Taiko Beats, More Than a Beat
See how one teacher’s passion is creating opportunities for LJCDS students.
What started at LJCDS more than a decade ago has grown into a thriving community of drummers performing across San Diego and a unique learning opportunity for our students.
LJCDS Middle and Upper School Band and Percussion Educator Chad Przymus founded La Jolla Taiko in 2014, bringing together his passions for percussion and martial arts and introducing others to the power, movement, and community of Japanese taiko drumming. Today, La Jolla Taiko welcomes performers of all ages and experience levels while continuing to call the LJCDS campus home.
That connection gives our students opportunities to learn from and perform alongside these experienced taiko musicians who have performed at venues and events around San Diego and in Japan. At the annual Taiko Beats concert, for example, the LJCDS Marching Band and World Drumming Classes join La Jolla Taiko onstage, bringing together different musical traditions, rhythms, and performance styles.
Experience the pulse-pounding performance for yourself on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the Four Flowers Theater.
La Jolla Light recently shared how Mr. Przymus discovered taiko, why he brought it to LJCDS, and how a small group of drummers grew into the community it is today.
Below is part of the February 2026 article, “La Jolla Taiko troupe brings ancient Japanese percussion to San Diego,” by Ashley Mackin Solomon. Read the full article in La Jolla Light.
“We believe taiko checks a lot of boxes for a lot of people,” Przymus said. “It is mentally therapeutic, physically demanding and really fun. It’s also cultural in that …. taiko has been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. It was used in religious festivals, and villages used taiko to communicate messages. Samurai would use it to intimidate the enemy in battle.”
Przymus discovered taiko more than 20 years ago. “I was a percussionist at the time and was also very much involved in martial arts, so [taiko] was my two favorite things colliding,” he said.
He wanted to establish La Jolla Taiko to share his love of the art form with others.
“Taiko is hard for me to practice by myself because the joy is playing with other people and creating something important,” Przymus said. “We started as a small group and are now a thriving community hub with classes for all ages and levels, workshops with guest artists and performing in venues across San Diego.”
Students as young as 5 and others in their 80s participate.
During classes, players learn how to position their bodies to have the most impact on the drum, which Przymus said contributes to the physical aspect of performing.
“Playing taiko is a fusion of music, culture and martial arts,” he said. “We shape our body a certain way to play the drum in the most efficient way that creates the best sound.”
The resulting performances “impact people,” Przymus said.
“We pride ourselves on being really energetic and sometimes we have pieces that are very intense in volume and speed,” he said. “We talk a lot about what we want the audiences to feel, so it’s more than just the rhythms.
“Taiko is as much visual as it is musical. Choreography is created with the arms and the bachi. There is synchronicity you see with the players. They are absorbed by the visual aspect as well.”
