Virtual shakuhachi with dai-shihan Michael Chikuzen Gould

Shakuhachi learning before and during the pandemic

Authors

  • Sarah Renata Strothers Florida State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.19346%20

Keywords:

shakuhachi, virtual learning, pedagogy

Abstract

Virtual learning environments have become commonplace in the midst of COVID-19. Although it was not unheard of, taking Skype lessons on a musical instrument was considered to be unusual ten-plus years ago. This article will briefly discuss the ways in which the pandemic has affected those who study shakuhachi online with dai-shihan (grandmaster) Michael Chikuzen Gould. While individuals and institutions continue to figure out how to navigate this new cyber context, virtual shakuhachi lessons with Sensei Gould continue as scheduled and remain unaffected as in-person workshops and intensives are cancelled until further notice.

Author Biography

  • Sarah Renata Strothers, Florida State University

    Sarah Renata Strothers is a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at Florida State University who specializes in shakuhachi performance, pedagogy, and transmission. Sarah has been playing shakuhachi for eleven years under the tutelage of shakuhachi grandmaster (dai-shihan, 大師範) Michael Chikuzen (竹禅) Gould. In addition to being employed as a high school music teacher who helps with band, orchestra, and show choir, Sarah also performs shakuhachi for private events and will be completing her doctorate in Fall of 2021.

References

Cabedo-Mas, Alberto, Cristina Arriaga-Sanz and Lidon Moliner-Miravet. 2021. ‘Uses and Perceptions of Music in Times of COVID-19: A Spanish Population Survey’. Frontiers in Psychology, January. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.606180

De Ferranti, Hugh. 2000. Japanese Musical Instruments. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kamisango, Yuko. 1988. ‘The Shakuhachi: History and Development’. In The Shakuhachi: A Manual for Learning, ed. Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, 69–132. Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomo Sha.

Lee, Riley Kelly. 1998. ‘Yearning for the Bell: A Study of Transmission in the Shakuhachi Honkyoku Tradition’. PhD thesis, University of Sydney.

Strothers, Sarah. 2010. ‘Shakuhachi in the United States: Transcending Boundaries and Dichotomies’. Master’s thesis, Bowling Green State University.

—2021. ‘Companion Listening: Shakuhachi Learning Before and During the Pandemic’. YouTube, 25 May. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiZhDkBDvC0

Published

2021-08-28

How to Cite

Strothers, S. R. . (2021). Virtual shakuhachi with dai-shihan Michael Chikuzen Gould: Shakuhachi learning before and during the pandemic. Perfect Beat, 21(1), 81–86. https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.19346