rhythmworks

Mark Alcock: Director and Facilitator

Mark teaches and performs Taiko drumming worldwide.

He first studied Taiko with the Tennon Daiko drummers of Wakayama prefecture in Southern Japan. His teachers included Katsuji Kondo, former front man of the world famous Kodo drummers.

On his return to England in 1994, he was an original member of Mugenkyo, and played with Taiko master Joji Hirota for ten years.

In 1996 he joined forces with James Barrow to set up the first hands-on Taiko workshops in the UK for schools and members of the public.

He currently leads and composes for London's Taiko Meantime and regularly performs with virtuoso Chinese Flautist, Guo Yue.

Mark founded Rhythmworks Ltd in 2000 and has been working with companies ever since to achieve their best through the vehicle of performance.

Mark can be seen performing with Taiko Meantime in this video.

James Barrow: Facilitator

James studied Taiko drumming and yokobue flute for 5 years with Osamu Munakata, Head of The Hiroshima Taiko Hozonkai Drum Preservation Society in Japan. During this time he became a "gashira", leader, for part of the group's performances, and was granted a "menkyo" license to teach the rhythms and flute melodies of Hiroshima to others.

On his return to the UK in 1990 he formed Akatsuki Daiko - the first ever regularly performing taiko group in Britain.

James is a qualified Music Workshop instructor having completed a course in Music Workshop Skills at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He currently runs Taiko West.

Nao Masuda: Facilitator

Nao is from Tokyo, Japan. She has been performing taiko drumming since 2000 and has facilitated many taiko workshops in UK schools. She's an expert Taiko player and has been working at Rhythmworks since 2004.

Her passion is for people and performance!

Ed Pickering: Facilitator

Ed has been involved in music from an early age and learnt Taiko Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan, where he lived for three years. He spent two years playing with local group Ataka Taiko, performing at concerts and festivals.

Ed joined Rhythmworks in 2002.

His main pastimes are sport and music, and taiko is a way for him to indulge two of the most important parts of his life at once. He also cycles and runs competitively.

Ed can be seen performing with Taiko Meantime in this video.