Why Is Kyoto Tachibana High School Band So Good? A Dive Into Japan’s Music Education

Asian kids have always been praised and admired due their unnatural intelligence and talents. While many love to say it’s ‘just in their genes’, anyone who has taken a deeper look into their backgrounds will realize these students put in a huge amount of time into their studies and skills.

In Japan, music is looked at with high regard, similar to other subjects like Math and Science; thus, they are taught from a young age how to read music and play instruments. Singing is also usually included and students will know their school’s song. This is quite a contrast to the West where music may not be part of the curriculum or is just an elective. Musicians are often seen as ‘band nerds’ as well, which does put off potential musicians.

Recently, I’ve been checking out more school bands and I thought it would be an interesting topic for an article. I really wanted to learn more and figure out why Japan as a whole has so many amazing musicians.

Discovering Japanese Brass Bands

I’ve been a fan of Japanese music for over 15 years now, but until more recently, I was mostly looking into their rock bands and anime songs. In 2021, I had time to catch up on anime and watched as many musician animes that I could find (you can check my ratings here) and one show that I gave 10/10 for was Sound Euphonium, which featured a high school brass band and their rise to the top.

Now, I loved the anime and the music in Sound Euphonium, the storyline is great too, but I took it as just an anime. But of course, many animes hold a lot of truth to it or may be based off of real stories and people. In my Anime Culture Shocks article, I write about things like bathing together, school festivals, and other things that are common in Japan and thus are highlighted in anime, but is foreign elsewhere

So, Sound Euphonium is actually based on the real standards and competitions of school bands in Japan, and a lot of the music are produced by actual school bands in Japan! That in itself really shocked me.

When writing my Guitar Solos are Dying article, I wanted to display the beauty of teamwork and that’s when I came across Kyoto Tachibana. My gosh, it’s hard enough dancing while playing any instrument, but to get 20, 50, or even 100 kids to do that in sequence with one another? Ha! I, like many, have fallen in love with them!

But of course, one can only imagine what kind of training and work ethics are needed for kids in school levels to reach this level of expertise at a young age. So, let’s explore!

So why are Japanese bands better?

If you watched the clips above or have watched Kyoto Tachibana before, you may be wondering, what are their lives that allows them to be great musicians so early on?

1. They Start Them Off Young

One big reason why American or Western students can’t compete with a lot of Japanese bands is simply because many of them start learning ‘real’ music at a very young age. I made a post about musician’s history, and 50% said they never took music class.

For many who did, some only learned how to sing, and many didn’t learn theory or how to read music. Some wanted to take music, but had to meet certain requirements. In my own case, while I did learn to read, we started learning recorder in Grade 1 and stuck with that through elementary. In middle school, we were then able to try other instruments.

In Japan, kindergarten kids will learn the melodica, which is a mini keyboard that you would blow into to produce sound. They’re also learning to read music really early on and music class is taken as seriously as other classes.

I also just came across this video about Japanese day care centers that hosts kids 0-6 years old, and even they have a serious music portion where they sing and play the melodica. You can check out their music routine at 5:35. I think it’s so cute that they are singing, dancing, and clapping in time with each other. I also think it’s awesome that they have opportunities to try out other instruments, like drums and xylophones. At 9:45, they even sing a song before eating everyday.

By teaching them the basics really early on, they not only have those skills for life, but they also grow up with a deep appreciation for music and musicians. They learn to respect music the way they do food, cleanliness, and math. Their elders enjoy it and respect it, so it’s ingrained in the next generation. They learn to take care of their instruments and they get to perform as well, as you can see below!

2. Band Students Take The Initiative

Students aren’t joining these clubs just for fun or to hang with their friends, or cause they’re required to take an elective. They know signing up will mean sacrificing a lot of their free time to learn and practice whatever is required of them. The teacher or conductor isn’t going to hold their hands and babysit them, nor allow them to keep making mistakes.

Thus, outside of band practice, many will take the initiative to learn their parts and improve. They will practice during breaks, ask their seniors for help and advice, watch other musicians, and do whatever they can to move forward.

Unlike the West where people look at musicians as if they’re magicians with some natural innate talent, , Japanese kids know that it’s all hard work, and that they can be successful if they work for it.

3. Band Is Competitive Between Students and School

Yes, these bands can be quite big, but don’t think they’ll take just anyone. If a band is preparing for a competition, there may only be so many seats on the stage, so some students will have to sit out. Naturally, the conductor/teacher will pick the best so they have the best chances. There are also only a few solo parts for grabs that students may have to audition for.

I really loved this analysis for a scene from Sound Euphonium! The auditions for the solo was initially private and Reina (Girl with black hair) was given the part. Some students, especially the losing student, suspected the teacher was biased since he knew the winner’s family. To prove the winner deserved it, he redid the auditions in front of the other band members so they can all see why she was chosen.

Although it is competitive and there will be losers, I admire that Japanese people will still do their best to support their classmates from the sidelines. As long as the team wins, they win too! I know some people here will throw a fit or quit, but as we’ll talk about in a bit, harmony is very important to Japanese people.

4. Japan’s Collective Mentality and Ideologies

I talk about this more in detail in my Guitar Solos vs Teamwork article, but to summarize, Japan is an island with 98% Japanese people. Due to their background, culture, and how prone they are to natural disasters, they have developed a mentality that always thinks about the group first. People want to fit in and get along with others because ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’.

While this certainly has a lot of issues in society (I talk about that in the Guitar Solo article and Vocaloid article), this is also why Japan is so safe, clean, and organized. For group activities like a band, the benefits are greater.

No one wants to stick out by being bad, nor do they want to be the one that holds everyone back. This also means members are more willing to help each other, cause only when they whole group is good can they succeed. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link”, as they say.

For Kyoto Tachibana, this is not only noticeable in their playing but their dances and routines. They work as one team. No one sticks out by over-dancing or under-dancing. No one is trying to stand out and show off. Even the girl who had a prosthetic leg fits in very well, and she worked hard to ensure that.

I’m sure this is also why many professional Japanese bands stay together for decades. Many Western bands broke up due to differences in taste, guitarists with egos, bassists not caring much, drummer always showing up late, and so on. Members can be selfish. But in Japan, thanks to their collective ideologies and importance of harmony, the greatness of the group is at the forefront of people’s minds.

5. They Willingly Practice Much Longer and Harder

For the clubs I was in during high school, the most we would do was a couple hours after school, maybe 2-3 times a week. Maybe some lunch room rehearsals as well, but the max we would practice is 10 hours a week. People have to go home to eat and teachers have families to take care of.

On the Kyoto Tachibana Fanpage site, students were asked how long they practice. The majority said 35-40 hours a week, with some even saying 50 and more. While a lot of this will be before and after school during their club practice, they also consider the time they spend thinking about music, or air-playing if they don’t have access to their instrument.

In Japan, the school year starts in March, and these schools would want to be ready by summer when they will be expected to perform or compete the most. You’ll have a bunch of new students who need to learn everything to fit in.

What they do would simply not be possible if they only practice 4 hours a week. They can try, but people will forget and mess up. Each event may require different songs and formations, and they need to practice until everyone is perfect all the time

But there’s an additional reason for this. Most Japanese people live in townhouses or apartments with thin halls, so practicing such loud instruments at home just isn’t possible, especially since they will consider their neighbours and not want to bother them. Thus, students need to practice at school, or a local park where they won’t bother others. They will do whatever they need to to be 100% ready.

6. They Value Performance and Entertainment

Japan really cares about performance. In the West, it’s quite normal for musicians to have stone faces and just play what they have to play. Yes, the music is amazing, but it’s not too interesting to watch. They can’t even bother to make eye contact and they think that’s cool.

But Japanese groups are a lot more willing to perform and entertain, even if it means being a little weird or silly to do so. We wouldn’t have people like Kyary Pamyu, the PPAP guy and so on if everyone cared more about their cool image than ensuring others had a good time. Idols, mascots, maid cafes, Jpop dancers, they make it look easy but they put so much work in just so they can entertain others.

For the Kpop vs Jpop debate, Kpop are trained performers. They learn to sing and dance at a higher level and want to be seen as professionals, however, stage presence may be lacking. They’ll even memorize each wink and smile during their routines.

Jpop idols, on the other hand, are meant to be entertainers. Their goal is to connect with the audience, make them happy, and give them a good time. You can see this contrast when AKB48 members went on the the Korean survival show, Produce48. Many of the Japanese trainees were intimidated and shocked by their Korean counterparts skill level. They never received that kind of singing or dancing training, thus, most of them got failing grades.

However, one Japanese girl made a great impression when she used her charisma and adorable charms to get everyone’s attention. Even the strictest judge who many are terrified of was smiling and wanted to give her an A. They settled on a C as her actual skills were lacking, but it’s nice to see that being able to make others smile and laugh is a gift in itself.

I definitely feel this when I watch Kyoto Tachibana. While their playing and dancing skills are amazing, what makes them so enjoyable to watch is that you can see how much they love it and how much they want you to love it. They’re waving, smiling, and dancing with all their might.

I can only imagine how tiring it is playing a wind instrument perfectly while moving, dancing, and yelling at times, but you wouldn’t know how hard it is when you watch them. I played clarinet and the thought of jumping and blowing while maintaining a smooth sound…especially the flutes that need to blow a certain way….they truly do make it look easy!

7. More Performance Opportunities

This goes for anyone and anything, but it’s definitely hard to get kids to practice or motivate them if they aren’t working towards anything. Even me as a guitarist, while I want to practice, it’s hard to learn songs if I have no plans to perform it. Most school bands will only practice for sports games and assemblies, and may go to competitions if they are good enough.

In Japan though, most school bands have a variety of places to perform. On the Yamaha Educator Suite website, they state “The more opportunities students have to perform for an audience, the more motivated they will be to improve. Ishida’s students participate in marching and concert band competitions as well as regional band festivals. Beyond these contests and typical concerts, students play at corporate events, senior citizen homes, and at elementary and junior high schools to inspire younger musicians.”

8. They Love What They Do

This goes for any student for any club anywhere around the world. If you’re serious about something and you enjoy doing it, putting in that time and effort is quite easy and will always be worth the sacrifice. Only difference being, these students will actually practice before and after school for 3+ hours everyday haha I definitely think that’s quite excessive but that’s cause I’m from the West.

As mentioned earlier, the school year starts in March and they should be ready by the summer months. In schools, it’s also common for 3rd years to retire from school clubs midway through the year as they need to focus on school and exams for University. Thus, it’s only natural that they may want to push if they have yet to achieve anything great with the club in their years before passing on the torch.

For school’s like Tachibana that always wins competitions, I’m sure there’s just as much pressure to stay on top. Every 3 years, the band is made of a whole new bunch of students, and new students in leadership, but they all have the same mentality and work ethic. They also still need to add new songs, choreographies and ideas, so I’m sure you can only imagine how stressful that could be when you got so many new students to teach in a short amount of time.

One other thing that I’ve heard a lot in anime is that they really do cherish their high school years and embrace their youth. Even before it ends, they are nostalgic about the memories they can make with their friends, classmates and club members. They want to look back and know the tried their hardest and gave it their best, so they can walk away proud.

Final Note: Japan Is A Musical Country

Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry in the world. Every time I write that phrase on this blog, it still blows my mind. Even if most people in the world don’t know or listen to their music, they’re still 2nd behind America. That’s impressive!

All their sales, records, tickets, merch and so on, are almost all internally. That means Japan supports their own musicians. But even looking back, Japan has always loved music.

They have many of their own instruments like the Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi and Taiko. While these are considered historical instruments, they are still widely played today, and Japan is even known for having their own musical scales thanks to these instruments.

While I was writing this article, I had a brain fart moment thinking about how much money it would take the import all the instruments they need…but then I remembered and realized, there’s a lot of Japanese instrument brands, so they don’t have to!

I knew Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawai were due to their name, but turns out, Casio, Pearl, Ibanez, ESP and Roland, are Japanese brands as well! There are many many more which I haven’t heard of, and some manufactures like Fender have their own branch in Japan. It’s blowing my mind!

While instruments sales may be feigning internationally, I don’t think Japan has to worry much considering Jrock music is Jpop music. Bands are super popular and live music is super popular. Any band with enough work and dedication can make it in the industry. It may just take a viral video on NicoNico Douga or gaining enough local attention at gigs to get signed.

Being a land that not only created instruments but manufactures many, it makes sense why they keep pushing music, and why many are taught it early on as they will grow up with a deep respect and appreciation for it. It was cool seeing my favourite rock band, ONE OK ROCK, use an orchestra for one of their performances. Seeing more people come together and genres mixing is just so beautiful and amazing.

And this goes for many other things too. Instead of professional musicians only sticking to classical music, they are open and willing to learn newer songs as well. Or rather, many take part in the creation of soundtracks for games, movies, and animes.

It’s definitely great that Japan promotes music and musicians in a positive light, not just in real life but the media. Here, it feels like rock bands is a thing of the past, and students who do like music class are labelled as ‘band nerds’ and losers. Electronically-made music has taken over and people only want to be producers, singers and rappers, not musicians.

But in Japan, not only are real bands starting from the bottom and getting places, but musicians in animes are also considered to be ‘cool’ in their respective shows. Even if they are rookies, with enough practice, they can get on stage and build a fanbase.

We talked about Sound Euphonium above, Given, one of my favourites, only came out a couple years ago, and there’s also K-ON!!, Nana, Beck, Detroit Metal City, and so on. I know there’s many others that haven’t made it mainstream but they probably have a following regardless.

Even if the show isn’t a musical anime, they may still feature a band or group, like Angel Beats or The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. More recently, My Hero Academia has a few episodes where the class decided to make a band and put on a performance for a school concert. Real people had to create and learn the soundtracks for these songs, and I think that makes it extra special.

I wrote a recent article about how to get the next generation interested in playing music, and I just think Japan is a great model on how to do just that. They not only start them young and teach music properly (aka reading and theory), but they also have so much music around them that it’s admirable to want to be a musician. It’s admirable, and it’s totally possible. While I couldn’t read this article, one written on Japan Times says “Every child gets to be a musician here” and I think that’s beautiful <3

Conclusion

I hope you learned a lot from this article. It’s been a lot of fun for me watching and learning more about these groups and really thinking about why and how they get to such top levels, even in their youth. I know some see Asian countries as doing slavery or that these skills are just in their genes, but it is just hard work and a lot of personal sacrifice.

Of course, I’m not saying other bands around the world can’t compete or that no one is working as hard as them, but there are certainly reasons why their school band is so good and has been invited to perform various places around the world. They’re not an official orchestra, just a school club where new students are coming in everywhere.

They work really hard and it shows, but they do it cause they love it. I can only imagine the pressure for brand new club members, though I know many choose or try to get into that school just to join. They know it’s going to require a lot of catching up and sacrifice, but for them, it is worth it and it will definitely be a highlight of their life.