Absolutely not! There is no prior experience needed to learn or appreciate taiko. We simply ask that you bring your best self to class each day and be a team player while learning new things.

You also do not need to know sheet music or even be of Japanese ancestry. Our Sensei and founder, Stanley Morgan, used to say: “If you have a heartbeat, you can make a drum beat.” It is a core value SKMD practices both in the teaching and sharing of this art form with the community.

SKMD will have a small seating area for parents that would like to stick around to watch their children practice. Typically, we suggest doing this for children grades K-5 (Taiko Tots and Taiko Tigers). Some students tend to behave differently when parents are present, so SKMD will work with you to find the best learning environment for your kiddo(s).

SKMD is nestled in Vail, AZ a few miles away from Colossal Cave. Our dojo is a freestanding steel building located on Kristina Sensei’s property. There is paved road access but the roads do not have streetlights in the evenings.

The dojo is on the SE corner of Tewa Trail and Kahlua Road. The best parking is on the west side of the building, near the SW corner. However, the north side of the building is also available. The parking is a combination of packed gravel and dirt, with a slight gradient and a single step into the building entrance.

Phase one of our building plan was to construct the dojo space after we cleared the land. Unfortunately, we were unable to complete a restroom facility as part of the steel building, so it is in progress during Phase two of our building plan. In the meantime, Kristina Sensei freely welcomes up use of the restrooms in her home, which is approximately 50 yards from the dojo. This of course is for both students and any family watching during practice.

We have tried to make signing up convenient for our students. Click on the Taiko Classes link in our header and select 1) the New Student Registration fee (only one per household needed), and 2) the desired class(es) you wish to sign up for.

Please reach out to us if you have questions about discounts for multiple students/siblings. We also offer discounts for the Vail School district.

Once you “subscribe” to the desired class(es), you will be automatically enrolled monthly for recurring lessons. You may cancel this at anytime, but due to the limited administrative capacity SKMD has, we are unable to do refunds or partial/prorated refunds for student that leave mid-month.