Victory Interview Part 3: Section Leaders of the Woodwind Instruments and 119th Class Leadership

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Text and pictures by Rei’ichirō Fukuno (Wikipedia)

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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

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Part 1 of this interview series is here and Part 2 here.

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About this interview:

Part 3 of this interview series consists of the interviews I did on the afternoon of Sunday 28th during the weekend of November 27th to 28th, 2021. The article was read in Japanese by the Kaneshiro-sensei, as well as the students who were interviewed and was then translated into English with their consent. The nicknames of the kids, including those of the 119th class, are also published with their permission. I hope that fans will use their nicknames appropriately with respect and affection, now as well as after the students have graduated.

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Shoes are strictly prohibited inside Japanese schools. Students, teachers, instructors, and visitors change into indoor sports shoes or sandals at the school entrance. Most Wind Music Club members wear sandals during practice, but during basic marching and step practice, they wear indoor sports shoes that they either bought themselves or inherited from their senpai(s). Because they have become used to this, it has become tradition for the students to also wear indoor sports shoes at outdoor performances. The indoor sports shoes they are wearing can be found here.　For performances, they wear a customized version where the rubber part of the shoes is colored black. All the students also own these bags customized with the school and club’s name (click here).

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Leader of the alto saxophone team
Cha-pu-te （ちゃプテ⭐️）
Instrument in charge：alto saxophone
Origin of the nickname：matcha (Japanese tea)＋ pu from potato chips + te from pastel colours
Position at the Beppu Parade：Left side of row 6
(solo performance of “Habanera” from opera “Carmen” at the concert in Toyooka and Nagoya）
(she is also in charge of the Band Official Homepage and social media）

The solo parts in the “Habanera“ from “Carmen“ performed as part of the program for the “Disaster Prevention Lecture and Heart Bond Concert” held on December 27, 2021 at the Century Hall of Nagoya Congress Center, were played by the Student Conductor Omder and then by Cha-pu-te, leader of the alto saxophone team. The KT saxophone team has part leaders for soprano sax, alt sax, tenor sax, and baritone sax, with tenor sax leader Popple leading the entire team. Cha-pu-te is an intelligent and active person, and together with clarinet team leader Luria, she is in charge of creating articles for the Wind Music Club’s Official Home Page and Instagram.

She started playing saxophone in junior high and she belonged to the Wind Music Club at a public junior high in Kyoto, which participated in Marching Contests every year. She was Drum Major in her third year of junior high. Horaccha-senpai, KT’s Drum Major of the 108th, who was also Drum Major of the 2011-2012 Rose Parade tour (for more details of the tour, click here), also went to the same junior high. Cha-pu-te met her and got to learn from her when she came to the junior high school to practice for an alumni concert. Horaccha-senpai also participated in the Marching Stage performance of their Regular Concert. In other words, Cha-pu-te followed Horaccha-senpai’s example and joined KT, and she is friends with Horaccha-senpai to this day.

ー　Now you can proudly report to Horaccha-senpai that you won National Gold! What points did you work on with the alto sax team while practicing for the Marching Contest?
Cha-pu-te　 Because of COVID, we spent a lot of time practicing individually this year and had only few opportunities to play together. So when we started practicing for the Marching Contest, it was difficult for us to match each other’s tone and pitch. I think the other instrument groups had the same problem, but the saxophone often plays the melody and for better or worse this makes our sound stand out, so Kaneshiro-sensei pointed out that we were not making enough effort to match each other. So together with pitch accuracy, we practiced our ability to listen to the performance of the other players while playing and to match their sound (this is called “ensemble skills” in Japanese). For example, when tuning, instead of just playing single notes, we practiced tuning in B dur (=B♭ major), then played B dur practice scales and a piece in B dur. And when tuning in F dur (=F major), we played F dur practice scales and a piece in F dur. So in this way, I introduced a way of practicing that gave us a strong foundation in the basics that we could build our performance on.
ー　The saxophone is indeed an instrument that makes it easy to enjoy playing solo parts. So, what about parades? In parades you have to walk, step, and dance as you play. Were there any specific points you paid attention to in the saxophone team?
Cha-pu-te　 We attach our saxophones to a strap hanging around our neck and keep the mouthpiece in our mouth while playing, so it is probably easier to play while dancing than for the brass instruments or flutes. But when we do a bell up, we cannot reach as high as for example clarinets because the strap limits our range of movement.
ー　Right now you are wearing the strap you use when you play seated. For marching, you wear a simpler strap, right?
Cha-pu-te　Yes. But since I jump around with my saxophone pulling on the strap, the strap tends to get longer and longer and I have to fix it halfway through the performance. And my neck also starts to hurt. Also, since I hold on tightly to the saxophone with my right hand, I got a callus on the base of my right thumb.
ー　A saxophone callus? Now that’s something.
Cha-pu-te　In our case, when we started high school, we applied for and temporarily joined the Wind Music Club at the end of March, and then immediately started practicing for the Brass Expo parade marching in May. That is your baptism into the Wind Music Club. Since there are only two months until the parade, and the audience will see no difference between third year and first year students, we had to practice really hard to be able to dance and perform together with the third year students (and that’s when I got the sax callus).
ー　At Blumen Hügel Farm, the traditional debut of new students is to put on the school uniform and walk behind the second and third year students, but at that point you had already practiced parade marching quite a bit. So thanks to that you were able to walk at the same pace as the seniors in front of you and clap along in the same rhythm.
Cha-pu-te　 Yes, that’s right.
ー　To go through the steps of creating a choreography once more, first the kosei-kakari (marching composition team) members decide on the choreography for a song and pass it on to each instrument group, and then the part leaders of each team create the choreography for their respective instruments. In your case, because sax players hang their instruments from their necks with straps, it is more difficult for you to do big movements than for other instruments, right?
Cha-pu-te　 Yes. Also, in the past, the choreography decided by kosei-kakari was simply passed on to each instrument team, but this year, under the motto “create together,” the leader of each team and the kosei-kakari worked closely together to create the choreography. We would discuss for example which instrument team should stand out in which part of the song and then build the choreography based on that. So this time, some parts of the choreography reflect suggestions from the part leaders.
ー　Did you make any suggestions?
Cha-pu-te　 We performed a song called “HandClap” in the parade. A few years ago, a YouTube video of people doing a diet dance to this song became very popular in Japan, so I suggested including bending and stretching exercise in the choreography of the song, and this idea was adopted.
ー　I saw that in Beppu! I hadn’t seen anything like that before and it was very interesting.
Cha-pu-te　 There are many members in this year’s team (the 118th, 119th, and 120th) that want to try doing new and original things and go further than before, so there is a very strong drive to make the performances fun for the audience to watch or to use new steps that have never been done before.
ー　I remember you even dressed up in Halloween costumes at the performance in Beppu. By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask someone about this for a while now, but during performances, you change from your practice clothes to uniforms really fast. Where and when do you get changed?
Cha-pu-te　 For our everyday practice, the school gates open at 7:00am and until 7:10am we can use this classroom (tea ceremony room) and the art room next door as changing rooms. For performances that are not at school, for examples at halls or such, we change in waiting rooms. And if there is no place to change, for example at outdoor concerts, we put on our uniforms in advance under our practice clothes when we leave school.
ー　I see. So you’re wearing them underneath. That’s why you can change so quickly. Thank you. Sorry for asking such a strange question.
Cha-pu-te　 No problem.
ー　Do you have a dream for the future?
Cha-pu-te　 I would like to work in music and entertainment.
ー　Do you mean something like working behind the scenes in the music or entertainment industry, or in planning and production?
Cha-pu-te　Yes.
ー　That’s wonderful. Your three years of experience in this club have given you a dream for the future. Thank you very much. Now, please ask the tenor sax leader to come next.

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Leader of the all saxophones team
Popple（ポップル😀）
Instrument in charge：tenor saxophone
Origin of the nickname：po- from potato Chips + pineapple
Position at the Beppu Parade：Left side of 7th row
(one of the two boys in 118th）

I have interviewed a total of over 30 KT students, including alumni, but this was the first time I interviewed a boy. I was very interested in talking to a boy. What was it like to perform alone surrounded by girls.

Popple is the leader of the tenor saxophone team and the entire saxophone team. He was a member of the Wind Music Club of a public junior high school in Kyōtanabe city, in the southwest of Kyoto prefecture bordering Osaka and Nara Prefectures. In his first and third year there, his Club won Gold at the Kyoto Competition, and in his third year, they advanced to the Kansai Competition. His sister, who is three years older than him and went to the same junior high school, played flute in KT’s 115th (her nickname was “Zuccky”). Naturally, his sister’s influence was probably the main reason he came to KT.

Popple　When my sister was in her third year of high school, I was in the third year of junior high, so I was not in the Wind Music Club at the same time as my sister in either junior high or high school. But when my sister was a member of KT, my family often went to see their performances and watching her made me want to join KT and the Wind Music Club.
ー　You knew from the beginning that there would be very few boys at KT, but did you never feel reluctant about going to a school like that?
Popple　 No, not at all. When I was in the Wind Music Club at junior high, there were only seven boys in my grade and about 13 overall among the 60 or so members of the Club.
ー　Even that percentage of boys is higher than here. Have you ever been made fun of by classmates at school for being in a Wind Music Club surrounded by girls?
Popple　 No, never.
ー　I have heard that in the past, boys in the Wind Music Club were looked down upon and teased at school. But that is not the case anymore nowadays.
Popple　 Among the third year students, Livace and me are the only boys, so it might not be wrong to say we have an inferior presence, but we don’t have any problems in Club activities or practice because of that.
ー　There are some steps in the parade and stage marching that are obviously choreographed for girls. Do you feel reluctant about doing these steps?
Popple Nope. I mean, I have no choice but to do them.
ー　That is true. Girls often join the Club because they admire Orange or “Sing, sing, sing”, but what about the Club makes boys want to join?
Popple　 I haven’t heard about either of them, so I don’t know. But there is a boy in the first year who said he thought the club’s performance at the welcome party for new students was cool.
ー　Do you actively recruit boys in junior high or anything like that?
Popple　 Not particularly.
ー　I see. So you are saying that you don’t care at all about being a boy or a girl at school. But one of the boys wears a jacket that says “TACHIBANA G.H.S. BAND“, right? Is that maybe a joke that while the school is co-ed, the Wind Music Club is actually still a girls’ high school?

Popple　 Are you talking about my practice clothes? No. We inherit the practice clothes from our senpai(s).
ー　Really?
Popple　 The practice uniforms have been passed down from student to student from since way back when Tachibana was an all-girls school.
ー　Boy, I didn’t know that. (Co-education which started in 2000, included all school activities by 2003.)
Popple　 Most of the practice uniforms that the second and third year students were wearing at today’s practice were given to them by their senpai(s). Some of the white T-shirts with lettering on them and some sports shoes are inherited from previous students. There are even some 10-year old towels.
ー　So that’s why everyone’s practice uniforms have different colors and shapes. Do first-year students get their uniforms when the third-year students graduate?
Popple　Yes, at the end of the first year, we ask a third-year senpai(s) we respect if they could give us a part of their practice uniform, and then at the end of the retirement ceremony they hand it over to us.
ー　So you receive them from the third-year’s senpai(s) after a year of hard work and when you have become a full-fledged club member. That is a wonderful tradition.

Traditionally, there is a strong bond in KT between students who are one grade apart, even after graduation, and this tradition may have something to do with this. First-year students see themselves as “disciples” of the third-year senpai(s).

ー　Anyway, there are much more important things than different genders, such as the relationship between senpai(s) and ko-hai(s), and practice and performances.
Popple When we stay overnight somewhere, as we did during the Beppu tour, the boys share the same room, but that’s about it.
ー　To change the subject. Your sister was in the 115th, the year that Kaneshiro-sensei came to the Club and a year which saw quite a bit of struggle between carrying on tradition and introducing change. I heard that the Club managers were quite active and the Club atmosphere was pretty strict, a complete turnaround from the 114th, where the hierarchical relationship was a bit loose. Do you receive any kind of coaching from your sister even today?
Popple　 No. Sometimes she asks how Club activities are going, but that’s it. But she was very happy about us winning National Gold. Her ex classmates also watched the Nationals via online streaming.
ー　So she cares about how you are doing at the Club, but doesn’t interfere in any way. Let me ask about the Marching Contest. What kind of challenges did you face as the all saxophone team and how did you practice to overcome them?
Popple　 There are quite a few members in the saxophone team (six in the 118th, four in the 119th, and five in the 120th), but Kaneshiro-sensei often pointed out that he can’t hear the saxophones, and I also felt that. Even with the right pitch, you can’t hear yourself if the volume of your sound is too small.
ー　Is that a problem of lung capacity?
Popple　 No. If you use too much breath to try to make the sound louder, the tone can become choked and doesn’t resonate, which makes it even harder to hear. On the other hand, if the tone resonates properly, even a small sound can be heard well.
ー　I see. So it is difficult to make a loud sound with a good tone. What aspects of technique are important in this case?
Popple　Most important is how you use your breath and the embouchure (the shape of the mouth, or lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, cheeks, etc. when playing the instrument).
ー　So it’s all about the basic technique of playing the saxophone?
Popple　 Yes. So we practiced man-to-man together and polished our technique.
ー　When I watched your performance at the Nationals via online streaming, I felt I could hear the sounds of more different instruments than at the Kyoto Competition. The low notes had more resonance and sounded better, and I could distinguish the various instruments clearly. So that might also be a reason why the sound of the saxophone could be heard very well.
Popple　One of the judges wrote in his review, “The sound of the saxophone resonated very well.“
ー　I see! So that was an objective recognition of the results of your practice.
Popple　Yes.
ー　What are your dreams for the future?
Popple　I haven’t decided yet, but I would like to continue doing music.
ー　Thank you very much. Could you please call the clarinet part leader?
Popple　 Okay.

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Leader of the clarinet team
Luria（るリア）
Instrument in charge：clarinet
Origin of the nickname：Lu from sulume-ika (Japanese flying squid)＋ria from Ariana Grande
Position at the Beppu Parade：Second row from the end of the line, far right.
(solo performance of “Prelude to Act 3” from opera “Carmen” at the concert in Toyooka and Nagoya）
(she is also charge of the Band Official Homepage, YouTube and Instagram）

If you browse KT’s Instagram account, you can still see those fun “countdown videos” that were released every day during the time leading up to the Marching Contest in Kansai and at the Nationals. These videos were designed and produced by the homepage staff led by Luria and Cha-pu-te of the 118th. Luria was the person who filmed the countdown performances that each instrument part came up with on an iPad provided exclusively for Club activities (the use of smartphones is prohibited in the school), transferred them to an iPod touch, and brought them home to edit. She demonstrated her video editing skills even further in “Zenkoku-year!” and “2021 Soar on Wings” which both show the explosion of joy upon advancing to the Nationals. The piano background music is beautiful and moving, no matter how many times you watch the videos.

Even among the many proactive and intelligent members of 118th, the clarinet leader still makes a strong impression and it was an honor to interview her.

Luria　 I have loved music since I was little and played clarinet in junior high (she is from a public junior high school in Yawata city), but then I got interested in and started playing violin and I had originally planned to focus more on the violin in high school. But after I started high school, a friend invited me to try out joining the Wind Music Club, and I agreed. During lunch break, I found myself in the middle of a circle with the older senpai(s) and someone brought up the idea of giving nicknames to everyone. All of the sudden, I had the wonderful nickname “Luria” and had no way to escape anymore. Hahaha. So I ended up officially joining the Club… and before I knew it I was at the Marching Contest! (Gold at Kansai in 2019).
ー　So you joined the Club because you were given a nickname. But now as a third-year you became the clarinet leader.
Luria　 Yeah. Since I was given the opportunity to participate, I decided to give it my best.
ー　There is a video on YouTube of you practicing in Orange on a baseball field before the Nationals and in one part, we can see you instructing the clarinet members in a variety of ways. Some of the overseas fans were quite impressed by that scene. Is that Itani-sensei’s style? (she is also a professional clarinet player, so she is teaching the clarinet team)
Luria　 Yes. I put a lot of thought into it as well. I thought it would be difficult for everyone to visualize what I wanted to convey if I used only words.
ー　You expressed your feelings and intonation using your whole body, right?
Luria　 I was really desperate at that point. I felt that as long as I was the leader, I had to take responsibility for improving the skills of the team…
ー　It was interesting to see the bass clarinet practicing with the baritone saxophone and the soprano saxophone with the clarinet team. It seems to make sense when you think about it, though.
Luria　 Yes, it does. To enrich the musicality this year, Kaneshiro-sensei bought a bass clarinet and an E♭ clarinet, and we added both to our marching performance. I was in charge of teaching B♭ clarinet, E♭ clarinet, and soprano sax.
ー　What were the challenges for the clarinet team in the Marching Contest?
Luria　 During the Contest when I was in my first year (2019), there were 16 people playing B♭ clarinet, but this year there were only nine, so the sound of the clarinet was buried by the brass instruments. It was difficult for the clarinets to be heard and to bring out the beauty of the clarinet sound. Another problem was that many of the students were not good at tonguing (enunciating notes using the tongue on the reed or mouthpiece), which caused the rhythm to break down. So, right before the contest, I decided to start from scratch in practice and tried working on basic exercises. I think this helped a lot.
ー　Someone told me that you helped cut the reeds for your team members?
Luria　 Before the Kansai Competition, I collected everyone’s reeds, mouthpieces and ligatures, and cut and set the reeds so they fit to the mouthpieces properly. I always cut and set my own reeds for both seated playing and marching.
ー　That must have been a lot of work. Do you feel that you were able to play well at the Nationals and bring out the presence of the clarinet team?
Luria　 Yes. Looking back at the performance, I think there are still some things that need more work, but while playing, I felt the energy not only of the clarinets but of all of us flow together and shine, and that we managed to do some things we hadn’t been able to do in practice. In the middle of marching, I thought, “This is it!“ The sense of accomplishment in the moment we finished was amazing!
ー　It seems that many of you felt that you did better in the performance than you did in practice. That is what the results of practice are really about. By the way, you and the Drum Major won a prize at the Beppu costume contest for your Chinese dress costumes. Your kung-fu pose was also very cool.
Luria　 Thank you! I had so much fun I didn’t want to go home!
ー　What are your plans for after graduation?
Luria　 I am going to fashion school. I have dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and creating my own brand since I was in fourth grade of elementary school. I am definitely going to make that dream come true. My senpai gave me a nickname that changed my three years of high school, so the name I will give my own brand will be “Luria.“
ー　I’m sure you can do it. I am looking forward to it.
Luria　 Also, I will be a big fan of KT when I graduate! I care so much about my ko-hai. So I definitely want them to stand on the same stage as us next year. I’m going to buy S-seat tickets for Osaka-jō Hall and bring my orange towel to cheer them on!
ー　I feel energized myself after talking to you. Thank you very much!

March 19th, 2021, was the day of the audition for the clarinet team. All Club members sit in a classroom facing the front, listening to the students play one by one in the back of the room, and then rate their performance in nine levels on a scale from A+ to C-. (Teachers and coaches do not participate in scoring.) Auditions are held monthly for all members, so with enough practice, it is possible to get back in. On that day, Luria was not in good shape and after her performance, she hung crying around Itani-sensei’s neck. Other Club members around her burst out laughing when they saw this and ten minutes later, Luria herself was laughing when telling the story. The Wind Music Club members are not so soft that adults need to worry.

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Leader of the percussion team
Livace（pronounced “Livas”, リヴァス▶︎）
Instrument in charge：percussion
Origin of the nickname：Levi Ackerman from “Attack on Titan“＋ice cream ＋ YouTube（▶︎）
Position at the Beppu Parade：4th row, far left.
(brother of the 116th Drum Major “Palinpu”)

One thing that KT’s teachers and the Club members have in common is that they all have very good ears. One time I was in Kaneshiro-sensei’s car in the passenger seat and he asked me if I had any idea what the weird noise coming from the car was (I work as an automotive writer). I could not hear any noise at all, and it was only when I opened the side window that I noticed a high-frequency noise that is typical for a hub bearing about to burn out (Kaneshiro-sensei indeed had the hub bearing replaced later).

For the interviews I did in March 2021, I visited the school every day for a week and experienced many different situations. One day, while talking to Kaneshiro-sensei in his office, a member of the percussion started practicing drums in the hallway. The repetitive sounds of the drum playing were so loud that I had trouble hearing what Kaneshiro-sensei was saying, but neither he nor the other members of the Club paid any attention to the rapping of the drum and kept talking at a normal conversational volume. This means that they can not only hear small sounds, but also ignore loud sounds they don’t need to hear and filter out only what they want to listen to from the multitude of sounds around them. Every day at KT made me feel like I might be bad of hearing.

But back then, when the drummer kept repeating the same part so many times, I eventually took heart and went to ask them to move to another place. And that drummer happened to be Livace.

ー　I’m sorry I chased you away that time. You were just practicing hard.
Livace　 That’ okay. I am the type who practices until they are satisfied, and so I often end up repeating one part over and over again until I like how it sounds.
ー　In March, a well-known sensei in the world of wind music in Japan came to this school to coach and you all worked with them on seated performance. At that time, he got a hold of the percussion team and did some special practice with you. I was particularly impressed by his question, “What instrument do you imagine you are when you play?” He told you that when playing percussion, you should always have the image of some wind instrument in mind. Otherwise it would only sound noisy.
Livace　Yes. That instruction helped me very much. I became more aware that I needed to play percussion as one instrument among many, and it became easier to grasp the image of blending with the wind instruments.
ー　”Play the drums like a trumpet” or “play the drums like a tuba” is a revolutionary practice method. By the way, your sister is Palinpu, Drum Major of the 116th, right?
Livace　 That’s right.
ー　So it was your sister’s influence that made you join the Wind Music Club?
Livace　 My sister started playing wind music in the second grade of elementary school, and watching her I thought it looked cool. So I joined the Wind Music Club myself when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school and started playing percussion.
ー　Your sister played the piccolo.
Livace　 In elementary school, she played the euphonium. She started playing the flute and piccolo in junior high.
ー　Since you and your sister went to the same elementary school and junior high (a public school in the northwestern part of Nara prefecture), you and your sister were always in the same Wind Music Club throughout elementary, junior high, and high school, weren’t you? Wasn’t it difficult to be together with her all the time? At KT, when you joined the Club in your first year of high school, your sister was the Drum Major.
Livace　 It was never difficult for me. We are close as siblings, so it was rather nice to be able to ask her about things I didn’t understand.
ー　In my questionnaire, you wrote that you decided to join KT when you saw the Sakura parade (March 27th, 2016) while in your first year of junior high. So it was not because of your sister’s influence?
Livace　At that time our junior high school band, which I belonged to, also took part in the Sakura parade, and when I saw KT’s marching performance, I thought, “I want to go to this school!” When I told my parents about this, my sister suddenly said, “Me too!“ and then enrolled before me.
ー　So you decided to go to KT first?
Livace　 Yes, I did! My sister hates to lose.
ー　OK, so your sister became competitive, enrolled first in the high school you decided to go to, joined KT, became Drum Major of the 116th in the October election of her first year, and then went on to be the GBA flag bearer at the Rose Parade 2018 (see more of that here) at the end of the same year? You have quite the active and lucky sister. Did she talk a lot about the Rose Parade?
Livace　She did. Haha.
ー　Many of KT’s past percussion players have been stars. It is a very prominent and cool-looking part. Being leader of this group must be quite the responsibility, so what is your approach to this role?
Livace　 There are 11 of us in percussion this year, and we all get along well, so the atmosphere in our group is good and we have a lot of fun during practice and performances. One challenge was to improve synchronizing our timing. I thought it was important for us to be in tune with each other’s feelings, so I made it a habit that when one of us passes by another percussion member during the day at school, we would clap the other’s hand and synchronize our timing with that.
ー　Never mind whether the other student was a ko-hai or a senpai?
Livace　 Never mind who the other was.
ー　That’s interesting. There is a Japanese expression “to match each other’s breath,” and so that is what that means.
Livace　 I think so, yes.
ー　I asked Popple about the practice uniform with TACHIBANA G.H.S. BAND written on the back in yellow letters. That is your uniform?
Livace　 Yes. One of my marching instructors of junior high school was a KT alumnus. She gave the jacket to me, and I lent it to Popple.
ー　Did you inherit anything yourself from a senpai boy?
Livace　 No, the only senpai who was a boy was not a percussion player, so he gave his practice clothes to the girls from his instrument group.
ー　Hearing from you and Popple, it seems to really not matter whether you are a boy or a girl in the Club. You both do your parts without paying particular attention to this.
Livace　 Yep.
ー　I heard from Kaneshiro-sensei that there is no rule against romance in the club at the moment. Any chance that you might end up dating a female member of the Club?
Livace　 No way.
ー　Thank you very much. Your sister is starting her career as a professional entertainer right now, how about you?
Livace　 I want to become a performer in my own music genre.
ー　Good luck! Now that I have talked with all the main part leaders of the 118th, could you please call the Club President of the 119th. I think she is Renpy?
Livace　 I’ll go get her.

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119th Club President
Renpy（レンピー）
Instrument in charge：piccolo
Origin of the nickname：Ren- from Arren (charater from “Tales from Earthsea“)＋-py from Yamapy (nickname of singer Tomohisa Yamashita)
Position at the Beppu Parade：Left of last row

I conducted my interview series with the 118th on October 27 and 28, 2021, one week after they won Gold in the Nationals in the Marching Contest. When I came to the school on the 27th, the newly nominated managers and part leaders of the 119th took the trouble to come over and introduce themselves to me. So, with the permission of Kaneshiro-sensei and the students themselves, I decided to ask a few questions of the Club President, Drum Major, and Student Conductor as representatives of the 119th Class.

The designated next Club President is Renpy, a smart and cheerful person. She will represent the Wind Music Club of KT in 2022 and will be the next leader of the KT Wind Music Club.

ー　Hello.
Renpy　 Hello! Nice to meet you!
ー　So, you will be the next Club President. That’s a big deal.
Renpy　 Hahaha, yes. But I knew that any of us could be selected, so I prepared myself mentally so that if I was selected, I could do my very best.
ー　Great! That is indeed the mindset of a President.
Renpy　 But when they actually did call my name, I was really surprised…
ー　Hahaha. It’s nice that you are so straightforward. First, could you please tell me when and how you were appointed?
Renpy　 Right. After we won the Marching Contest in Kansai and advanced to the Nationals, about a week before the Beppu tour (Daigomeets at Umekōji Park was held on October 23rd, 2021, so probably the first half of the week of October 25th), there was an interview at the school.
ー　You mean the interview with Kaneshiro-sensei and all the third-year students of the 118th?
Renpy　 Yes, the members of the 119th went into the classroom one by one and in response to Kaneshiro-sensei’s questions presented their ideas to the senpai(s) of the 118th.
ー　You must have been pretty nervous. What kind of questions did Kaneshiro-sensei ask?
Renpy　 For example, “What should we as members do to make our Club the best high school’s Wind Music Band in Japan?“ and “What kind of club culture do you envision the Club to have in 2022?“
ー　And how did you answer these questions to Kaneshiro-sensei and the senpai(s)?
Renpy　 I said that I wanted to create an environment where all team members can enjoy practicing music and thereby also being part of the Club.
ー　So not a harsh club culture but a fun club culture. That is very important.
Renpy　 Kaneshiro-sensei also asked me who I would nominate as Club President for the year 2022.
ー　That is an interesting question. This interview is not only for selecting the Club President, right? You also decide the Drum Major, Vice President and Student Conductor in the same interview.
Renpy　 Yes, that’s right.
ー　What do you think was the deciding factor for you being selected?
Renpy　 The only thing I can think of is that I made an effort over the past two years to build strong relationships with everyone of the 119th.
ー　Have you ever spoken directly with Kaneshiro-sensei before now?
Renpy　 I have only spoken to him directly a few times, so about the same as everyone else.
ー　Throughout the past year, you have been watching Su-chi as your Club President (of the 118th). I believe that you learned what the role of the Club President is by watching her, but what is your impression of her? And based on the things you learned from her, what kind of President do you want to be?
Renpy　 I respect Su-chi-senpai a lot. She always looks after each individual member of the Club, and when for example a member starts to have a hard time at practice, she would say, “They are this kind of person, so it is best to give them advice like this“ and tell you the appropriate way of helping them. I want to learn from her in this regard. After we were elected as the next managers, we would also often sit in on meetings when the current managers and Kaneshiro-sensei discuss practice in the art preparatory room (the room next to the advisory teacher’s room, which is usually used as the meeting room of the Wind Music Club). I was amazed at the way Su-chi-senpai could immediately answer any of Kaneshiro-sensei’s questions and express her opinions in a logical and structured way.
ー　She also gives pertinent speeches at your daily review meetings, right? I am sure this is because she always watches her surroundings and reflects on it, and is always prepared to put her thought into words. If she was only giving her opinions on the spot, she would not be able to analyze situations and give ideas on how to improve them so easily.
Renpy　 Yes, I think so.
ー　You still have time to prepare before you actually become a Club President after the retirement ceremony of the 118th at the end of March, so I hope you will watch and learn more from Su-chi and get ready to take on your new role. I am sure I will have the opportunity to interview you again.
Renpy:　Yes. I look forward to it, thank you very much!

Su-chi, club president of the 118th, hands over a piece of paper with takushi-jyo (託し状) written on it to Renpy, Club President of the 119th, and Creta, Drum Major of the 119th. The paper says “Win Gold at next year’s Nationals of the All-Japan Marching Contest at all cost!“ The literal translation of takushi-jyo (託し状) is “written request,” but no such term or concept exists in Japanese, and there is also no custom of personally handing over such a letter. Therefore, Renpy interprets this as Su-chi communicating her true feelings in the form of a joke (perhaps a play on hatashi-jyo (果し状), which is a letter a samurai hands to an opponent to challenge them to a duel) and takes the letter with a smile, but Creta seems to be keenly aware of the weight of her responsibility.

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119th Drum Major
Creta（クレタ）
Instrument in charge：trombone
Origin of the nickname：Cre- from “Crayon Shin-chan” ＋ -ta from pasta
Position at the Beppu Parade：Front row, second from right

The time has come to introduce to you the 119th’s Drum Major.

Please take another look at the Beppu Parade video. On the far left in the front row is trombone team leader Pollon, on the far right is the 118th’s “genius manga artist” Yadoco, and second from the right is the 119th’s next Drum Major. Her nickname is Creta. Comes from the anime “Crayon Shin-chan” and pasta. She was nominated as Drum Major by the senpai(s) of the 118th and Kaneshiro-sensei on the same day as Renpy after the interview.

ー　You got selected as Drum Major!
Creta　 I am very happy that Kaneshiro-sensei and my senpai(s) of the 118th chose me. But at the same time I am also very aware of the great responsibility I have because after winning the National Gold in the Marching Contest in 2021 the expectations for 2022 are high.
ー　Renpy said that she had mentally prepared herself to be ready to accept a position as the President if she was chosen at any time, but how about you? Did you have a feeling that you might be chosen as Drum Major?
Creta　 Kaneshiro-sensei once told me, “Next year, the 119th will be leading the team, so make sure to get used to thinking and acting regularly in a way that you are ready anytime if you get chosen as a leader,“ so yes, I did have a hunch.
ー　KT’s trombone players have traditionally been the team at the front of the parade line and attracting the attention of the spectators. Maybe because of that, I think the whole team gives off a glamorous vibe, and some past Drum Majors were also trombone players. I’m sure there are many fans who fully support your choice as next Drum Major. By the way, what made you decide to come to KT in the first place?
Creta　 I was in a Wind Music Club and did marching since junior high, and we also participated in Marching Contests. I was very much influenced by KT since that time, and we even included some steps and a bit of dancing into our own performance.
ー　You are from a public junior high located northwest of the Kyoto Imperial Palace near Takara-ga-ike Park. In your first year, you won Gold in Kansai at the Marching Contest. You played “Hey!“ as ending song:

Click picture to watch video

Creta　 During the Contest, I saw the students from KT in their orange uniforms and was so excited that I made a big ruckus about them being there.
ー　So you were a big fan of KT.
Creta　 Yes, I was always watching their videos on YouTube. I wasn’t able to go to the Nationals when I was in junior high, but when I joined KT, under the guidance of Kaneshiro-sensei, Shima-coach, and all the senpai(s), I could go to the Nationals for the first time (Shugakuin JHS advanced to the Nationals in 2019 after Creta graduated).
ー　You joined the Wind Music Band of your dreams, won National Gold, and now you are the Drum Major of the team. That’s impressive. Will your first job as Drum Major be to conduct the performance after you see off the third year students at the end of the Regular Concert?
Creta　 That’s right.
ー　In a regular year, you would have only one more month to get ready (the interview was on November 28th).
Creta　 Yes. This year, the Regular Concert is at the end of March, so we still have four more months to prepare. I intend to do my best.

Creta is also an excellent player of her instrument. She was selected as one of the eight members to play at the Kyoto Qualification for the All-Japan Ensemble Contest, in which KT will participated for the first time, on January 6, 2022. At the contest Su-chi will play the tuba, Kiro-py, Taradon and a student of the 119th will play the trumpet, Piron will play the horn, and Yadoco, the “manga artist“ and Creta, also a student of the 120th will play the trombone.

ー　By the way, what did you dress up as at the costume contest in Beppu? I get the feeling that everyone’s individual personality came out in their costumes, so I can’t help but ask about it. The Drum Major of the 118th wore a Chinese dress.
Creta　 I bought an old (70’s to 90’s) Japanese biker’s boiler suit with Kanji embroidery on the back at Donki and wore it as my costume. And then I was so surprised to see that Kaneshiro-sensei was wearing the same!
ー　Kaneshiro-sensei dressed up too?
Creta　 The President and Vice Presidents (Su-chi, Kiropy, Rany) prepared the costume and made Kaneshiro-sensei wear it.
ー　And it was the same kind of boiler suit that you had picked.
Creta　 Yeah, I was pretty surprised.
ー　I’m sure we will have another chance to talk about how it is to lead a band of about 100 people, when you count in the first-year students who will join in April, at a Marching Contest, so let’s leave it here for today. But in my personal opinion, you will be a great Drum Major.
Creta　 I will do my best.

In Japanese, a person with beautiful manners and inner human qualities is often compared to a flower. In kabuki (歌舞伎), a popular star actor is called a hanagata (花形), meaning “floral player“. Because of this, the kanji for flower, hana (花), is frequently used in Japanese given names. However, this is the first time I have met a person whose name has 101 of them. I am sure that her parents wanted Creta to become a “big floral player“. After my short conversation with Creta, I was convinced that her parents’ hopes for her would come true.

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Every year, Hiramatsu-sensei would present a beautifully framed Japanese calligraphy with words of encouragement to the members of the Club. The board on the wall of the Club’s room, which used to serve as a bulletin board, is now decorated with the calligraphy, which watches over the students’ daily practice.

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119th Student Conductor
Pooh-maru（プーまる）
Instrument in charge：percussion
Origin of the nickname：pooh from “Winnie-the-Pooh“＋maru from the Utamaru (Japanese musician)
Position at the Beppu Parade：Left side of the bass drum

If the Drum Major’s goal is the winning of the Marching Contest, the Student Conductor’s goal is the AJBA Band Competition. In recent years, KT has not been able to make it through the Kyoto Qualification, in part because so many schools participate in this competition. Pooh-maru’s goal as new Student Conductor is to advance to the Kansai Qualification.

ー　Hello! I was surprised at the unexpected choice of a percussion player instead of a wind instrument player. Congratulations!
Pooh-maru　 Thank you.
ー　You looked like you were having a lot of fun playing in the parade in Beppu! You had a brilliant smile.
Pooh-maru　 It was fun!
ー　You were entrusted by Kaneshiro-sensei and the senpai(s) of the 118th to be the Student Conductors for 2022. What do you think are everyone’s expectations of you?
Pooh-maru　 I am a percussion player, and percussion has always had the role of leading the entire performance, so I think that I am expected to bring that experience into play.
ー　Did your awareness of the importance of percussion change under the influence of that famous teacher’s instruction to “play like a wind instrument”?
Pooh-maru　 Yes, it did.
ー　You have been playing percussion since junior high?
Pooh-maru　 Yes. I went to Uji Municipal Nishi-ogura JHS and played percussion during my three years there. But my school did not have marching.
ー　You also participated in Band Competitions (in her first and second year). In my questionnaire, you wrote that you saw “Waratte-koraete” on YouTube when you were in the first grade of junior high and were fascinated by KT. Was that during the time of 108th’s Horaccha-senpai?
Pooh-maru　 Yes, that’s right!
ー　But in those days, all schools still had pretty strict cultures in clubs, and first-year students were put through grueling training, that would be unthinkable nowadays, in front of the TV cameras. You saw that but still admired the Club?
Pooh-maru　 The Wind Music Club at my junior high school was pretty easygoing (she described it as “loose”), so I admired a school where the practice would be more strict and the members would be working harder.
ー　Your predecessor as Student Conductor, Omder of the 118th, said something similar. She said she came to KT because she wanted an environment with strict discipline. It looks like some students come to KT with that kind of motivation.
Pooh-maru　 Yes, but my thinking on that point has changed a lot since I joined the Club, and I came to realize that it is not only strictness that enables growth and progress.
ー　That’s great. I think so, too. Hard work and science are what nurture growth and progress.

In Japanese high school clubs, especially in athletic clubs, old pre-war era practices like meaningless overwork, harsh training, bullying and corporal punishment have continued on until recent years. Even close adults who saw how harsh the coaching of the students was, were sympathetic and inspired. However, in recent years, these practices have finally undergone rapid reform in Japan. The traditions and changes in practice at KT are also generally in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, and are not merely the policies of the principal or the teachers.

ー　One of the topics you are asked to tackle is breaking through the wall of the Kyoto Qualifications in the Band Competition. That is quite a challenge.

In 2021, 38 schools participated in the 69th Band Competition Kyoto Qualifications, and ten schools including KT won Gold, but only four schools were able to advance to Kansai. Three of these schools regularly go on to the Kansai Competition. However, none of the high schools from Kyoto made it to the Nationals in 2021, and the only school from Kansai to advance to the Nationals and win Gold was Tōkai University Osaka Gyōsei SHS. However, as with the Marching Contest, Yodogawa High School of Technology (=Yodo-ko) won the National Gold in previous years, and is by far the strongest contender.

ー　I heard that your performance at the 2021 Kyoto Qualification received very positive responses, but what was your own impression?
Pooh-maru: I was satisfied with our performance as well. But it didn’t get us the results we wanted, so I guess some parts were not good enough yet.
ー　What do you think needs to be improved?
Pooh-maru　 Individually, we need to improve our performance technique, and as a whole team, we need to improve on our expression.
ー　Do you feel there is room for improvement in these areas?
Pooh-maru　 Yes, of course.
ー　It would be great to talk with you again some day. By the way, what was your costume in Beppu?
Pooh-maru　 Jiangshi!
ー　I’d like to hear the music you like best.
Pooh-maru　I love “The Olympic Spirit” by John Williams that we performed at 2020 marching contest.
ー　Oh Yeah. That was really wonderful. Thank you very much.

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These are special custom-made goods for the KT Club members in 2021. With the goal of connecting everyone’s hearts as one, Kaneshiro-sensei ordered a few thousand of these masks, which you can see the club members wearing in the “Zenkoku year!” video on Instagram. The students wear them when they appear as a group, such as during events. The illustration of the 118th members on the two traditional Japanese round fans (uchiwa) were drawn by Yadoco, a member of the trombone team of the 118th (far right in the front row at the Beppu parade). It was a pity that I could not interview Yadoco in November, so I am hoping to talk to her a bit on occasion of the 118th’s retirement ceremony at the school the day after the Regular Concerts on March 27th and 28th. Of course, I also need to remember to ask Creta about the slogan for 2022.

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The Grateful People:

In the second half of the touching video “2021 Soar on wings” on Instagram, the entire 118th line up and call Kaneshiro-sensei and Shima-coach into the music room to express their gratitude. The wonderful part about this scene is that it took place on the day before the Competition. The students wanted to express their gratitude to their teacher and coach regardless of how the results on the next day would turn out. The thoughtfulness behind this is truly moving. It is not easy, even for adults, to act in consideration of the feelings of others.

The picture above is the board that the students presented Kaneshiro-sensei with on that day, with their messages of appreciation written around a sketch of Kaneshiro-sensei done by Yadoco (as these are private messages, this part of the picture has been blurred). Shima-coach started to laugh so hard when she was given her board because she saw the sketch of her own face in that moment.

KT is always full of gratitude: the ko-hai(s) students are grateful to their senpai(s) for instructing and giving them guidance everyday, and the senpai(s) are grateful to their ko-hai(s) for believing in them and following their lead. All Club members are grateful to Kaneshiro-sensei, Itani-sensei, and Shima-coach. At the end of each day’s practice, all say “Thank you!“ and then bow towards the teacher (this is called “Rei” (礼), meaning “thanking“ in Japanese). This “exchange of gratitude“ is truly wonderful. I believe that the humility in thanking each other is what transforms them from being simply a band that is good at music to being an ensemble with a noble character. The club members are all beautiful human beings. This is the most important thing I want all of you to know.

Of course we, their fans, are grateful to them for always entertaining us and energizing us with their music and performances. I am sure that our gratitude reaches them, but personally, I feel that no matter how much we thank them, it is not enough.

How can we thank them even more than we already do? I would like to ask you, their fans all over the world, to try to think about this. If you can find ways to show them your gratitude in an even greater and more tangible form, I believe we can be part of their “exchange of gratitude“ too.

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