Matt Kodama - Class of 2018
February 9th, 2022
PBA Alumnus and President of Seattle University’s Taiko Club Reflects on his Performance Journey
As president of Seattle University’s student-led club, Hidaka Taiko, Matt Kodama ’18 shares on his experience and hopes of leaving a positive impact on the group.
“I first learned the art of taiko at PBA and immediately developed a passion for performing. I’m proud to have continued taiko in college, as our club is dedicated to spreading Japanese culture and spirit around campus,” said Matt.
Hidaka is student-led and has no permanent and designated taiko sensei. “Instruction is always done by the more experienced members of the club. This can pose a certain difficulty when experienced members graduate. I am graduating this year, so a big challenge for me as well as the other seniors is to teach the younger members as much as we possibly can so that they can keep the club going in the future,” said Matt.
Matt emphasized that some of his most meaningful college memories and closest friendships have been made practicing with Hidaka saying, “I’ve grown a lot as a taiko player because of the close-knit dynamic of our members.”
Another challenge for Matt is balancing taiko and schoolwork, especially during weeks with mid-terms and finals. “As president, I’ve tried my best to skip as few practices as possible to consistently teach and run practices. However, my goal has been to establish taiko as an activity that reduces stress rather than adds to it. Therefore, I encourage our members to take days off when they need, especially if they are overwhelmed by their schoolwork. This encouragement also applies to me. Being able to forgive myself if I miss practice to prioritize my academics has helped me achieve a balance between taiko and school,” said Matt.
Matt reflected on his high school taiko experiences, saying, “My favorite memory while performing taiko at PBA was during my senior year at our annual Taiko Fest. That performance was a symbol of my hard work and showed me how far I had come. I remember feeling so happy and fulfilled after performing the senior piece with my three classmates, Dillon Tsubota, Kurt Villa, and Sheera Tamura. I'll never forget my high school experience because it marked the beginning of my taiko journey.”
After graduating from SU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Matt plans to take a gap year to work full-time and save enough money to pursue a graduate degree. “I am still undecided on what specific area of study I will pursue, but my current interests involve the field of counseling and therapy,” said Matt. “One thing I wanted to add is that I am super thankful to Maya Viloria ’17 for convincing me to join Hidaka Taiko in my freshman year. Being able to practice alongside my friends and work towards our performances together has made taiko so much fun!”
