Emily Harada

With over 25 years of experience, Emily is TAM's first employee hired from outside of Minnesota. She has recently returned from her 20+ months in Japan after learning and performing with Kaoly Asano's Tawoo Dojo, and also taught taiko in Yokohama. During the covid pandemic, she also became known for her "Taiko Based Exercise" classes through kaDON's live online series as it incorporated her knowledge in biomechanics and athletic training. 

Prior to Japan, Emily started taiko when she was 7 years old with Ho Etsu Taiko in Chicago, IL, an ensemble with ancestry to the first taiko group east of the Mississippi River called Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko. Following her time with Somei Taiko and as a trainee for Taiko Center of the Pacific, she returned to Ho Etsu as a performing member and assisted with artistic development and teaching. Her other interests lies in Hachijo daiko and Ushibuka Haiya Minyo.

For Emily, taiko is beyond just music and movement, rather there is deeper meaning and connection that makes it important for communities to thrive. It's one of the reasons she went to study with Kaoly. She looks forward to sharing the power that taiko has with you!