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、校長先生、顧問の兼城 裕先生など学校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、記事内容の全文和訳転記や写真転載は何卒ご遠慮ください。またGoogle、DeepLなどの翻訳ソフトを使った自動翻訳文は意味やニュアンスが原文とは大きく異なることがあるため、自動翻訳文の内容に関しては著述責任の範囲外とします。英文著述の版権は著者に帰属します。インタビューと原稿と写真：福野礼一郎
生徒さんのニックネームについて：
生徒さんたちのニックネームは、入部のときに彼らが先輩につけてもらったもので、譲り受けたユニフォームや練習着と同様、部員さんはそれを誇りにし、大切になさっています。ある幹部は私にこう言いました。「私たちは私たちのニックネームで呼んでいただくのはぜんぜんOKです」 彼らのその気持ちをくんで、彼らの了解を得た上、このインタビューの中では彼らを彼らのニックネームで呼ぶことにしました。またニックネームの由来と日本語表記も併記しました。ファンのみなさまにおかれましては、生徒さんたちに対する敬意と愛情を持って、適切に彼らのニックネームを扱っていただきたいと願っています。
Part 2 of this interview is here and Part 3 here.
About this interview:
The weekend when they were awarded the Gold at the National Marching Contest hosted by the AJBA (All Japan Band Association), I went to Kyoto on November 27, 2021 for three days and interviewed 5 core members from the winning team, the marching composition team (known as “kosei-kakari”) and the part leaders of the 118th Class, and three executive of 119th, for a total of 21 interviews with the victors. The selection of whom to interview was chosen by the members themselves. I also obtained the consent of Kaneshiro-sensei and the guardians to conduct a questionnaire, obtaining responses from 30 members of the 118th Class, 30 of the 119th, and 27 of the 120th, for a total of 87 respondents. I used the results of this questionnaire to inform the interviews featured herein.
兼城 裕先生 Kaneshiro-sensei:
Yutaka Kaneshiro -sensei firmly declined an interview, saying, “The ones who won the National Gold after days of hard work are the students. You should try to talk to as many of the students as possible Fukuno-san, not me.” There is a certain “virtue of humility” in Japan. It is considered a mark of character to not needlessly spread around details about one’s achievements. I personally love this Japanese mentality. Among Japanese people, those with superior skill, abilities, and achievements, who are widely respected by those around them, tend to faithfully uphold this virtue. I respected his choice and decided not to interview him.
井谷一美先生 Itani-sensei:
Kazumi Itani -sensei, who is Kaneshiro-sensei’s right hand as Deputy Adviser to the club, is also a professional clarinet player who was educated at a conservatory. While serving as a music teacher at several junior high schools and high schools, she has actively engaged in her professional career hosting and taking part in solo concerts. She is a talented person, with a rich sense of humor, and loved by everyone. Yet she always looks at me dead-on with a smile and says to me: “I hate interviews 😝”. There is not much left for me to say to that.
島 奈央コーチ Shima-coach:
Nanaho Shima -coach is a graduate of the KT 111th Class and is responsible for percussion. She studied in the U.S. with funds she earned and saved herself, participated in DCI for 2 years, and went on to acquire DCI instructor qualifications, teaching students in the United States for 1 year. She then returned to Japan in the spring of 2020 and became a freelance marching coach. Her extensive experience as a former instructor on the front lines drew acclaim, and she received numerous requests from each school for her coaching. Today, she offers coaching on marching to the wind music clubs of 16 junior and high schools, among them KT. This year, KT made it to the Nationals and took the Gold, and her own alma mater, a junior high, obtained the Silver at the Nationals. In just two years’ time, she amply demonstrated her abilities as a marching coach. However, as a believer in that selfsame virtue of humility, she stated that she was “still too inexperienced to be worth interviewing.”
I personally adore these three leaders of KT. All three of them are young, talented, and live a fulfilling daily life through their challenging work, so they have no embittered feelings about anyone or anything. I have never heard them speak ill of others.
Not only are they top-flight instructors, but they are also first-class in terms of their humanity. Nevertheless, they will be at KT next year and the year after that, so there will be plenty more opportunities to interview them. However, there are only three months left for the 118th Class students, and once they graduate, they will quickly become adults. I knew this was my one and only chance to get their unvarnished feedback as high schoolers. Per Kaneshiro-sensei’s request, I used all of the time allotted to me to interview the students.
About their nicknames:
The students’ nicknames are given to them by senior classmates they look up to, so they are proud of them and cherish them. One of the key members told me this: “It may be rude to say this, but I would rather you call us by our nicknames, rather than the pet names given to us by our fans, or the abbreviations of those pet names.” Respecting their opinion, I opted to contradict the conventions set by the orangedevilsfan and call everyone by their nicknames. The origin of the nicknames and the Japanese notation are also listed. I hope that fans will, out of respect and affection for the members, use their nicknames. The foremost question is not what to call them. The critical point here is respecting their dignity and right to privacy.
A recollection by a KT member who participated in the Nationals:
The moment the performance was over, a feeling of elation that I could not properly express overcame me. Going through practice dozens or hundreds of times, and receiving stern feedback from Kaneshiro-sensei, Itani-sensei, Shima-coach, the Student Conductor, and DM, the team’s performance and marching finally crystallized in a moment of perfection. As I waved to them and left the venue, I knew that the members likely felt the same way as me. “We did it. we really did it!”
“GOLD, Kin-sho!”
The students of the junior high and high schools that participated in the National Marching Contest were all alike at that moment: they shut their eyes tight, linked arms with their friends, extending their hands forward and sinking their heads deep in a solemn bow as they awaited the results. Seated grouped by musical part, they fervently hoped together, as if to express that the stronger they wished for it, the more their dreams would come true. Finally, it was their turn in the announcement. “#11, Kyoto Tachibana High School,” Everyone froze up in a moment of tension. Su-chi clutched the portrait of the late Hiramatsu-sensei close to her. “Gold, Kin-sho!” (screams and cheers)
The members threw their hands up into the sky and high-fived each other, hugging their comrades with whom they had come so far together. The trophy, bedecked in a red and white ribbon, was presented by Kaneshiro-sensei to the Club President. This was followed by applause, cheers, and more applause. When a bouquet of 120 yellow roses appeared and was presented to the DM, a cry of amazement went up from the students. That feeling of having “made it” was also true for the several dozen members who had been unable to attend the contest but who gave their all in a support capacity. The team won the Nationals for the first time in six years, taking the Kin-sho, the long-held aspiration of their senior classmates and a dream they shared.
Photo: Google
Let’s turn back the clock by one day prior to this event. After the performance on the green floor was over, still dressed in uniform, they climbed the granite stairs on the south side of the entrance of Ōsaka-jō Hall, which are styled after the masonry ramparts of an ancient Japanese castle. They congregated in a triangular plaza that juts out like a horn toward the Neyagawa River. Kaneshiro-sensei and Shima-coach welcomed the 92 participating and supporting members for a commemorative photograph. Following the traditions of the club, there was also a shoot only for the 118th Class. The commemorative photograph on their Instagram page announcing their win of the National Gold, actually dates prior to the announcement of that. On the contrary, the performances of the other participating schools in the second half were still ongoing inside the hall, and the results of the judges had not even been tabulated yet. The trophy that Kaneshiro-sensei holds in that photograph is the one given to all participating schools to commemorate their participation in the Nationals, so it is not a proof of a Gold win. Moreover, in view of COVID-19, the award ceremony was not conducted in the hall.
After the photo shoot, the whole team changed into their school uniforms and went their separate ways. Many of them went straight back home, but a few spent time with their friends. Club President Su-chi, DM Racho, Vice Presidents Rany and Kiropy, and Student Conductor Omder decided to gather at a member’s home to chat about how their performance went and wait for the results, slated to come out at “around 1915 hours”
At 7:15pm, everyone accessed the AJBA site en masse, using their smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Yet the results had not gone live yet. They kept reloading, refreshing. People started trying to reload the page every 5 seconds, and AJBA’s web site started freezing up. At the venue, they had stated that the results would be “announced on the AJBA web site and the Asahi Shinbun web site,” so they abandoned the AJBA site and started accessing the Asahi Shinbun’s site. I believe it was around 7:42pm when the Asahi Shinbun posted the results. I, too, scrutinized the article and read it over three times to make sure I was reading it correctly. At 7:47pm, I sent a text message to Kaneshiro-sensei, saying, “You did it, sensei! Congratulations!”
It was just after that time that Su-chi called Kaneshiro-sensei on behalf of the five leaders. Next up was a call from Shima-coach, who was overjoyed. This up-and-coming freelance marching band coach who had just turned 25 had suffered constant criticism. Not wanting to inconvenience anyone with that burden, she had kept it bottled up inside. What kept her going was the core members of the club, seven years her junior, who knew about her struggle. They told her in tears, “Our members all believe in you. We’ll go where you go.” The students’ hearts are pure like glass; they tackle everything with all their might, so they are keenly able to understand the goings-on in the adult world without preconceptions. Overcome by gratitude for the students, Shima-coach fought back tears and was unable to find the words to speak. All of the members were choked with tears of delight by the news of the National Gold, and contacted each other near and far. That excitement didn’t subside even when it came time to go to bed.
The next day, Monday the 22nd, classes were held as usual in the morning. At 3:45pm, as classes ended, the members gathered in the music room at the west end of the school building to share their excitement with their peers. And Kaneshiro-sensei made an unexpected proposal: “Let’s host our own award ceremony!”
Everyone sat on the floor of the classroom and waited expectantly for the results. Kaneshiro-sensei loudly declared, “#11, Kyoto Tachibana High School, Gold kin-sho!” The students let out a cheer, letting out a surge of joy after having gone through so much together. Ordinarily, the proof of that “Kin-sho” would be a “Hyo-sho-jyo” (a paper certificate) with a gleaming golden medal affixed, but it hadn’t arrived at the school yet. In its stead, a yellow bouquet of flowers was used.
120 yellow roses honoring their National Gold. This gift from the Unofficial Fan Blog that has visitors from 144 countries around the world (I actually sent it on behalf of everyone). The KT members each took home a rose.
Atmosphere:
At 3:45pm on November 27, 2021, precisely as classes came to a close, I arrived at the school office and found one student wearing the KT practice outfit in black with a white stripe. She greeted me with a hello. The visitors must first obtain permission to enter the school at the office located at the visitor entrance. If permission is obtained, the visitor fills in a visitation log, obtains a tag, drapes it around their neck, changes into slippers, and enters the school. If a student comes to pick the visitor up, the procedure goes more smoothly. I soon received permission to enter the school, and I changed into the athletic shoes I had brought from Tokyo and went inside.
“Hello, I’m a sophomore, and I’m the omotenashi-kakari (Hospitality Officer). Looking forward to working with you!” “Hi! how did you know I’d be here at 3:45pm?” “Kaneshiro-sensei told me.” “But I might have been late.” “Had that been the case, I’d gladly have waited as long as necessary.” This frank and open-hearted female student greeted me with effusive warmth and graciously served me black coffee on several occasions. I was overwhelmed by her kindness. As we approached the territory of the Wind Music Club at the west end of the school, the members of KT could be seen in uniform, hastily working to prepare for the upcoming practice. As I entered, everyone bowed their heads and welcomed me with a smiling “Kon-nichi-wa!”
Heading to Kaneshiro-sensei’s office and announcing that I had arrived, the three general affairs members (Club President Su-chi, Vice Presidents Kiropy and Rany) and Student Conductor Omder appeared. Following them were the 10 executive members who will lead the next year 119th team, the Club President, VPs, DM, the Student Conductor, and the 5 marching composition team), introducing themselves one by one. For some reason, I was being warmly welcomed. It seemed something had happened.
During my weeklong stay in March (click here for the report of that visit), I had been unable to truly open up with them. One reason is because I had not intended to do so. Thinking it was inappropriate to engage in idle banter and personal talk with the high school students, I kept some distance from them. Outside of interviewing, most of my time was spent filming them (ultimately, the school did not authorize publication of the 20 hours worth of footage of their practices). I must have seemed a little creepy, sliding into the classroom like a gust of air and silently shooting my footage. As I kept my distance, the students quickly picked up on it, and they gave me space. I guess that is how things tend to work. I wrote in the last interview that the only person who openly approached me was Rany, the VP.
The atmosphere within KT was also still a bit awkward in March. The main reason for that was that a 3rd year student had left. Try to visualize this for yourself. Suppose you join a club on April 1st as a freshman, and there is a senpai(s) there with a whole host of skills. That person gives you your very own nickname, and they are a lofty ideal you look up to. Soon after, days of intense practice begin. You get to know that senpai better, and they praise your efforts, which gets you even more motivated to devote yourself to practice. You have your first live performance, and you continue to grow by leaps and bounds, and you find yourself growing closer to this senpai. Yet eight months later, in late December, the senpai leaves after a regular concert. The following year, with a new team in place, the sophomores take the reins in leading the practices. Would you be able to come to terms with this sudden turn of events, 100%? In April, when the new freshmen join, the new 1st year students and 3rd years develop strong bonds, and you, as a 2nd years, suddenly find yourself lost at sea. It’s safe to say that that year as a sophomore can be one of solitude. That’s why typically, in the bukatsu in Japan, alumni tend to have closer to ties to those two years apart from them, rather than one.
Yet the whole atmosphere seemed different this time right from the jump. The team had all come together as one, smiling and cheerful. As I passed each of the freshmen, they politely greeted me. Having arrived in the same state of mind as last time, what helped put me at ease was the students. Thanks to them, I was able to openly converse with them. Despite their at times naive, almost child-like sensibilities, they exhibited a remarkable intelligence, judgment, intellect, and knowledge of music and performance that left me thoroughly impressed. Each time I spoke to them, I realized anew how important it was to respect their intellect and ability.
Club President Su-chi (すーち):
Instrument in charge: tuba/sousaphone
Origin of the nickname: Suzu Hirose (Japanese actress)+fruit+ichigo (strawberries)
Position at the Beppu Parade: left side of the front row of the sousaphone
― Congratulations on winning Gold at Nationals!
Su-chi Thank you very much!
― Your dream came true.
Su-chi That’s right!
― I heard that the 5 leaders got together to wait for the results, and when you saw them you immediately called Kaneshiro-sensei. Is that right?
Su-chi Yes, it’s true. But when I called, we were already crying and sobbing, so sensei laughed at me saying, “I can’t understand what you’re saying!”
― This Gold medal is big in many ways. You’ve caused a lot of change in KT over the past year.
Su-chi We thought that simply keeping with tradition wouldn’t be enough to win National Gold in the marching contest, so we kept changing what we thought we should, and we all tried to actively implement the changes.
― You made a proposal to Kaneshiro-sensei to change your uniform for the marching contest to one with slacks. Your sensei(s) and Shima-coach were surprised!
Suchi We thought that slacks with lines would actually make our marching performance stand out more clearly and look cleaner, so we discussed it amongst ourselves and were all on board for the proposal.
― Watching the Seika Girls’ perform, their marching does indeed look very uniform. However, in the end Kaneshiro-sensei was against it.
Su-chi Yes. After consulting with our sensei, we decided that tradition is still important and we were not yet ready to make that change.
― You all wanted to wear that orange uniform when you entered school, right? But you were even willing to give that up in order to win. That’s some amazing reasoning. And your team also decided at one point not to perform “Sing3”. Isn’t that right?
Su-chi Yes. We decided that if the steps threw off our performance even a little causing us to lose points, then it wasn’t worth performing it during the marching contest. We would have many other opportunities to show off “Sing3” at stage marching events. However, Suzuki-sensei (renowned composer 鈴木英史 Eiji Suzuki -sensei, who composed the fanfare for the marching contest program and selected and arranged the performance pieces at Kaneshiro-sensei’s request) said, “Including it will bring everything together.” That’s why we decided to include it at the end.
― It seems that rather than feeling that you “left in” some of “Sing3”, you feel that you “included” some of it. After the fanfare, Suzuki-sensei used “Hands Across the Sea” as the first piece. You had already practice it quite a bit while seated, and when you began practicing for the marching contest, you used it as a tentative practice piece for the required “perimeter” element. However, including a ballad as the second piece was quite something. When your program was announced, an overseas fan from France named Alan-san saying “”El día que me quieras” is an very nice selection.” However, Suzuki-sensei had a difficult time with the arrangement, and you didn’t receive the finished scores until 1 week before Kyoto.
Su-chi We had a marching contest training camp on August, which is when we received the fanfare.😀
― Shima-coach found it quite amusing, saying “It’s the first time I’ve ever made a conte without any songs.”
The word “conte”, said to have originated from Pierre Conté, a French dancer and choreographer, is used in professional filmmaking circles in Japan to refer to a storyboard. However, it is also used to refer to the program for structuring formations of marching bands. Leading schools that win the Gold at the Nationals may pay vast sums to professional conte choreographers responsible for the marching revues conducted by the JSDF, police, firefighters, and adult groups. At KT, however, there has traditionally been a marching composition team of five people with whom the marching coach collaborates.
Su-chi In Kyoto, it was clear that we hadn’t practiced enough. At our rehearsal right before the competition, everyone’s sound was scattered, and it was really pretty bad. We somehow managed to pull it off during the competition though. In any case, after Kyoto we started practicing in earnest.
― You had 11 days until Kansai. How did you practice?
Su-chi We started over, thoroughly working on the fundamentals of the musical performance.
― Not marching practice, the musical performance?
Su-chi When we started marching, our music would suffer a little. So we thought that if we really trained our musical performance, then we could actually concentrate on the marching.
― That’s very logical.
Su-chi When you listen to the music objectively, you realized that you can’t hear the sound of a certain instrumental part in some places, or the volume of that part is too quiet. Each part finds their own weaknesses and focuses on improving those; otherwise the overall musical performance won’t improve no matter how much we practice.
― That’s exactly right. As a result, you finally made it through the Kansai competition.
Su-chi While our chance appeared due to the withdrawal of one of the strong schools, it also applied pressure on us. That’s why, when we made it through Kansai, everyone was secretly crying with relief and happiness.
― Secretly?
Su-chi We had decided that we weren’t going to cry until we won Gold at Nationals.
― You then had about 2 months until Nationals. Did you continue to polish your musical performance?
Su-chi Yes. We focused on our tonguing and chords. We thoroughly practiced the fundamentals. Before Kansai, we hadn’t practiced much in the gymnasium (few gymnasia allow practice due to noise issues; rental fees can pile up), but once
we made it through to Nationals we were able to rent out a gym a few times for practice. But even in a gym, if we weren’t happy with our musical performance, we would pause our marching practice and focus on the music (e.g., scene of Kaneshiro-sensei’s strict coaching televised on Kansai TV).
― By the way Su-chi, you were from Uji Junior high school, right? You were in the Wind Music Club.
Su-chi Yes, sir. I’ve been playing tuba since my first year of junior high.
― That means that you went to the National Marching contest three years in a row. And you took Gold in your first and third years, didn’t you?
Su-chi Yes. This was my fourth time at Ōsaka-Jō Hall.
― Your senpai from the 117th chose a National Gold medalist as 118th captain… I can feel the hopes and dreams they passed on to you.
Su-chi Satis and Mafy from kosei-kakari, Piron on horn, and Hai-ne on trombone ― the 5 of us were together for the three years of junior high school and we all went to Ōsaka-Jō Hall.
― So you had already experienced the acoustics of Ōsaka-Jō Hall several times before.
Photo: Google
At Ōsaka-Jō Hall, where the Nationals are held, the tip of the stands protruding into the arena is kept small, and sound absorbing material are used on the ceilings and stairs, with about 9,000 seats on the 2nd and 3rd floors being upholstered. This is considered to produce the ideal acoustic characteristics, with a reverberation or sound decay that lasts 1.45 seconds. However, when one is accustomed to practicing in a gymnasium or other place with poor acoustics, playing at the Ōsaka-Jō Hall can create a sort of cognitive dissonance, where you feel like the sounds are getting “swallowed up” or that you can only hear your own sounds, and not the other performers. This phenomenon is known as one of the “evil challenges” that await first-time participants at the Nationals.
Su-chi I had experience of performing in Ōsaka-Jō Hall, but it had been three years before and my memories were faint. We were able to practice in the hall two days before the competition, and all of us were able to feel the acoustics at that time.
― How did you plan to deal with that?
Su-chi The sound did not reflect back → we blew harder than usual → our performance did not have its usual balance; that’s what we discovered. So we agreed our meeting the day before the competition that we would play as usual.
― Did you practice at school on the morning of the competition?
Su-chi The competition started after 2pm, so we gathered at school in the morning and practiced. We were in really good shape on that Sunday morning.
― ….you were in good shape.
Su-chi In stark contrast to Kyoto, our sound was crisp and clean and we sounded really good.
― So you were all confident when you went to Ōsaka-Jō.
Su-chi That’s right. We really felt like we could do it, so we were excited.
― That must have been the result of your hard practice. Your decision to polish your musical performance in order to win the marching contest must have been the right one. On the video I saw all of you quietly doing Tachibana tension as the side of the hall before your performance, but unlike previous Nationals I didn’t see anyone crying. All the third-years were smiling from ear to ear.
Su-chi Well, if you cry before the competition you won’t be able to play.😀
ー You’re right.
Su-chi Kaneshiro-sensei told us to “release our tension and relax.” I led everyone in some deep breathing too.
― How was the competition?
Su-chi Of all the hundreds of times we’d done it, it really was the best performance. When it ended, I was so happy I wanted to laugh and yell. Members who don’t usually show much emotion were beaming. Everyone was saying “that was great”, “that was fun”, or “we left it all out there”.
― So did you think you’d taken Gold?
Su-chi Well, we hadn’t seen the other schools perform yet, and even if we felt we’d done a good job, we couldn’t know how the judges would evaluate us.
Photo: Ōsaka-Jō Hall
― I watched each school’s performance online that afternoon, and Takanawadai, Takigawa Daini, Kwassui, Narashino, and Kashiwa were very good; so I was little nervous. But your performance was truly the best. The sound was clear, and you had a wonderful grandeur and dignity. You brought beauty to life. As soon as it ended, I texted Suzuki-sensei, who also praised you, saying “Tachibana was great! It was their best performance!” Particularly, your low notes sounded much better than Kansai.
Su-chi Really? (her tuba/sousaphone is the instrument which leads the low notes)
― Even watching online, I could hear the rich low notes filling and resounding throughout the hall. Also, in “Hands Across the Sea” I could clearly hear the sounds of each different instrument.
Su-chi I’m so happy. We changed a lot in preparation for the contest, but we didn’t know if it would turn out well. After winning the Gold, it’s given us a lot of confidence.
― It’s hard to believe that this wonderful dream team which has finally come together will lose a third of its members in 3 months’ time. Also, I was deeply impressed by your exceptional leadership and secretarial skills. After graduating from university, why not come back to the school?
Su-chi I haven’t made any clear decisions about my future, but I intend to go to a four-year university to study Japanese.
― To become a teacher?
Su-chi That is one option I’m considering. It would be nice to become a wind music club advisor. The other members and I have also talked about staying in touch and creating an ensemble. I play the tuba though, so I wouldn’t have an instrument to play.😀
― You could be the manager. I think you’d be the best manager!
Su-chi I’ll go get Drum Major!
Su-chi in an interview with Kansai TV
Drum Major Ra-cho(らちょ):
Instrument in charge: clarinet
Origin of the nickname: omurice (fried rice wrapped with omelette)+chocolate
Position at the Beppu Parade: place of the DM
― Your performance and acting in the marching contest was quite amazing! The conte, the performance, and the formation changes were all perfect, but was moved me most from an artistic perspective was your mace twirling. Your dance during the Company Front (everyone goes bells up and walks in a single horizontal file) in “El día que me quieras” was truly wonderful. Shima-coach even said “I almost cry when they get to that part.”
Ra-cho Thank you! I felt that the Company Front was the biggest showpiece of our performance, so I did my best. I’m very happy.
― When I first saw it at Kyoto, my breath was taken away by how fresh and wonderful the performance was, but afterward there was a bit of a slip and my heart almost stopped.
Ra-cho Yes, I dropped the mace.
― No matter how much you practice, that sort of thing can happen once in 10,000 times. I thought, “Good thing this happened at Kyoto.” But you must have been disappointed.
Ra-cho I learned the fundamentals of mace from the coach immediately after we switched to our new structure in January, and I continued practicing since then, but actually…
― You learned mace twirling from Adachi-coach, right? (足立沙也子 Sayako Adachi -san, graduate of KT and professional marching coach. During Nationals she was wearing a long black coat, and in a fan video of your practice in the baseball field before the competition, she can be seen instructing you and the CG in the back, as well as chatting with the coaches from other schools.) Is she a strict sensei?
Ra-cho No, she’s a very kind.
― Sorry, I interrupted you. You practiced since January, but actually?
Ra-cho The arrangement was set somewhat late, so the baton performance and choreography weren’t set until one week before Kyoto.
― What?
Ra-cho At Kyoto, I had only practiced the company front performance for one week.
― Wow. If you’d only practiced for one week…then dropping the mace couldn’t be helped, could it.
Ra-cho …… (gives a small, almost imperceptible nod)
― But hearing that is a relief. When you dropped the mace I wondered how sad you must be feeling, and my heart ached. I exchanged messages with overseas fans about it too. So you didn’t feel too down about it.
Ra-cho Just the opposite; I was able to practice harder than ever, so it was for the best.
― After practicing for only one week leading up to Kyoto, what did you practice for the performance during the two months before Nationals?
Ra-cho I was focused on watching the entire band’s movements, but for my own performance I added a few skills.
― For which parts?
Ra-cho At the end of the first song, I walk toward the front then turn back to give the stop signal. At Kyoto and Kansai I simply walked forward, but I added some performance there.
― (Plays the videos and compares) You’re right. At Nationals you’re twirling the mace here.
Ra-cho The technique is simple, but matching the timing to the music was pretty difficult.
― At Nationals, your salute was longer and even more impressive. Some of the overseas fans have military or military band experience, and some of them said your salute was good.
Ra-cho Thank you.
ー I was worried that you would bump into the sousaphone!
Ra-cho We couldn’t match up well there (number of steps and position).
― I was little nervous to watching during Kyoto, but Nationals it seemed more comfortable of that part.
Ra-cho The performance during Company Front was quite difficult, walking straight while dancing, mace twirling, and looking backwards. I practiced it many times.
― By the way, when you were younger, did you do classic ballet or something?
Ra-cho No, I didn’t.
― When I came in March (see the report of that visit here), you performed each of KT’s 50 types of choreography step in the courtyard for me to record on video. When I saw your movements and the beauty of your poses, I thought “This person has had training in ballet or dance.” I thought your skills blossomed during your Company Front performance, and if you have no ballet or dance experience then it was truly amazing. I don’t think it’s normal for someone to be able to learn that and master it in one week. In any case, that kind of artistic expression is an element that KT marching hasn’t had before.
Ra-cho We’re able to do many new things that we couldn’t before. Until now, “Sing3” was our grand finale, and everything else was simply a preamble leading up to it. But this time, the ballad was actually the highlight of the program. It’s all thanks to Suzuki-sensei selecting our songs.
― Suzuki-sensei helped create the foundation of a completely new contest program. And it was highly praised right away. The rumour in the wind music world is that you didn’t get all A’s at the Nationals but you were in the top half of the Gold, and the judges’ critiques were very good. If you stay on this track and polish it even more, I’m sure you’ll get good scores.
Ra-cho Yes!
― When I interviewed you in March, you said: “After being DM for a year, I want everyone to be glad that I’m their DM.” I’m sure that all your fans around the world are thinking “I’m glad she’s the DM!”
Ra-cho I’m honored.
― In many years, junior high school students have been captivated by the steps of “Sing3” and joined KT. But I think that many students will join after being enchanted by the elegance and beauty of that ballad. And many kids will want to become DM too.
Ra-cho That would be wonderful.
― This year, the regular concert schedule has been changed to the end of March, extending the third-year students’ retirement by three months. In the past, they would retire from bukatsu in December, and, even though they were still in school, they would not participate in practices or performances from January until March.
Ra-cho I think that the traditional of changing to a new system in January was a good way to prepare for the arrival of the first years. However, if the third year students are still at the school, it would be better for all three grades to do everything they can to finish. That would lead to a smooth transition to the new system in April. So we all consulted with Kaneshiro-sensei to have the regular performance schedule and retirement extended to the end of March.
― I see. So the students were involved in the decision.
Ra-cho That’s right. Also, other schools’ wind music clubs normally have regular performances until the end of March, when they have their retirement and graduation.
― If the 118th Class is going to stay active until the end of March, then you’ll be able to participate in the two concerts this year as a clarinet player, as well as the Kansai Stage Marching and Kyoto Sakura Parade in the new year. Can I ask about your plans after graduation?
Ra-cho I’m going to a 4-year university.
― Not Tachibana University?
Ra-cho Another university. I haven’t decided what I want to do after university, but I had always thought I would quit marching after high school. However, after practicing hard for the marching contest this summer, I’ve changed my mind.
― You want to continue marching?
Ra-cho Yes. Or rather, the mace. I worked so hard to acquire that skill, it would be nice to pass it on to my junior (ko-hai) at KT.
― That’s wonderful. I’m sure the next DM wants you to teach them your mace performance skills. Do you know what it would mean for you to pass on the mace twirling skills you learned to your ko-hai? It would mean creating a new tradition within KT.
Ra-cho Yes!
― I’ll be cheering for you from the bottom of my heart.
Ra-cho Thank you so much!
On November 27 and 28, 2021, a total of about 200 instruments, both pupil owned and school-owned, were inspected by Yuri Gakki. Technician Mishima-san inspected them in detail.
Vice President Kiropy(きろピー):
Instrument in charge: trumpet
Origin of the nickname: ki-iro (yellow)+Snoopy
Position at the Beppu Parade: left side of the last row of trumpets
― Kiropy, you don’t like the summer, but you made it through a summer of hell and took Gold at Nationals. Congratulations.
Kiropy Thank you very much! haha.
― I heard that you read my interview article on an overseas website (click here for this article)?
Kiropy Oh, yeah! Su-chi, Rany and I used translation software to translate the whole page and read it!
― In the autumn of your third year of junior high school (2018), you saw KT’s performance at Rose Parade on YouTube, and you were inspired to join by the orange uniforms and “Sing3”. But at the same time, your goal was the marching contest, as you said in your interview with me in March: “I’ll do whatever it takes to win National Gold.” As the VP, you’ve made a lot of improvements to the club’s activities over the last eight months. I think we can say that winning Gold was a crowning achievement of your efforts.
Kiropy When I stood in Ōsaka-Jō Hall, I felt an upwelling of deep emotion I’d never felt before, and I was very excited. The audience was bigger than I expected, but I felt I was able to do my best as a member of the trumpet part, which was good.
― In June of your first year, you went to Kōbe to work with Takigawa Daini SHS, and in July you went on a field trip to Kyūshū to intermingle with better marching contest schools: Seika Girls, Tamana Girls, and Kwassui High. You said that you were particularly impressed by Seika. Were those interactions with the schools behind your proposal to perform at the marching contest in uniforms with slacks and your ideas for significantly changing your past program?
Kiropy I hadn’t really thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, that may have been the case. We were impressed by their performance techniques, practice methods, and their attitude towards club activities of them. I thought, “I want to be like that.”
― You recently reunited with the members of Seika for the first time in two years in Beppu, where you re-established and deepened your friendships.
Kiropy Yes! The members of each instrumental part met with their counterparts, introduced themselves, exchanged uniforms, and took pictures; it was incredibly fun.
― At Nationals your performances were right after one another, and you both took Gold. Wonderful.
Kiropy I was so happy for Seika-san when they took Gold.
― I’d like to hear more about your Beppu trip.
Kiropy Haha, it was all so much fun!
― Because of COVID, you weren’t able to go to your training session in Hawai’i (or Okinawa) during your second year, and of course you couldn’t travel with your family either. Was this your first trip?
Kiropy We had two training camps: the Japan band competition (seated performance) training camp and the marching contest training camp.
― You also did a Japan band competition training camp? Where did you go, and when?
Kiropy Band competition training camp was in Nara, where we were put up in a pretty nice hotel and practiced at the nearby hall. I think it was around July. Also, for the marching contest training camp we stayed in Nantan City (the administrative division in an area called Tanba, northwest of Kyoto) and practiced at a nearby gymnasium. I think it was around mid-August.
― You don’t remember them well?
Kiropy So many things happened this year, so my memory is hazy and I can’t remember exactly when it was. Also, we did a sympathy call at a senior home.
― When was that?
Kiropy I think it was after Blumen Hügel and before Daigo-meets…
Interestingly, most of the members interviewed were unable to answer on the spot exactly when the two training camps were held. When I asked about the performances and events held this year, everyone seemed to take on a distant look, as if recalling something from five years ago. The pace of daily progress is fast and there is lots to do each day, so time seems to march more slowly for them. The events of this summer already seemed like ancient history to them. Those memories will be most vivid to them not now, but likely when they become adults and look back on them fondly.
― I heard that you also stayed at a very nice hotel in Beppu?
Kiropy Oh yes. We stayed in a beautiful hotel. We got to use the onsen too.
― We’ll keep the hotel name secret due to security concerns for next year. Beppu City covered all the lodging and food costs for your trip, so I expected you’d have a hellish 8.5-hour bus ride, but in fact you went by shin-kansen, didn’t you. The shin-kansen fare for 100 people is really quite a lot. Did you all ride together in one train car?
Kiropy The day before, we loaded our instruments on a truck, which brought them there by road. We gathered at Kyoto Station in the morning and entered as a group. When we got on the train, we were sitting together with regular passengers, so we all rode quietly. (The shin-kansen from Kyoto Station to Kokura Station in Kyūshū takes 2 hours and 27 minutes; from there to Beppu Station takes a further 1 hour and 10 minutes by JR Kyūshū express train.)
― And on the same day as your arrival you immediately performed at the hall in the afternoon.
Kiropy Yes. A seated performance and stage marching. For the stage marching we split into Team A and Team B and performed separately. Also, we did the entire 6 minutes of our marching contest program. The second and third years did “Winter Games”, while everyone did “Sing3” together.
― The members changed quite a bit depending on the performance.
Kiropy Some third years weren’t able to join practice because they were taken entrance exams and our practice time was limited, so we split into two teams to use our practice time efficiently and prepare two stages at the same time. Of course, we did the marching contest performance with all 81 selected members.
― Did you all decide the program together?
Kiropy Kosei-kakari and Shima-coach decided it after consulting each other.
― The next morning, you got up and had a costume competition right away. Kaneshiro-sensei was laughing about it because you all seemed more focused on preparing your costumes than on your performance.
Kiropy That might be true. haha.
― Apparently, most of what you packed in your large travel suitcases was costumes.
Kiropy The event committee (two members from the 118th Class, two from the 119th, and one from the 120th) decided on doing a costume competition one week beforehand, so we all rushed to prepare. We got really into it. (The third year members of the event committee are a trumpet from the front right row and a Color Guard member from the front row.)
― I thought only those who appeared on Instagram had dressed up, but all 92 people who went on the trip dressed up. Only those who won prizes were posted on Instagram.
Kiropy Everyone dressed up. The three of us in the general affairs (Club President and two VPs) won a prize for our costumes from Disney movie “Frozen“.
― Did you make your costumes?
Kiropy No, we didn’t have enough time so we bought them😅
― In any case, it’s amazing that you had a costume party, ate lunch, and then changed into your uniforms for a parade. Your audience would not imagine in their wildest dreams that you had a costume competition in the morning.
Kiropy We thought about doing the parade in costume too!
― I should have realized that when I saw the pictures of the costume competition on Instagram. By the way, during the parade you had quite a lot of support staff (club members who support the band by walking alongside and giving them water, etc., without playing an instrument).
Kiropy Several of the third year students who were taking entrance exams focused their practicing on the marching contest and retired the parade practice. Those members donned the orange and participated in the parade as support staff. (The members wearing black training uniform are administrative members of KT who do not normally perform but produce sheet music and manage instruments.)
― It’s been one week since you won Gold at Nationals, but you’ve already flipped a switch and are practicing hard for your concerts in Toyooka and Nagoya. Just now, Kaneshiro-sensei was quite irate, saying “You’re not playing well because you
don’t practice at home!” Even though you’re a distinguished member who snatched the National Gold.
Kiropy Yes. But if we can’t perform up to that level, then the Gold means nothing.
― You’re absolutely right. All I can say is “Best of luck”.
Kiropy Thank you very much.
Vice President Rany (らニー):
Instrument in charge: percussion
Origin of the nickname: karaage (Japanese style fried chicken)+Johnny’s (Japanese talent)
Position at the Beppu Parade: snare drum on percussion
Rany I’m so happy that we won Gold and I get to be interviewed by you again, Fukuno-san (see the earlier interview here).
― Rany, you’re the only one who is considerate even towards the interviewer😂 I’d like to hear your thoughts and impressions of the National Marching Contest.
Rany After we made it past Kansai (September 23, 2021) unscathed and secured our spot at Nationals, we had our very first parade of the year at Blumen Hügel, and then we went to Beppu. Of course, that whole time we were practicing for the marching contest, but about two weeks before Nationals we didn’t seem to be growing as a band anymore. Things that we were able to do before, such as the accuracy of our pitch (used among Japanese wind music clubs, this term refers to the “absolute height of sound”) and rhythm, we couldn’t do anymore for some reason. I think one reason may have been that we had become too accustomed to performing, in a bad way.
― With 80-90 people, it must be pretty difficult to find the reason when things aren’t going well.
Rany Yes. You wonder, “We were able to do it before, why can’t we do it now?” But that time, the normally strict Kaneshiro-sensei would encourage us, said “that’s okay,” “that one was good!” which helped us quickly recover our spirits. Our performance soon improved and we were able to get out of our slump.
― In other words you were in a mental plateau. Perhaps everyone just wanted to have someone praise their performance once.
Rany Yeah, that may be true. The mental aspect is very important when it comes to a group performance.
― You’re a very put-together person, so I’m going to play hardball here. There are some people who have a negative impression of the improvement you’ve made to your bukatsu. Among those involved in wind music, there are even adults who are spreading negative opinions. Even among your fans there are those who say that less weight is being put on “Sing3” and that you are throwing away tradition in an effort to score points. Seeing your stage marching in Beppu, some fans even came to the unjust suspicion that the changing numbers of performers for each performance and the large number of support staff during the parade were the bad results of an overly strict auditioning process. The common characteristic among these people is that they all believe that both KT’s past performance and results as well as its undesirable changes are the result of the guidance of your sensei and coach. In other words, they think that you are still children and you listen to anything your instructors say. That’s why they are saying that “the instructors are wonderful” or “those poor students”. However, having heard what each of you has to say, you are no one’s puppets. You are at times wiser than the adults, and you see things clearly, even seeing through to the truth behind matters. You think for yourselves, decide for yourselves, and act for yourselves. Your sensei and coach raise their voices to provide strict instruction on professional aspects, such as your performance and technique, only; no one is saying “do this” or “do that” without consulting you first, are they? Normally, you get along well like family in any case.
Rany Yes, sir!
― How do you deal emotionally with all those opinions surrounding you?
Rany I think some of our long-time fans may say that they prefer the KT of the past. But we also idolized the steps and uniforms of KT when we were in elementary school or junior high, watching them perform. That’s why we joined, so we certainly don’t want to deny tradition. But if we don’t make changes then we can’t move forward, and we just have to silently bear any criticism we receive for that and prove ourselves by getting results. In terms of the conte of the marching contest, traditionally KT has performed the standard element of perimeter (marching in a square) by splitting half and marching. When done like that, even though we try our best it’s not very effective, and we were worried that it actually looks like it’s lacking in overall cohesion. That’s why we changed to a formation where we all march together, just like other schools. We combined a Company Front with a ballad music, which we had never done, and made it our showpiece, moving “Sing3” to the finale. Our senpai may say that all of those are “breaking tradition”, but I think that we were able to create a six-minute program which our audience could enjoy from the first song to the third.
― Yes.
Rany I heard that some of our senpai who saw our program had very strong reactions, saying “what on earth are you trying to do?” and “are you trying to ruin KT?” But we believed that it was the right decision, and we all worked on this program together. And we were able to show a good result, so I’m very happy.
― I watched the performances of all 25 schools, and I was once more surprised by how high the level at Nationals is. At the same time, I felt that your popularity has had a significant influence on marching bands all across Japan. There were many bands which used their voices, danced, wore colorful uniforms, and had showy performances all meant to catch the eye. Among all of them, your marching program actually seemed very nice approach. Your uniforms were the same as usual, but you seemed very dignified and elegant. In a word, you had grace.
Rany I’m so happy to hear you say that!
― Those who said your performance was less exciting than before were only comparing your past and current performances, but they may not have been closely watching the current performances of other schools. I think that if you had performed your usual program at Nationals this year, you would probably have been lost among the showy performances of the other schools. The other schools, who followed after KT’s trend of dancing and singing, are probably thinking “they beat us!” right about now.
Rany I want to tell my ko-hai who are going after us: “You must go to Nationals again and prove once more that the improvements we made were correct please. Do your best, and don’t worry about criticism.”
― What are your plans after graduation?
Rany I’m going to a technical school so I can become someone who works behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
― I see. That’s why you were so considerate towards me. While it must be fun to dance in the spotlight, it’s also fun to make people dance behind the scenes.😀 By the way, one of your senpai works as an assistant director at a TV production company in Tokyo. Did you know that?
Rany I didn’t know that. Which class were him/her in?
― She were in the 108th Color Guard. She also went to the 2012 Rose Parade. I’m sure you’ll be a famous director.
Rany I’ll do my best.
Student conductor Omder (オムダー):
Instrument in charge: alto saxophone
Origin of the nickname: omurice (omelette with rice)+cider (Japanese non-alcoholic soda)
Position at the Beppu Parade: right of the fifth row
When I visited for an interview in March (see that interview here), Higashimura-san of Yuri Gakki was coincidentally at the school to deliver a Yamaha Harmony Director (HD-300), and I spent quite some time shooting footage of Kaneshiro-sensei and Itani-sensei setting it up. When I got back home and viewed the footage, I saw Omder in the background, who had just gotten back from practice. Omder had a saxophone draped from the neck and a look of, “What are they all up to?” Omder asks someone off camera, “What is that? What’re they all doing?” The person off camera says, “It’s our new Harmony Director,” and Omder makes a gesture of excitement. I found the scene quite interesting, so I cropped it and used it for the last part of the articles on musical instruments on the interview portion of this blog. Take a moment to look closely at that photograph again. Omder can be seen in the distant background, looking elated.
Omder Yeah, Out of all the members, I use the Harmony Director most often. Until that point it was an old one, so I was happy when we got a new Harmony Director!
― When the results from the all Japan band competition (seated performance) in Kyoto were announced on August 8th, the first person I thought of was you. You had said that you wanted to conduct bukatsu which would allow all the members to come together and work hard toward Nationals, and that you wanted to work hard with other passionate people for three years to make it to Nationals no matter what. Those were your thoughts when you entered KT and commuted to school for three hours round-trip every day. And leading everyone through the wind music concours was your role.
Omder Everyone practiced very hard for the wind music concours, and I thought that on the day we had our best performance. But we didn’t get the results we wanted.
― I was watching online, and it was indeed a wonderful performance. Did everyone else feel that you had knocked it out of the park?
Omder After it was over, we all believed that we’d done it. So when we heard the results (they won dud Gold) we were shocked and broke down crying.
― KT has only made it through the Kyoto Qualifications a few times in the past, but the main part of practice at that time had been marching so perhaps it was unavoidable. However, this year you put so much effort into practicing your musical performance, so you must have been frustrated. If you felt that you performed perfectly, then you won’t know where to improve in the future. Everyone is intoxicated with the story of your marching contest win, but it was a win after overcoming a loss.
Omder We pulled ourselves together and went into the marching contest with full force.
― For the marching contest as well you listened to everyone sound and provided musical support?
Omder The DM watches the marching and formation changes, and I listen carefully to the musical performance.
― You significantly changed your practice method for marching.
Omder In the past our senpai would normally do basic training to build our strength, because our senpai thought we needed a strong core in order to dance while playing our instruments. They thought that if we strengthen our bodies then our instruments wouldn’t waver while we danced and our sound wouldn’t become chaotic. But now we’ve changed our way of thinking; we first practice the musical performance well, even if it’s a part which has steps.
― Su-chi said that if you thoroughly practice the musical performance then it becomes easier, and the marching, formation changes, and steps actually become easier as a result.
Omder That’s right.
― Well, in either case you achieve your end goal.
Omder But in the past, we had a tendency to fixate on pose angles and postures, small things which the audience didn’t notice, and we would run out of time for practicing our musical performance.
― During my interview in March, you said (lamented) that there were many junior high students who idolized KT and wanted to join, but most of them wanted to wear the orange and dance, while few of them actually enjoyed playing musical instruments. If some of the members are not originally strong musicians, then wouldn’t you have to practice the musical performance even more?
Omder That’s true. Now we do short, intensive practice of our steps until they look clean to the audience and then we stop; the rest of our effort goes into musical practice.
― I think that anyone who saw your Beppu parade is convinced of the results of your new practice methods. Although you are putting more effort into the musical performance, the traditional steps were as good as always. Of course a hawk-eyed senpai might say “they’re not all at the same angle,” but to the eyes of us in the audience it seems that you are properly carrying on the KT tradition. On top of that, your musical performance is now excellent. As a result, the impression of the band as a whole has improved greatly from before. It seems that you’ve proven that your new practice methods are correct.
Omder I’m glad that you understand.
― As a sax player, what difficulties have you faced?
Omder The Kansai competition conflicted with my entrance exam studying, so it was very hard.
― You had an entrance exam? That must have been difficult. But you were able to go to Beppu.
Omder Yes, I was.
― You commute to and from school for three hours every day, you take entrance exams, go to marching contests and parades……..you must be very emotionally strong. By the way, you use two saxophones?
Omder I use one for competitions (a Selmer), and an old student model for practice.
― You use classify them for practice or for competition, rather than for seated performance or for marching.
Omder I regularly take the competition one to a music shop for inspection even if there’s not particularly wrong with it.
― Did you do well on your university entrance exam?
Omder I did! I passed the exam for my desired school and will be going to XXXX Music University.
― Wow, that school is even famous on YouTube. But it’s in Tokyo. Are you going to live in Tokyo?
Omder Yes. I’ll be renting an apartment on my own from April. Tomorrow I’m going to sign the apartment lease with my mother. I wasn’t sure whether to find somewhere that I could practice my music or somewhere close to school. Kaneshiro-sensei advised me that practicing at school is better, so I should find somewhere close to school.
― It takes 30 minutes by train from there to downtown Tokyo. You mustn’t party too much. Many students come to Tokyo, live alone, party too much, and lose their way.
Omder I understand. Kaneshiro-sensei also said, “If we meet again in a few years and your hair is brown but you haven’t gotten any better at music, I’d be disappointed.”😀
ー After going to music school, what will you do?
Omder After studying hard for four years, I want to become a professional musician. I had always wanted to continue playing music, and with Kaneshiro-sensei’s encouragement, I made the decision.
― Wonderful. Why not use Omder as your stage name? It’s very easy to remember.
Omder Haha. Yeah!
― Good luck. I’ll be cheering for you.
Higashimura-san from Yuri Gakki interviewed each of the students about the condition of their instruments. (November 28, 2021)
Marching Composition Team (kosei-kakari) Satis (サティス):
Instrument in charge: alto saxophone
Origin of the nickname: salmon+tiramisu
Position at the Beppu Parade: right at the end of the alto sax
I’d like to take this time to introduce Satis, whom I did not have the opportunity to interview in March (see report of that visit here). Satis is an alto saxophonist and one of the five members of the marching composition team (kosei-kakari). When I visited KT in March, she, DM, and Mafy were developing some choreography for the Blumen Hügel Farm parade. It seemed that Satis was playing a key role in making decisions for the choreography. When the part leaders congregated and Satis stood in front of everyone and explained the basic steps for each bar of the music, with the part leaders jotting down notes. Each part leader would then bring this information back to their team to adapt it to their particular instruments. For example, clarinet, trumpet, and flute players can make comparatively larger movements, but sousaphone and percussion players cannot. Trombonists must move their instrument downward so that the slide does not strike other people when turning or changing formation.
Satis seemed to me like the choreography leader for KT’s 118th/119th/120th teams, but when I interviewed her, I received quite the opposite impression, as she was quite a modest and quiet person.
― When I interviewed you in March, it has still been only three months since you introduced your new system. You hadn’t yet had a parade, so you had just started working on the choreography for parades with a new song.
Satis Yes. I had practiced choreography as a member for two years, but I started the choreography as a member of kosei-kakari in March.
― Even so, you really displayed strong leadership. I was impressed.
Satis I didn’t really intend for that to happen. The five of us in kosei-kakari consulted with each other and decided together.
― While watching carefully from the sidelines, it looked to me as though the others were going along with your decisions. It seems like that you were leading the decisions on what to do, what not to do instead.
Satis (she seems slightly perplexed)
― In the last survey, in response to the question “What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?”, you answered: “As part of the leadership under the new system, standing up in front of everyone and having to instruct them.” Are you not the type of person who likes to stand in front of everyone and confidently lead?
Satis I think I’m not that kind of person, so it was very difficult.
― But you showed leadership in deciding on the choreography and in communications; when I watched your instrument team practices, you were actively coaching your ko-hai and leading the team; and you seem to be very sharp. I thought you were a very assertive and broad-minded person.
Satis That’s the first time I’ve ever been told that.
― Some people are born leaders, but you were appointed by kosei-kakari and did your best to fulfill your duty. That’s even more wonderful. During the marching contest program, in the end you didn’t include many aggressive steps. As a member the kosei-kakari-team, were you involved in creating the conte too?
Satis Yes. We were unsure when deciding on the conte, but in the end we committed fully to the entire performance, and I felt that it turned out very well.
― You are also from the distinguished Uji JHS. That means that three of the eight leaders under the new 2021 system went to Ōsaka-Jō Hall three years in a row during junior high and won two Gold medals.
Satis Yes.
― After winning Gold twice in junior high school, you wanted to come to a high school with a famous marching band and chose KT. Did you experiences at Ōsaka-Jō Hall help you this time around?
Satis I was able to picture what kind of place Ōsaka-Jō Hall is, its size and its acoustics, but this time I was more nervous than in junior high.
― Why was that?
Satis ……..
― Because of the expectations of those around you?
Satis That’s part of it.
― You were still a child in junior high?
Satis Yes.
― Your handwriting on the questionnaire was very beautiful. I think you can tell a lot about a person’s personality from their handwriting. Can I ask what your plans are after graduation?
Satis I’m going to go to Tachibana University and will enroll in the faculty of nursing.
― You’re going to study to become a nurse.
Satis I also intend to join the university’s Wind Music Club and continue to practice music.
― You have senpai in the Tachibana University Wind Music Club: a trombone player from the 114th Class who went to the Rose Parade (right side of the front row of the Disney parade). But she will be graduating as you come in.
Satis I have a trombone senpai who is one year above me, from the same junior high school as me.
― Do you have a message for your ko-hai?
Satis Good luck with your marching contests. It may not always be possible to win National Gold just by wanting it, but I want you to never forget the feeling and passion of absolutely wanting it as you practice.
― You’re absolutely right. Thank you very much.
Marching Composition Team (kosei-kakari) Mafy(マフィー🌸):
Instrument in charge: trumpet
Origin of the nickname: Country Ma’am (Japanese sweets)+Miffy
Position at the Beppu Parade: absence due to university exams
During my visit in March (see report of that visit here), Mafy was in the midst of preparing the choreography with DM and Satis in advance of the Blumen Hügel Farm parade. Though a quiet person with few words, Mafy was exceedingly enthusiastic about the daily trumpet practice. Meeting again for the first time in eight months, and perhaps because of her new hairstyle, I found Mafy seemed little different – a bit brighter and more energetic.
― Hi,
Mafy Good afternoon.
― I’m sorry, but by any chance did you not participate in Nationals?
Mafy That’s right. After Kyoto I actually became ill and had to take a break not only from bukatsu but from school as well. So I wasn’t able to participate in either Kansai or Nationals.
― I see. That’s really unfortunate, given how hard you must have practiced. I’m terribly sorry. Looking at the photo from Kyoto, there were 32 members from the 118th, but after Nationals there were only 31. I was concerned. Are you feeling better now?
Mafy Yes, I’m feeling much better.
― So you didn’t go to Beppu either?
Mafy The Beppu trip conflicted with my university entrance exams, so I wasn’t able to go.
― I’m sorry for bringing up such painful topics in the interview.
Mafy It’s okay.
― So you watched Nationals online?
Mafy Yes. I watched an online stream. I saw my friends trying so hard, and I was overcome with emotion and cried.
― That was a wonderful performance.
Mafy They all were fantastic.
― This year, you participated in producing anime music (click here for more details). I heard that you had a very short practice window. Where did you do the recording?
Mafy In the school’s hall. They brought in all sorts of equipment I’d never seen and set up microphones everywhere for the recording.
― That sounds like a good experience. Did you watch the movie?
Mafy Yes. At Kaneshiro-sensei’s suggestion, all of the members went to a theater near Kyoto Station and watched it as part of our bukatsu. We were very excited.
― Why did you originally decide to come to KT?
Mafy Since elementary school I’ve always been interested in music. When I saw KT on TV shows like “Waratte-Koraete”, I idolized them.
― You also came out of Uji JHS wind music club. You went to Nationals three years in a row, winning Gold in your first and third years.
Mafy That’s right.
― Did you choose Uji JHS because you had idolized KT since elementary school?
Mafy Of course not😀 Uji JHS is within my school district.
In Japan, nine years of elementary school and junior high school are given as compulsory education. Enrolling in a public school entitles one to have tuition fees borne by the local government. As a rule, one must attend the designated school most proximate to one’s place of residence. There are 10 junior high schools in Uji City in the southeast of Kyoto City, with Uji JHS and Higashi-Uji JHS being the ones that have posted particularly good results in marching contests of late.
― So the public junior high school selected for you just so happened to have a powerhouse Wind Music Club which went to Nationals three years in a row. That’s pretty lucky. I’m sure you practiced very hard, but one person alone can’t go to Nationals, no matter how hard they practice. So you and four of your friends from Uji SHS bukatsu decide to go to KT together?
Mafy Yes, that’s pretty much what happened. I was unsure for a while though.
― “I’m the only one who wants to go to Kita-uji SHS” or something like that?
Mafy Yeah! (Kita-uji SHS is a fictional high school which appears in “Hibike! Euphonium”, click here for more details)
― I imagine your parents were quite worried that you took ill during such an important time. Did your entrance exams go well?
Mafy Yes, I passed.
― Congratulations. What are your plans after high school?
Mafy I’ll be enrolling in the music department at a four-year university.
― For a music department, there must have been a practical exam.
Mafy There was a practical exam and Chorübungen.
In Japan, Chorübungen refers to the Chorübungen der Münchener Musikschule, published in 1876 by German musician Franz Wüllner. This frequently appears in entrance examinations to conservatories and music departments.
― So you’re going to continue on the path of music! Do you have any specific goals?
Mafy I haven’t decided yet, but the other day I had the opportunity to talk online with someone from a police band. It was a very attractive prospect and I’d like to give it a try.
There are police bands for the 47 local governments in Japan, as well as a 48th, which represents the Imperial Guard Headquarters for Tokyo. 11 consist of members who are specialists in music, with the Kyoto Police Band, launched in 1949, being one of them. They have conducted over 1,000 concerts and actively engage in their field.
Mafy I’ll do my best studying music at a four-year university.
― I hope you recover completely soon. Good luck with everything.
Mafy Thank you.
Marching Composition Team (kosei-kakari)/Colour Guard part leader Mie-ru (ミール🌸):
Instrument in charge: Colour Guard/oboe
Origin of the nickname: Miffy+ka-ru (Japanese sweets)
Position at the Beppu Parade: third of the Color Guards
During my visit in March (see report of that visit here), I also shot and interviewed some members involved in the Color Guard, but I ran out of room in the article, so I was left on the cutting room floor. Many people think the Color Guard is not for them, given that the practice is very intense and that one must also play seated performance, so it occupies a special position within KT. New students tend to shy away from it, and the roster was on the decline. But given the requirements of marching contests, ideally, a Corps should have about two Color Guard members per academic year. The 118th Class has two. The 119th had one, but in the second year, a member who had long aspired to the Color Guard (a trumpeter) joined, bringing the total to two. Moreover, the 120th increased by one member in the middle of this year, bringing its total to two as well, ensuring the number of people they need for three years from now.
Mie-ru is a bright and lively Color Guard part leader who also serves as a kosei-kakari (traditionally, Color Guard members hold both roles).
ー The performance of the Color Guard at the marching contest was wonderful! The two flags were very dramatic, and your bold, never-before-seen dance was amazing. It was the best performance KT’s color guard has ever given. Not many schools at the marching contest had Color Guards (4 of 25 schools), which made you stand out even more. It may not have directly affected the judges’ scores, but I think it contributed greatly to the overall impression of your performance. The fans keep saying that “Sing3” was too short, but I was captivated by the wonderful performance of the Color Guard at the beginning of the song and didn’t even notice.
Mie-ru Thank you very much. We tried very hard there, so I’m happy.
― Let’s start with the two flags. I’d seen two flags once before, but yours were large and triangular this time.
Mie-ru Those were different, even the lengths of the poles. We used common 170cm aluminum poles. Unlike standard poles, the ones used by the KT Color Guard involve taking a wooden pole and wrapping it in black vinyl tape for a handmade. Then, incoming students select ones used by past senpai, choosing one of the right height for them (height of their eyes).
― You even changed the poles. Were they light?
Mie-ru They felt about three times heavier.
― Heavier. So you restart kin-tore from the basics?
Kin-tore refers to “kin-niku training”, or “muscle training”. The basic training practiced by Color Guards to handle flags skillfully is also referred to as kin-tore. Newcomers use their dominant hand to grasp the pole and must rotate it with a flick of the wrist 50 times clockwise, then 50 times counter-clockwise to form one set, performing three to five sets daily. Practicing this in earnest daily starts to form firm muscles on the arms and shoulders of the dominant side. However, the body itself needs to develop muscles in order to be able to stop and turn the flag at quick intervals. Therefore, skimping on kin-tore stands out right away, and one’s senpai finds out.
Mie-ru We started kin-tore with aluminum poles and became even more buff. 😀
― Was it you and your team who decided to use long aluminum poles?
Mie-ru Yes. After our new system was put in place in January 2021, the two of us in the 118th Color Guard talked, and we decided we wanted to make our performance grander and showier. So we thought of using the same long poles as other schools, and even using two of them. We proposed the change to Kaneshiro-sensei and the Color Guard coach, and in May they bought us the poles and we started our kin-tore.
― Did your coach instruct you to do kin-tore?
Mie-ru We watched YouTube videos of Color Guard training methods and based our training off of that ourselves. And it was only after the marching contest camp in August that we started to practice in earnest.
― You dance while waving the flag in large sweeping motions at the beginning of “Sing3”. Did Adachi-coach do the choreography for that?
Mie-ru Yes. We told the coach what we wanted to do, and she designed the choreography for us.
― You’ve breathed new life into the KT Color Guard! At the Beppu parade you used the old wooden pole and flag. Did you do anything different with it?
Mie-ru We used new techniques which we’d never done before in “Supa-cali” (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). Also, in the past there were many steps where the CG and band would have different choreography, but in an effort to increase uniformity we changed some parts so that we had the same choreography as the band. Also, there was a part where we high-fived the person behind us; the CG suggested that to the band.
― Your older sister was a former KT member?
Mie-ru She played the flute in the 114th Class.
― So she was in the Rose Parade, then. Did you ask to her a lot about the Rose Parade (click here for the coverage of 2018 Rose Parade)?
Mie-ru We went to watch it as a family.
ー That’s wonderful.
Mie-ru We watched the parade from the grandstand, and we also watched the entire performance.
― You play the oboe during seated performances. Did you play oboe in junior high?
Mie-ru No, I played the trumpet in junior high. When I joined KT and became a Color Guard member, my mother was playing oboe, so I borrowed her oboe and started playing (she uses a an oboe made by Marigaux, a high-end oboe maker from France).
― Do you have a story that every oboe player would relate to?
Mie-ru I don’t really stand out much during performances, but when I do have a solo I’ll really stand out.
― Someone said that it’s difficult to keep reeds in good condition.
Mie-ru Their condition can change easily, even due to the weather. Single reeds can be “cultivated”, but oboe reeds lose strength the longer you use them. You can choose to buy a lot of single reeds, but oboe reeds are expensive and you can’t buy that many, so I have mine made by a professional.
― I see. I’m sorry to have kept you past our allotted time. Please go back to practice. I enjoyed talking with you. (In the clubroom, they are hard at work practicing “Carmen” as part of their concert under the guidance of Kaneshiro-sensei.)
Mie-ru Thank you sir.
Improvement=”kaizen”:
Some people have dared to suggest that KT only made it to the Nationals because some of the “better” schools stepped down. The members have themselves heard this gossip. Also they know their foremost challenge for the marching contest next year is how to break through the Kansai bracket. Due to the way districts are implicated in the contest system, the level of skill of schools appearing at the Nationals varies widely, so even the KT members have their misgivings about what is seen as an imbalanced system. Even when I played devil’s advocate and pointed this out to elicit a reaction from them, though, the students only evinced a tacit consent of the situation. This shows their excellence. Namely, that is because the system, for better or worse, is a set of rules, and they as participants respect them. If one wants to take part in a game, calling the rules unfair is uncalled for. Their ability to proceed to the Nationals and take the National Gold is owed, without a doubt, to their following those rules. A school shut out from the Nationals many times before by the rules followed those selfsame rules to take the Gold, so their performance should not be criticized.
Television broadcasters have made the rounds at KT to interview them, with the chief focus of these programs being the “change” that occurred and is occurring among the members. Yet a short television program scarcely offers enough time to truly convey what, precisely, changed. Moreover, the impact of COVID has continued since last year, and the team had few public performances for the first half of the year, so they were unable to publicly demonstrate what they had achieved through this change. As a result, some feelings of suspicion and anxiety began to form among their fans. Many people mistakenly interpreted this “change” as a “policy shift by Kaneshiro-sensei,” and some fans became consumed with the question of “what on Earth is he going to do with KT?” If laboring under that impression, it leads one to jump to the conclusion that the slightest change is for the worse, and that “things used to be better before.” In addition to this kneejerk and emotional fan response, there were some people who had misgivings with the current system, for one reason or another, and this led to an unfortunate climate where people were criticizing or rebuking KT’s efforts.
The students are sensitive to that reaction from the world at large. I am sure it caused them a great deal of internal suffering. That is because such a criticism is a gross misunderstanding of the facts. This change was not something ordered or instructed to them, not something compulsory. Rather, they continued thinking deeply about what they needed to do to improve, implemented that, and refined it. Calling this a “change” rather than an outright “improvement” is out of respect and consideration for their senpai.
Traditionally, KT devoted considerable time to practicing the dance steps of a routine. One of the things typically emphasized over the course of the intense practice regimen was these dance steps and the accuracy of the poses, such as the “angles” talked about in this interviews several times. There were specific rules on what degree of angle to use when holding an instrument in a certain situation, or what angle to keep the knees at. It took considerable time and thorough instruction from their senpai for all of the members to master this. It is also true that many students suffered problems with the legs and hips due to long periods of practice standing up, but since that was considered a part of life at KT, no student harbored doubts about the validity of these choices being made by their senpai. In point of fact, the only choice available to them was to silently bear it and overcome this adversity – or opt to leave the club altogether.
Naturally, the foremost thing the senpai over the years emphasized was the final results of the marching contest. But, with competition growing increasingly fiercer and the performance skills of leading schools improving by leaps and bounds, it came to be seen that the key to winning at the Nationals was less the accuracy of poses and more proper performance and expressiveness. In that sense, a simple calculation follows: if one takes the, for example, 500 hours cumulatively spent on practicing dance steps and angles and reduces that to 150 hours, that leaves 350 hours to devote to practicing the musical performance itself, which increases the changes of doing better at a marching contest. In this way, they thought keenly about how to emerge on top, discussed with each other, and formulated a strategy. Traditionally at KT, harboring even the slightest doubt about the traditions upheld by the senpai was tantamount to treason or betrayal, so it required courage and conviction to go against the grain and be subject to rebuke and criticism. I encourage the reader to think about just how much courage and conviction they put into that attempt.
Works by the Calligraphy Club of the Kyoto Tachibana SHS: “Let’s try everything. You can endure anything with your friends. Let’s go for it! SHINE TOWARDS YOUR DREAMS.”
According to the students, after Kaneshiro-sensei assumed his post in April 2018, he did not give them any specific guidance or proposals on what exactly to do. What he did tell the members was to “think together carefully about what you can do to improve.” It was a way of encouraging each member to think logically, independently, and dispassionately about their bukatsu. Initially, there was a fierce backlash from the students. However, with each successive generation, the proactive attitude of reexamining everything and searching for the best solution without blindly obeying tradition became a part of the culture, and it fully blossomed with the 118th. While there are still some unusual traditions passed down from student to student unbeknownst to the adults, the students attempted to break down each and every tradition and truly interrogate if they were the best for their given purposes, or whether there was a better approach or room for improvement. This, in effect, is the reality of the “change” the television programs talked about. To put it differently, it is a form of continuous improvement, or “kaizen.”
One thing that strongly came across when talking to the members is that there were clear and rational reasons for each of the decisive improvements they made. Moreover, the members did not make these changes under the advice of anyone. They thought of solutions themselves, proposed them to Kaneshiro-sensei, and obtained his consent. I have interviewed over 400 people in my career as a professional writer, and never have I felt such a sense of intelligence, reason, and humanity more than with the KT students. They are imbued with a sense of justice, and are quite logical and dispassionate about things.
They did not balk at changing tradition, but they were quite concerned about how this break from tradition would represent a repudiation of their senpai. One testament to their ties with their senpai can be seen in the wear for daily practice. This gear is not merely outfits purchased when they join the club. Among that gear are red outfits and faded clothes that are hand-me-downs from senpai who graduated before them. A show on Kansai TV showed a close-up of dilapidated shoes -because those shoes were hand-me-downs from a senpai. Popular senpai even have their all clothes “stripped off” during graduation ceremonies by their incoming juniors. This tradition has continued for some time, so some of the practice gear worn by members is like a “living legend” of the club, with the nicknames of senpai of years gone by written on them.
They practice every day, wearing the clothes imbued with the sweat and tears of their past senpai. So there cannot be a moment in which they lose respect for their senpai, not even for a second. Yet they have all but abandoned the custom of inviting senpai to the school to have them coach them. This was a painful and difficult decision made in order to not turn back the clock. The kids have an internal conflict between respect and admiration for their senpai, while also a rational need to move forward and revamp things. That is precisely why they need someone to rise to the occasion and tell them in no uncertain terms. “You are doing right things. You’re an outstanding, keep at it!” The sensei and Shima-coach are doing their part. That is why I, too, am writing this article.
The school’s slogan: “Be the kind of person who enjoys CHANGES”.
Part 2 of this interview is here.
First of all, thank you for yet another wonderfully written, exhaustive piece with details we as fans really should feel privileged to receive. The extent that band members have made themselves available and their willingness to open up for this community is remarkable. Also thank you for the flowers presented to KT!
For me, there are many takeaways, but the main ones would be:
It’s the students that remain firmly in charge, but if there has been change it’s mainly the improvement of the support structure around the band, which can only be a good thing.
Contrary to some beliefs, this forum is being viewed by band members and so people should expect that anything written here may in fact reach the band. We should always keep that in mind as participants. It seems the band feels the pressure from fans domestic and abroad as well as the responsibility towards the generations that preceded them. It’s got to be difficult indeed for such a high profile band whose members are still minors. Yet, they seem to be coping extraordinarily well.
The maturity shown once again is pretty admirable. I don’t think we’re seeing a change in the product, but rather an evolution. The KT style is still there with the same energetic and joyful performances we’ve come to love KT for (e.g. Nagoya). If the task calls for adjustments (National competitions) they’ll make them and excel.
Finally, I think we have to give them enormous credit. They have endured now coming up soon on two years of major restrictions on performances, training, competitions. Yet, here they are still intact, with little attrition through it all, gold medal winners, smiling, playing and dancing at the high level they have set themselves. They are exceptional.
Happy New Year!
LikeLiked by 6 people
The interviews were really informative.
Noticed one of the key common threads throughout – exams & their further educational & career aspersions. Respect them more for juggling studies & intensive band activities, even more for those like Omder with long hours of commute 👍🏼👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼.
Need to edit one of my earlier comments, KT members have 2 goals, getting a good education to meet their career aspersions and winning National Gold for the band. It warms me to read the band coming up with ways to accommodate seniors’ exams. Wondered if this was the case all along?
Previously mentioned many times in this blog that members were forbidden to use social media but it seems at least for this executive team they do. So perhaps we should give more constructive feedback.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have only just noticed the discussion going on here!
I commented briefly in Fan Corner that there is a lot to think about in this article. Many of my thoughts have already been expressed here by others. I will say, though, that I was dismayed to read that Shima-coach had suffered constant criticism which she had kept bottled up. It was gratifying to read of the students’ support for her and belief in her.
I wondered where that constant criticism may have come from, as her appointment was not widely known until recently. I wondered whether some of it may have come from some of the past students, as there is mention of “very strong reactions” from them. I suspect this may have gone far beyond the changes to the marching contest entry. The “New KT” article talked about changes being made to some of the more questionable traditions, resulting in a more cohesive and mutually supportive group. It is easy to see how some of those who had to endure many hardships, especially in their first year, may feel the need to justify their acceptance of those traditions. But just as their own predecessors had bravely introduced new ideas, the students of today must be applauded for their courage in challenging accepted practices. It sounds as if they are very mindful and respectful of their senpais but have the wisdom not to allow the band to become fossilised.
If their primary stated goal is to win a national ‘gold’, then experience shows that continuing to do the same thing will no longer achieve that goal. They had questioned why they were not succeeding and dared to come up with radical ideas. It is interesting to note that it was the adults who reined those ideas back a little otherwise it is hard to imagine some of the criticisms that may have ensued.
I find this article very reassuring and I feel confident that KT is in safe hands and will continue to develop and grow.
Thank you Fukuno-san!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Response to MartinC-san:
Hello. I’m the author of this article. Thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts on my article.
In general, Japanese society places more importance on a person’s age than on their ability or achievements. Especially in the case of team play, such as school club activities, the age difference is absolute. Those who are older are called “senpai” and you are unconditionally obeyed. Those who are younger are called “ko-hai” and you treat like subordinates. There are many changes taking place in KT today, but this is the same as before.
This hierarchical relationship generally lasts a lifetime, even after leaving school. So if a graduate is unhappy with a change at school, he/she can never point it out to a teacher who is older than him/her. But with someone younger than you, you can point out anything you like. If there is one young talent in their team, and if he/she is your ko-hai, all the attacks will be on him/her.
In any case, the attacks by these forces continue every day. So that person needs our help.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Fukuno-san – thank you for reading my comment and for helping to clarify things. It can be difficult for Westerners to understand the power and impact of the senpai-kohai relationship.
I imagine it is always going to be difficult for new young members of staff (in any school) unless things remain exactly as they were. Your article makes it clear that the staff were not initiating changes but helping to enable changes decided by the students. I hope your article will go some way towards relieving some of this pressure of criticism from staff members. I also hope that the success and beauty of the band’s performance will reassure the senpai that all is not being lost.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading Fukuno-sans reply makes it even more impressive that the band went through with the changes. I hope the accomplishments proofs them that they are on the right way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now this what I call a Christmas present ,Fukuno -san is the new Santa .Thank you for this wonderful gift .Merry Christmas everyone!
LikeLike
Many, many thanks to Mr Fukuno for the detailed interviews and the hard work to bring us unique inside information about the workings of the band, again! This interview alone somewhat doubles the information available to us, and it’s just the Part One!? 🙂
The “new KT” is a prevalent theme in these newer articles. Whenever things take a big leap and there’s something declared “new”, there will also be the atmosphere of worry of losing something in the process. The more we hear, the better and reassuring this newness sounds. …As is almost always the case, when the organisation is healthy, aware of its heritage and strengths, and consisting of both smart people and wise people.
Relationship with the outside world is a prominent factor in this article, and we can see that there’s a link between what people write in forums (perhaps also this one) and how the band functions. This article is an important vessel to bridge the two worlds: whenever anything new happens, there always will be a reaction. The reaction will be based on anything we see and hear (for example the shorter-than-usual Sing3 in this year’s stage/field performances), and that alerts – of course – anyone whose view of the band is dominated by the Sing3 saga (that’s almost everyone). There will be speculation and discussion as long as there’s not more information available. This article gives that; new and valuable information that will reassure people and relieve many uncertainties and interpetations about the few clues we get to see. We get a depiction of a healthy organisation with able, resourceful and courageous members.
Another important bit of information in this article is a clear and definite declaration regarding the use of names. When being displayed in public in any way, there will always be a name. As I’ve mentioned in the Fan Corner some time eariler, IMO the best way to manage the matter is to use the correct names, ie. the ones that people themselves want to be used by others, otherwise new ones will be invented. I think it’s marvelous that one of the current key members has stated clearly their view of the matter; I hope we can get a view of the administration as well to this matter, in order to cease having uncertainties and overly guessing what may or may not annoy or disturb the organisation or it’s different parts. The important part will always be what is said or made public about the very young members, not the name itself.
The more information we have; correct, direct information that they want and allow to be known, the less speculation there will be about the key points in everything, be it the inner workings of the organisation, or the content of the performances. There will always be people who like things to remain the same, always people who want things to change, many time these are the same people. It’s a normal way of things and human life. There will always be worries and outcries when things change even a little bit. Outcries are often based on not knowing the whole picture, but caring a lot. It’s wonderful to learn that the members seem to be able to handle this well. The ability to digest this kind of information, too, is a valuable ability and will help these youth in their later life a lot. It’s one of the unique lessons this particular SHS club can offer its members; a relationship with the public not many other clubs have. As long as the basics (security and emotional support) are handled properly, we the public are a positive resource to the club and the members. Even if there’s the occasional “what about S3!?” outcry 🙂
I think the contest performance in Osaka-jo hall was beautiful and perfect, and I’m very happy and grateful to read so much background information of what was the work and timing of events for it to develop into such a masterpiece. There are many “once in a lifetime” moments in the KT saga, this was surely one of them. It’s such a joy that KT can produce such moments to most of its generations, and this article gives a hint that some of the classes that were in between of those peak moments also had their share and contribution to these moments of success. Thank you.
LikeLiked by 6 people
I wish that I could watch the competition. Did anyone record it and if so can it be seen on this fan clubs page. I have been following the band for about 4 years now since I discovered them. I watch them every day and they always leave me with a tune in my head that will remain there until the next day. I know it sounds silly but that’s the way it is . Congratulations to KT for winning the gold.I just wish I could find it and watch it.your faithful fan. Old but still enjoy watching how the young are coming through with fresh ideas and enthusiasm. Hawkeye 19021948
LikeLike
Here is the video from this years competition. It is also listed in the events 2021 page. If the timestamp does not work KT is at 1:20:20.
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1XF411h7op?t=4804
LikeLike
thank you very much. All I can say is WOW! WOW! WOW!. Watched it 4 times to see what everyone was doing. The baton twirling is a new thing, and very well done goes to the DM. The movements and the music were sensational. I can not praise them highly enough. I really hope that the concert in March is live streamed same as last year .and again. WOW.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I must say i am left with mixed emotions after reading this article. While i understand that sometimes changes are necessary to improvement i fear that too much will pull the group away from their traditional fan base and they could become just another “marching competition band”. I am so glad they for now are keeping the orange uniforms as that is as much their signature as Sing Sing Sing is. I find it surreal that some of the students interviewed wanted to join the band after seeing their performances but once in want to make wholesale changes such as pants and either cutting Sing3 or eliminating it entirely. Kinda reminds me of politicians. I’m not meaning to complain as i will support the band whatever happens and continue to make donations but also hope they remember their “roots”.
LikeLike
They have nothing to do with the politics of any state. Please don’t talk about them here in a way that links them to politics. Thank you very much.
LikeLike
Sorry for your misunderstanding; you obviously missed the point entirely. Have a good day.
LikeLike
Hi Fred, understand your train of thoughts, but nonetheless let’s all embrace this change and continue to support them no matter where we are from. Changes are bound to happen sooner or later, at the very least imo this is a great transition at the right time.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fred- As Su-chi said, “We would have many other opportunities to show off ‘Sing3’ at stage marching events”. Changes that reduce the previously predominant role of Sing3, and that may see trousers replace skirt (which I would also regret) are to their contest performances. But the band would continue to play Sing3 and wear the traditional uniforms at other events, which after all outnumber contest appearances.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you Fukuno-san for the great interview. It was a long read but I enjoyed every second of it.
I think the changes they are making are very good as I said some time ago on the fan corner. They did changes in the past so why stop. The most important thing imo is that the current students feel that they did their best and are happy with how they spend their time and effort in the band.
Traditions can be important but if they are very outdated they should be abandoned.
There will always be criticism from some people but I applaud KT for being brave and sticking to their new way.
On a side note, in the interview in march Fukuno-san wrote that he interviewed the teachers. I personally would love to read that interview too.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank you very much for your article as always, I am greatly appreciative of your kind consent to allow ODF to publish the English translations. Personally, I strongly applaud the students for the changes they made while keeping to the core values of the band. As far as the competition is concerned, I think some fans forget that the band is made up of kids engaging in an activity that is meant to be for their enjoyment and growth. The fact that they had the wisdom to perceive the changes needed, the courage to do implement them and the awareness of the boundaries they should not cross to remain true to the band’s core values is impressive.
LikeLiked by 7 people
Many thanks to Fukuno-san for the detailed & very informative interviews.
I fully agree with lyeohtc on his comments on their courage, wisdom & consideration of their senpais’ feelings. Very impressed by them and happy all the changes were members led. Respected the advisors for supporting them in the changes & their humility in not “stealing the thunder” from the members & not “stamping their mark” on the band for personal gains as some had commented.
Some fans may not realise that winning National Gold is very important to KT & members are greatly disappointed when they couldn’t win it. Added to it is their dismay in letting down their senpais & earlier generations for their hard work in building up KT. IMHO the National Gold is more important to them than their popularity. National Gold is their goal, popularity is their enjoyment.
I watched mainly KT videos but do looked at videos of other bands when posted on this blog. KT had influenced some bands to follow their style & other bands with more military band format have developed good choreographies too (just not as enjoyable as KT’s). I was quite concerned that these bands will catch up & overtake KT in the near future. These concerns were dispelled with the changes.
The sphere of marching band competitions reflects realities of life. Successful products & services will always create competitions & original creators must continuously develop & innovate to stay in front. I for one am glad the current KT executives had the courage to forge ahead with the improvements and am hoping the next & future executive teams will carry on on the same path.
IMHO fans should be more mindful of the members’ dreams & aspersions and just enjoy their performances.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you Fukuno san, it is really nice to know and understand from their own words. Aside from the band itself, personally, I think Kyoto Tachibana itself is a great school for kids to study in; the school’s slogan proves that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for a very informative article. Learning how these changes came in plus the Dedication and Professionalism of all the students, shows just how much they are striving to improve and give their best, in every practice and performance. The “change” has shown new skills and hidden talents plus created an even closer bond as a band. My opinion is still that Kyoto Tachibana S.H.S is the best in the World. Yes, I am a Huge Fan from Canada 🇨🇦.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Paul. As I read this, my mind was busy trying to learn how the students themselves feel about running the “show” and how the students over here would do what the Japanese band students do. Would our band kids ever produce a student led group like that of KT? It would take a whole new mind set for our kids … and a change to a student led band would take many years, I’m afraid. The KT kids, and kids from other Japanese bands, are completely, and without a doubt, disciplined. That, alone, would cause a failure in producing a student led band over here. And, Alan, I agree with you about this being the most informative article about KT that I have ever read ever since I began reading articles in this blog. As a matter of fact, I’m going to take the time to read it again to make sure I didn’t miss anything the first time. When I began reading and commenting on this blog, little did I know the education I was about to receive. And, it continues as I write this. It’s Christmas Eve now, and I want to leave by wishing everybody a Very Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Many thanks to Fukuno-san for the tremendous work that went into producing this, the most informative article about and by the students yet! So many questions raised here and in Japan, answered. We learn that despite some opinion to the contrary, the band has become even more student led. One characteristic has not changed, though, they remain as courageous as were previous groundbreaking generations. The result, this year, was the most beautiful contest performance ever for both eyes and ears. I’m very glad they decided to retain the uniform, an expression of the band’s unique values. Values that inspired the band’s creation. The most moving and telling images for me: the trophy standing by Professor Hiramatsu’s portrait and the description of Su-chi clutching his portrait as the results were announced. His spirit lives on!
LikeLiked by 11 people
I’m a little bit jealous that you got a shout out from Fukuno-san in the article ^^
LikeLike
It was kind of him to mention me, as a result of a separate correspondence.
LikeLike