Cooperation

The Academy is a new initiative for providing comprehensive physical and art education. I am very happy to be the musical director of such a wonderful groundbreaking project. Instructors who are experienced on an international level in the field of art education, people in the field of physical education who work to achieve the highest level of coordination with arts education, and the wonderful instruments provided by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing, all combine to make the academy a supportive environment for young musicians. During the first term last year, the students were very motivated despite the tough world they were in with all lessons being run online. An advantage of the online lessons was the adjustable focus and camera views that made physical and technical problems more precisely and immediately visible, and let the students focus their attention on the musical score and articulation. Going forward, I hope that this Academy program will garner praise and recognition in Japan and in many other countries, and lead to the future emergence of great musicians through its activities.

Is culture sustainable? Musicians practice for hours every day in order to add to and develop culture that has been passed down for centuries. However, many musicians around the world still suffer from problems such as not knowing how to use their bodies or how to practice in order to create the tone, resonance, balance, and expression that they envision, or even injuring themselves by continuing to practice in ways that tax their bodies. Through physical education, musicians can learn the correct ways to use their bodies and minds to play music, allowing them to devote themselves more to developing and deepening their expressiveness. This is the goal of our Academy program. In order to achieve this goal, we are all working together to co-create, using the latest technology to precisely analyze performance skills and compare them with those of the instructors, assessing and training motor and sensory functions based on the results of scientific research, and learning about the brain and body, to break through the limits of creativity without worrying about the "ostensible limits of talent."