at the school at 9:30 AM on Saturday, March 20th, all the students were practicing their moves, a complete change from the instrumental practice on previous days. They were practicing the choreography of a new music for the parade at Blumen Hügel Farm and Brass Expo 2021 (canceled).

The choreography of the first half was already done and was sent to the respective instrumental sections by members of the Marching Composition Team (known as “kosei-gakari,” or simply “kosei” in Japanese) or the section leaders (or “part leaders” in Japanese) for further choreography training to be conducted for the other members.

The second half of the choreography was planned by a group of three of the five Kosei members, Mf (Trumpet), St (Alt Sax), and Rc (DM). This group excludes Rn (Percussion, also the assistant manager) and Mi (CG). After discussing the moves to be executed for each bar, an iPad was set up in front of the glass door to record a video of the three members standing in a line and executing the moves for several bars. The recorded video is then played back and reviewed objectively.

After I watched the process of how the choreography were planned, I noticed that the Sax player St played a leading role in the process. She is quick-witted and has many good ideas. The moves were quickly decided as the DM readily agreed with St’s suggestions. Her opinions on what should be done and what should be avoided are clear and convincing. Even when all three of them do the moves together, she hardly makes a mistake.

Clearly, the KT has more than one leader and is composed of different people with unique strengths and who contribute to the team in their own way.

The group finally decided on 30 seconds of choreography after around 30 minutes of discussion. Because the choreography for the new piece generally involved the adaptation and improvement of basic moves that were traditionally used, the final result is a choreography that, by all accounts, captured KT’s style spectacularly.

---

The MOST passionate fans of KT:

I have no doubt that every KT fan believes that they are the most passionate KT fan in the world. However, my thoughts on this matter are a little different. To prove them, I sneaked a couple of questions into my survey for the members.

The first question has to do with the time they take to commute to school. Band practice starts at 7.00 AM and ends at 7:00 PM every day, seven days a week. Of the 68 students who responded to the survey, only three indicated that they walk to school. 45 students take less than 1 hour to commute to school by train or bus from within or outside Kyoto City. Another 20 students take more than an hour to commute to school from outside Kyoto Prefecture (e.g., Osaka, Shiga, Nara, etc.), and 11 of them are from the 119th Class.

Many students had trouble answering the question “How much time do you spend practicing in total every week?” The reason is because they were unsure what counts as practice and what does not. However, that is part of the point of the question. If someone thinks that closing their eyes and imagining the performance in their head while riding the train counts as practice, then it certainly is. 28 students indicated that they spent “30 to 34 hours per week”, 16 spent “35 to 39 hours per week”, 12 spent “40 to 49 hours per week”, and 6 spent “over 50 hours per week.” One percussion player spent “70 hours per week”. This mean that this student is practicing even when her-he is asleep. Her-his drive is certainly admirable.

In aggregate, the students take an average of one and a half hours in total to commute to and from school each day to practice for an average of five and a half hours.

As for what specifically motivated them to join KT, 9 students said that it was because they had watched the TV program “Waratte Koraete!” (possibly on YouTube, considering the era their are in), 9 pointed to other YouTube videos, 5 cited the year-end Regular Concerts, 5 cited “Brass Band of 3000,” and each 3 cited Open Campus, Sakura Parade, and the joint concerts, respectively. 10 students said that they had wanted to join KT ever since they were in elementary school, and there were also 3 students whose siblings had been KT members in the past. One member’s big sister was a DM several generations ago.

63 out of 68 respondents indicated that they had enrolled in this school with the goal of joining KT’s brass band.

Many members had been deeply moved by the performances of KT at some point in the past as a member of their elementary school or junior high school who was extremely passionate about practice. Over time, this grew into a desire to be part of KT and made them determined to enroll in this high school to join KT despite the concerns of their parents, teachers, and others around them, even if it takes them over an hour to commute to and from school. What awaited them was an average of five and a half hours of intensive practice each day for three years. In other words, there is no doubt that the members of KT are the most passionate KT fans in the world.

Apart from advancing to the National Finals of the All-Japan Marching Contest and winning the National Gold, the members of KT seem to believe wholeheartedly that there is NO OTHER WAY TO PROVE to themselves and others that their decision to join KT was the right one.

About 100 young, pure, and passionate KT fans are gathered here. I would like you to think about this in the context of your own experiences in the past.

I believe that if they carry on doing this with complete freedom and burning passion, they will have a bright future ahead of them and achieve great things. Yet, the brighter they shine, the darker the shadow they will cast on the ground. This group of people with such single-mindedness knows no compromise, and for that reason, they will occasionally suffer a cruel fate. The Student Conductor Om told me that she would like to devote her heart and soul to bukatsu in these three years. This kind of state of mind, almost anything can be easily rationalized and accepted as part of “training”. But the things that the members ought to be devoting their heart and soul to are music, dance, and the performances.

To believe instead that one is contributing to KT by choosing words carefully, practicing while crying over injuries, carrying heavy instruments with just a few people, dreaming of becoming a third-year student one day, and putting up with harsh and unreasonable treatment is no different from the bad practices in the old days when power harassment was rampant in high school’s bukatsu activities.

The idea that you can fly as long as you are determined to do so simply lacks any scientific basis. Drones take off by rotating their propellers, but they need to constantly exert a downward thrust equivalent to the gravitational force to stay afloat. This is why their battery runs out so quickly. The flight control of drones is based on a delicate balance between its four axes, and it will immediately fall like a rock even if it loses one axis. If you want soar gracefully and freely in the sky, you would need the wings. This is what science tells us.

Science and theory are also important elements that back up the joy and positivity of bukatsu that have been united not only by passion, but also by friendship, trust, and reason. This is “The new KT”. The members of the new KT are genuinely convinced that this transformation is the right one, and they will be going on to demonstrate what they can achieve as a result of it.

Will you be rooting for them? Or will you criticize this change by saying that it is an outrage that would trample on tradition and weaken the team? I know that I will be rooting for everything the new KT stands for. I have written this as proof of that.

---