November 12, 2025

One-third of my life is made of Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

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Hello everyone, thank you for reading our reports as always.
This is Kota Kaitu. I’m from Fukushima Prefecture, a senior at university. I play the trombone and I was a captain from TYO 9 to 10.

In this report, I’ll introduce the days I spent in TYO as a member.

1st year of Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

First, how did I join the Tohoku Youth Orchestra?

That was my mother’s recommendation. No, my mother made me join on her own.
The day I knew it was the day before the kick off of TYO 3.

My mother said suddenly,
“You have to practice hard because you’re going to be a member of Tohoku Youth Orchestra.”

I didn’t understand.
By the way, It often happens, My mother made me do pool, piano, painting, calligraphy, gymnastics class and Kindergarten school. I have done many things since childfood.
Well, they didn’t last that much though…

At that time, I was very shy.
I was suddenly placed in TYO where there was no one who I knew, so I still remember clearly that I was confused.
I was in despair when Mr. Tanaka of the secretariat said to introduce myself to each person.

It was my first trial to make friends in a new community since I joined TYO.

But, it was pretty difficult for me to make friends.

When we went to Okinawa for a training camp, I silently followed seniors who also played the Trombones because I didn’t have friends of the same age.

Thank you for your help on that occasion.

By the way, we had a BBQ in the training camp in Okinawa.
At that time, I suddenly talked to Nakamura, a trumpeter for the first time.
I remember clearly that I ignored him because I was brand new in TYO and he was very talented and energetic, so I was afraid of him.

Nakamura is wearing a yellow T-shirt in this photograph.
I feel bad for ignoring him then. I’m sorry Nakamura.
I heard that he got married recently, so congratulations!!

Started making friends.

I couldn't make friends for about half a year, so I felt like I didn't want to go back to TYO. But, a turning point has arrived.

That was in rehearsal twice in a row.

At that time, members who were not from Fukushima city stayed there.
Then, I could talk with Sora, a horn player and TYO 1 generation.

I was also afraid of him at the beginning.
He looked like an exciting Chihuahua to me because he is saying he is the class clown in TYO himself and he can communicate regardless of generation and sex.

His report was released the other day, so I would like you to check it.

The other day, I noticed there was a photo the day we did pillow fight when I was looking for my folder on the phone. It looks fun.

Since I became friends with Sora, I could become friends with many other people and there were many people around me.

Well, my neck is extremely crooked, I’m glad I could make friends.

I told my parents that I won’t continue TYO before I was able to make friends, but I thought I wanted to do activities with everyone more. Although I was a 3rd year middle high school student and I had the exam for university, I continued next year too.

The memory with Mr Ryuichi Sakamoto.

A year later, I had a chance to play a piece composed by one of TYO’s members.

At that time, I was asked by Sora, “Please perform my piece.” So, I decided to perform.

However, I made a mistake from the first sound because I was so nervous at the big stage, Opera city.

After that, I felt down so much at the wing.
Maybe I think I felt like I made the biggest mistake in my life.

But, someone was coming towards me that felt down and shaking.

That was Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Mr. Sakamoto grabbed my shaking hand and encouraged me.

I don’t remember what was said clearly, but I heard from Mr. Tanaka that he used to say that “The important thing is not skill, it is emotion.”

Maybe, I sometimes think that advice was for me.

At that time, I think I would have quit TYO without Mr. Ryuichi.

COVID-19 pandemic

It's been 5 years since COVID-19 started.
In 2020, there were TYO members infected with COVID-19 and the performance was cancelled twice in a row.

This is the graduation ceremony of TYO with zoom.
This ceremony is often held after the rehearsals, but it was cancelled.

Dandhi, seen in the photo, often appears at the rehearsals at this time and graduated during COVID.

He’s been coming to our rehearsals and taking our pictures recently.
It’s not too much to say the pictures on the home page were almost taken by him.

He helped me a lot when I was a captain.
Thank you as always, Dandhi.

The first regular concert in 3 years

Finally, we got over COVID-19 and we could hold the regular concert for the first time in 3 years.

However, members were practicing after doing a COVID-19’s test.

It was hard this time.
Looking back at the picture around that time, there is no one wearing a mask.

Well, it’s getting more people who have COVID. So, please take care.

By the way, it was the spring vacation before I became a university student.
So, I dyed my hair and I was going strong.

Members tend to dye their hair when they become university students.
According to Mr. Tanaka, it happens often and it’s a part of the culture of TYO.
I followed that culture as well.

Getting to stand out.

I don’t know why but I was getting to stand out because I became a university student and changed hair color?

There are many coordinators like volunteer performance or something like that.
I finally was chosen to be in charge of a lobby concert.
There was not so much work though.

I was encouraged as a result of working hard.
I was kind of glad.

Nominated to a new captain

At the kick off in TYO 9.
Mr. Miyakawa, secretariat staff, spoke to me.

Mr. Miyakawa said to me “You were entrusted with a big role, good luck.”

I didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand how my mother made me enter TYO.

And I didn’t remember that, so I thought I was entrusted to play the piano instead of Mr. Sakamoto or play wooden clappers.

And finally, there was the announcement of a new captain.

I was thinking who it would be, but my name was called.
I didn’t understand.

I received mail to tell me that I was to be a captain before it but I didn’t read it though.

Somehow, I ended up becoming a captain, who couldn’t make friends even after being a member for 7 years.
I didn’t understand.

I have a strong sense of responsibility so I tried to do my best because I was nominated for a big role, so I’ve been working hard.
If you’re interested in our reports, I would like you to read more.

Hand over a captain to Okuyama.

Finally, it was time to hand over the role to a new captain.
That is Mei Okuyama, she wrote a report last time.

I thought I tried to tell before and nominated her at the TYO 9 kick off, but I asked her before. of course.

Captain Okuyama has been a chief of the cloud funding “CAMPFIRE community” and she’s contributing to TYO by writing newsletters.
She became a captain for a short period of time, but I think she is a good captain who cares about TYO daily.

Speaking of the CAMPFIRE community, newsletters are interesting that we stream.
It is streamed every Friday and newsletters Captain Okuyama writes are also streamed once a month. So, I would like to check it.

In this way, I handed over the role of captain, but I’m thinking that I still want to interact with TYO. But I’m already a college senior. If I get a job, I have to graduate from TYO.

Thoku Youth Orchestra made me grow up despite not having any special talents.
Besides me, some people became a teacher or live as a musician, TYO is a group which makes children’s lives inTohoku.

I’m thinking I want to continue TYO.
So, I want to interact with TYO somehow.

I am happy if you have more interest in TYO in this report.

Thank you for reading at the end.

Trombone section: Kota Kaitsu

REPORT

One-third of my life is made of Tohoku Youth Orchestra.