Musicians?

[eFred]

OMG, I had never heard of Rin and I just looked them up and found a youtube video of one of their songs and I was like, "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD" because it's AMAZING!

Yes, let's be like Rin!! With a music battle reality show, hahaha!! YESS

I know right <3.<3

[tashikanakoto]

I used to play violin way back when and now I really regret giving it up.

BUT I have sung in a high-level men's choir for the past four years and I would really like to continue singing in Japan... either by singing in the choral club at school or even something less formal.

Any other singers here??

[bananathursdays]

I used to play violin way back when and now I really regret giving it up.

BUT I have sung in a high-level men's choir for the past four years and I would really like to continue singing in Japan... either by singing in the choral club at school or even something less formal.

Any other singers here??

I'm an alto! I did All-State Chorus (One year I was 2nd alto, the next year 1st alto), and I did University Chorus and had to go back and forth between 1st alto and 2nd soprano. I would also love to continue singing in Japan. Since graduating college, I have really missed being in a choir.

[ns9]

hey hey! I also play the flute. Nothing serous though. I took lessons during high school and then took it up again during uni. But now i really just like to play music from glee and disney (I know i'm a bit lame ) while my mum plays on the piano.
I'm definitely planning on bringing my flute with me though, I have a few good books that I will bring with me, and then if I want more I'm sure there will be music shops in Japan I can get more

[DoubleSupercool]

When I was on JET the first time I picked up a low end Yamaha steel string acoustic that I brought back with me. Very useful when visiting elementary schools are you could play interactive songs and get the kids worked up/slowed down etc. If you are a guitarist I recommend picking one up just for that.

Otherwise, I will be buying a nice 52 Fender Telecaster re-issue this time and bringing it back. Hopefully I will get to jam with some folks over there. Last time my mate in the next town over and I jammed quite a bit and we did some gigs with other JET's at one of the gaijin-owned pubs in the nearest city. Very relaxed, everybody joins in etc. Good stuff.

[japanagram]

I sing, and play a little of guitar, piano and ukulele. I'm planning on taking my ukulele as a carry on but want to buy an acoustic guitar out there. I'm less likely to get involved in jams and playalongs because i don't tend to learn existing songs, i just want to walk through a lake filled valley and write songs there x

[Boogerghost]

My native instrument is trumpet. I'll definitely bring my Bb and I'd like to bring my piccolo (trumpet) if possible, though it seems exceedingly unlikely that I'll find a place to use the piccolo, but it's just so cool. And I bought a melodica that I can't keep my hands off of . Also I like to sing. And I might invest in a keyboard.

[Kirari]

I sing, and play a little of guitar, piano and ukulele. I'm planning on taking my ukulele as a carry on but want to buy an acoustic guitar out there. I'm less likely to get involved in jams and playalongs because i don't tend to learn existing songs, i just want to walk through a lake filled valley and write songs there x

That sounds beautiful!

I have been wanting to learn to play acoustic guitar for quite a long time now. A friend of mine told me to just go to a pawn shop and pick one up, but I've never made time for it. But now that I'm fulfilling (at least) one of my dreams by living and working in Japan, why not work on another? I hope I'm placed near some of you guitar players, so maybe you can help me shop around~

My native instrument is trumpet. I'll definitely bring my Bb and I'd like to bring my piccolo (trumpet) if possible, though it seems exceedingly unlikely that I'll find a place to use the piccolo, but it's just so cool. And I bought a melodica that I can't keep my hands off of . Also I like to sing. And I might invest in a keyboard.

I once learned to play the Bb scale on a trumpet. When I was a freshman in high school, I saw a video of our school jazz band playingChuck Mangione's Feels So Good. There was a junior who did the flugelhorn solos on her trumpet, and I was just mesmerized. As an alto sax player, I knew I wanted to join the jazz band (which was full of talented kids... until they graduated and my class became the 1st chairs ). But I always remembered that amazing girl on the trumpet, so I tried it in my senior year. And that was pretty much it, lol. Would love to hear you play though, especially the piccolo trumpet!

I say again, you all need to have a jam session at the hotel!

[teabot]

i'm not a musician (unfortunately... i wish i had taken the time to develop those skills further... oh well...) but just thought i'd contribute a few things.

as for JET bands. it's been done, probably several times over, but if you don't know of Monkey Majik, they're a half-Canadian, half-Japanese band that made it big. the two Canadian brothers originally came over as JET ALTs. their music is written in a hybrid of Japanese and English, and i like a lot. (空はまるで is on heavy rotation at karaoke. lol) not to say that to discourage anyone, of course! just to show that it has been done/is completely possible. :]

secondly, i know a number of you may be coming in to this with zero Japan experience. here's the thing... Japanese apartments aren't exactly sound proof. in fact, they are infamous for having really poor insulation, not only in regards to heat, but also to sound. i can hear my neighbors coughing/snoring/watching tv/conversing/etc. it may not be an issue if you are lucky enough to have your own house, but if your placement has you living in an apartment or teacher housing (which is connected to other living spaces), be aware that your neighbors can likely hear your practicing and may or may not be appreciative of that fact.

also if you are bringing or want to practice a large instrument (like a double bass, piano/keyboard, or want to take up koto) you may struggle to find appropriate place for it if you have a one-room apartment (think dorm-size, basically).

just some more questions to ask your preds before making arrangements for your instruments! also some of you may very well find yourself inheriting instruments, like several of my friends did. guitars and keyboards seem to be the most common to be left behind if there are instruments left.

[nyc_to_japan]

I worried about thin-walled apartments...I'm definitely going to have to work something out, though, whether it's figuring out how to ask my neighbors in Japanese when I can practice in my apartment or finding a practice space I can rent or possibly working something out with some kind of music teacher at school, I'll have to find somewhere! I'm hoping some kind of music-rich school exists out there somewhere that's looking for a new JET with a music background, haha, but that is just a little fantasy and not reality since we're English teachers, not music, LOL!

But yeah, hopefully I'll be able to figure something out. But my big question is still what the heck do I do with my sheet music? I guess the answer lies in book-rate shipping...

[Kirari]

as for JET bands. it's been done, probably several times over, but if you don't know of Monkey Majik, they're a half-Canadian, half-Japanese band that made it big. the two Canadian brothers originally came over as JET ALTs. their music is written in a hybrid of Japanese and English, and i like a lot. (空はまるで is on heavy rotation at karaoke. lol) not to say that to discourage anyone, of course! just to show that it has been done/is completely possible. :]

I've heard Monkey Majik, but I had no idea they were former JETs! Kinda cool.

just some more questions to ask your preds before making arrangements for your instruments! also some of you may very well find yourself inheriting instruments, like several of my friends did. guitars and keyboards seem to be the most common to be left behind if there are instruments left.

Oooooh, I hope this is true for me or someone near me who doesn't want them. Wonder why they don't just sell them or something. Are there not second-hand stores or pawn shops (not the shady kind - or are those only in the US?) around?

[merkypie]

I knew the Canadian bros of Monkey Majik were ALTs but I didn't know they were former JETs. That's interesting.

I hope my pred leaves an acoustic guitar, or classical. I wanna learn how to play the guitar. It'll also have more use in the classroom than my tenor sax.

[ume no hana]

wow, Monkey Majik were former JET ALTs?!?! sweet...

This is one of my favorite songs of theirs....great combo with the shamisen...
http://youtu.be/zc4AkEC_UWU

[Kirari]

I knew the Canadian bros of Monkey Majik were ALTs but I didn't know they were former JETs. That's interesting.

I hope my pred leaves an acoustic guitar, or classical. I wanna learn how to play the guitar. It'll also have more use in the classroom than my tenor sax.

Aw, c'mon! I bet you play a mean "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"!

[teabot]

Oooooh, I hope this is true for me or someone near me who doesn't want them. Wonder why they don't just sell them or something. Are there not second-hand stores or pawn shops (not the shady kind - or are those only in the US?) around?

i would imagine your pred if they have an instrument they don't plan on taking with them would ask/inform you about it before deciding whether to do something about it. but some (read 1 or 2) of my friends literally opened their closets to find "oh, a guitar!" i'd imagine that's a fairly rare occurrence, though... there are tons of "recycle shops" but i'd imagine some people are either too intimidated or too lazy to go through the process of selling their instruments back. much easier to just leave it for the successor JET to deal with. (this is why i have a fair amount of junk i will never use, but don't quite know how to get rid of... D: )

I hope my pred leaves an acoustic guitar, or classical. I wanna learn how to play the guitar. It'll also have more use in the classroom than my tenor sax.

unfortunately i'm sure if you're left anything it probably won't be particularly high quality. if it was a guitar, i'd imagine it'd be a cheapy acoustic, though. good luck on using music in the classroom, though. it doesn't quite fit in with the lecture-based lessons that are standard. it will really depend on your school about whether it's even possible, unfortunately.