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Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State

Event Slides Per Node 1415

  • Shirtless men in flowing robes bang thick sticks on large drums.
  • Men wear robes adorned with Japanese imagery as they bang sticks on large drums.
  • A group of Japanese men stand in a rigid line formation while drums hang from their torsos.

Drum Tao

10:00 am Tuesday, January 27, 2026
60 minutes
Eisenhower Auditorium

Your learners will experience explosive Japanese drumming, elegant traditional instruments, and a contemporary take on cultural performance. 

Drum Tao’s spectacle is created through phenomenal expressions of traditional Japanese instruments featuring wadaiko (“big drums”), flutes, and harps. It is an engaging, live performing-arts experience that provides the opportunity for global and intercultural understanding for all learners.  

The observation and listening required in attending a live arts event provide a key component of cross-cultural exchange in our information-rich era of social media. Your follow-up classroom discussions can include examining one’s own perspectives, assumptions, and lives when learning about those of others.

Reserve by Friday, January 9, 2026.

Make a Reservation

Artist Websites:
Drum Tao

Suggested Grades:
Pre-K through 12

Key Learning Areas:

  • History and cultural contexts in art
  • Forces and motion

Curriculum Connections:

  • PA Curriculum Frameworks: Theatre, Dance, Music—Big Idea Categorization; Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities 9.1 Production, Performance, and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts; 9.2 Historical and Cultural Contexts
  • PA Academic Standards: Geography 7.1 Basic Geographic Literacy; 7.3 The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions
  • (For Educators) Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (CR-SE) Competency 1A: Reflect on One’s Cultural Lens; Competency 6: Collaborate with Families and Communities through Authentic Engagement Practices