Miho Takekawa

Applied Percussion Lessons, Directs Steel Pan Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble

Dr. Miho Takekawa was raised in Tokyo and currently resides in Seattle. She teaches at Pacific Lutheran University, where she heads the percussion studio and directs the school’s percussion and steel pan ensembles. During the 2010-2011 school year, she was an interim professor of percussion at the University of Washington School of Music.

Miho began piano at age three and took up percussion at thirteen, ultimately graduating from Tokyo’s prestigious Kunitachi School of Music. She earned both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in percussion performance from the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, where she was awarded the coveted Boeing Scholarship, among other honors.

She is a sought-after performer in many styles of music, working with groups ranging from classical music (such as the Seattle Modern Orchestra) to Mexican banda music to steel band and West African drumming. She performs with Diego Coy Musica Colombiana, Pan Duo, and many other groups, and is a founding member of the Miho & Diego Duo (www.mihodiego.com). Significant awards include a Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship and grants from King County 4Culture. In addition to her own performance career, Miho directed the North Rainbow Steel Drum Group (Sapporo, Japan) and served as an arranger for the Hirosaki University Steel Pan Group.

Inspired to share her passion for music with others, and especially younger musicians, Miho is a board member of Steel Magic Orchestra Northwest, a consultant for the Washington State Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, an annual guest speaker for the University of Washington Percussion Lab, and a co-founder of Smile for Japan, a Seattle- based fundraising event for the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. She was also a contributing performer to a fundraising CD to aid victims of the Oso (Washington) Mud Slide.

She has worked to foster cultural exchange between Japanese and American youth groups, leading or coordinating tours by the University of Washington Husky Marching Band and the University of Washington Wind Ensemble (Seattle), Musica Grato Himi (Toyama, Japan), the Tamana Girls High School Band (Japan), the Graham-Kapowsin High School Band (Washington State), the Left Coast Brass Quintet (Seattle), and Seattle percussionist Tom Collier. Many of Miho’s past activities can be found at www.tymusicexchange.com.