MY STORY

KANA TAKAMI

I was born in 1991 in Nakano, Tokyo.
Influenced by my parents from an early age, I began learning traditional Japanese drums (wadaiko) and festival music (ohayashi), and by the age of six, I was already performing on stage.
 I belonged to the Kokonryu Miyabidaiko school under Grandmaster Mr. Shibasaki and to the Saginomiya Ohayashi group.

In elementary school, I also practiced Kyokushin Karate as a hobby.
 It was something I had asked to do myself, inspired by strong and cool women at the time.
 Because of my larger build even as a child, I sparred alongside adult male practitioners.
 I retired before earning a black belt due to increasing commitments with my junior high school club activities.
I also excelled at sports like basketball and softball through a ball game club.

Since I loved both sports and cultural activities, I decided early on that I wanted to pursue a future either as an athlete or in the arts or music.
 In my elementary school yearbook, I wrote that I wanted to be a designer and playing in a band.

In junior high and high school, I dedicated myself to the school wind ensemble, performing as a percussionist and spending nearly every day for six years absorbed in music.

In my first year of junior high, I performed in the East Japan Wind Orchestra Competition and won the Festival Grand Prize.
 During that performance of Carmen Fantasy, I encountered the marimba for the first time.

I had many opportunities to perform at ceremonies, sports day marching events, competitions, ensemble contests, joint concerts, community events, and annual concerts—making for a very fulfilling school life.
I was fortunate to have wonderful seniors, peers, and juniors, and became deeply absorbed in percussion practice.
Special thanks go to my conductor and teacher, Ms. Atsuko Sawada.

Outside of music, I was also skilled at drawing.
I won awards for choral festival posters and was asked to design the cover of the graduation yearbook.
I have memories of often being recognized at school assemblies.
My mother was my art teacher, and I remember especially struggling to finish the poster for our final choral festival performance of Aosagi (Blue Heron) the night before it was due.

Aiming even higher, I enrolled in Suginami High School, a school well known for its wind ensemble.
One day, I had the opportunity to perform drums at a JICA event in Shibuya, where someone affiliated with the Papua New Guinea embassy approached me and asked if I would be interested in working as a music instructor in their country.
Although I was still a student and couldn't go at the time, I made a promise to myself that I would one day perform and teach abroad.
I’m grateful to my music director and conductor, Mr. Kiyoshi Igarashi, percussion teacher Ms. Mariko Yamamoto, and drummer Mr. Tsugio Ano.

In my third year of high school, I was encouraged to pursue classical percussion at a music university.
However, I was determined to master the drum set, so I joined a special drum course for high school students at Showa University of Music, where I met Mr. Norikazu Ejiri.

I entered the newly established Popular Music Course as a second-generation student.
(The course is now known as the Pop & Rock Music Course.)

There, I studied not only drum performance but also ethnomusicology, composition, recording, and live performance techniques, enjoying a very enriching student life.
Starting in my third year of high school, I also began supporting several bands.
I am grateful to Mr. Norikazu Ejiri, Mr. Masayoshi Imaizumi, and Mr. Takeshi Ishikawa.

March 2011
Just after the Great East Japan Earthquake, I volunteered as a teacher at the Mother Baby School run by the NPO “On the Road” in India.
After returning to Japan, I continued volunteering to support children in Fukushima.

Summer 2011
I performed with African artists living in Japan at the event “Jazz Funk Africa!” held at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse.
I had the opportunity to perform with Abdou Bayefall, Mamadou Lo (perc, vo), LaouLaou Bangoura, Epizo Bangoura, Tabu Ngongo (sax, vo), Tony Guppy (steel pan, vo), Jean Paul Sensey (gt, vo), Yoshikuni Toda (ba), and Kevin Spears (kalimba).
At the time, I often had the chance to jam with these African musicians, playing songs by Earth, Wind & Fire and traditional African music.

2012
I studied abroad for a short term at the Music Performance Academy (MPA) in Los Angeles, USA.
There, I studied jazz drumming under the late Mr. Kenny Elliott and Mr. Iajhi Hampden.

I left Showa University of Music in my third year and then moved to Melbourne, Australia, to continue my music career.

I met many musicians and particularly enjoyed touring with the comic band Small Town Alien and supporting Harry Hookey’s backing band.
I performed not only throughout Australia but also toured in Harlem and Brooklyn, New York.
After returning to Japan, I resumed my music activities in Tokyo while working full-time at a company.

After gaining experience in the workforce, I started working in 2019 as the overseas artist liaison at the Japan International league of Artists. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when organizing concerts became difficult, I temporarily changed jobs.
 However, in 2022, I gradually resumed my music activities. 

In January of that year, I launched KANATATA MUSIC, a small business providing musician dispatch services for events and producing concerts. 

in 2025 Currently, I continue to work as the overseas liaison at the Japan International league of Artists while also running my own music business. 

Maybe—just maybe—my dream has already come true...?