From Percussion Rooms of the World Vol.16 | Karlsruhe, Germany Moe Fukuda

Nice to meet you, my name is Moe Fukuda.
After a long winter of cloudy skies, Germany has entered a pleasant season full of greenery. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. I would like to tell you about the various encounters I have had through percussion instruments, as well as my current situation.

The opportunity to study abroad in Germany was through the exchange program at Kunitachi College of Music. It was originally intended for doctoral students, but luckily an opportunity arose for master's students, and I was able to stay at the Karlsruhe University of Music as an exchange student for one year.

I remember the days when learning German started from scratch, and opening a bank account, applying for a visa, and even buying a train ticket by yourself was a big deal. One year passed in the blink of an eye, and I returned to my home country. After completing graduate school, I couldn't shake my desire to study in Germany again, but I was awarded a scholarship from DAAD, and in the fall of 2016, I re-enrolled as a full-time student in the contemporary music department of the same university.

Karlsruhe University of Music hosts various contemporary music events centered around composer Professor Wolfgang Rihm. When I first came to Germany, I was very surprised by the audience and reactions to concerts centered on so-called "contemporary music." The percussion department's class concert, which is held once a semester, is filled with people of all generations, despite the program focusing on works from the 20th century onwards.After the concert, the students excitedly express their impressions to the players, saying things like, ``I really enjoyed it, thank you. Please show me the sheet music!''
They come to visit us.

There are many ensemble groups specializing in contemporary music in Germany and neighboring European countries, and music festivals and seminars are held in various regions. Each event has its own characteristics, such as Darmstadt's summer contemporary music seminar, Donaueschingen Music Festival, Stuttgart's Eckler Festival, and Cologne's Achtbrücken, and it feels like the whole region is enlivening and having fun.

There are also many projects and educational programs for young performers, and I myself have learned a lot from these opportunities. In a project sponsored by the German Music Federation (Deutscher Musikrat), we participated in the ``Warsaw Autumn'' contemporary music festival as a joint ensemble of German and Polish musicians.

At this historic music festival that has been going on since 1956, we had a fulfilling day enjoying the high-quality performances by musicians invited from all over the world, the enthusiasm of the organizers, and the beautiful scenery of Eastern Europe in autumn.

In a project with Schlagquartett Köln, a percussion quartet based in Cologne, Germany, we worked on a percussion ensemble piece centered on their repertoire.

In modern and contemporary works, the scores often contain materials that would not normally be used as instruments, and it is easy to treat these sounds as unusual, but I think that through working with them I was able to reconsider why composers needed these sounds and what role they play in their works. The spirit of ``If we don't have it, let's make it!'' extends not only to musical instruments and drumsticks, but also to stands. I was deeply impressed by his sincere and sincere approach to all sounds, and by his positive attitude of generously passing on his techniques and knowledge to the next generation, and connecting the music of his time to the future with his own hands.

Along with my performance activities, I also give percussion instrument lessons to children. In Germany (perhaps especially in the south-west), it is common for children to learn to play percussion instruments such as the piano, trumpet, recorder, and drums from an early age.

Until recently, we were forced to take online lessons due to the lockdown, and I was surprised to find that most of the students had drum sets at home and were practicing at high volume (at home!). He performed his own songs while playing the rhythm on his own drum, taught me about what was popular at school, and before I knew it, he was taking a German course for me...? I've learned a lot from these people who spontaneously approach music head-on.

Although I am still in the process of learning, I am grateful for the various encounters I have had through percussion instruments, and I hope to move forward so that I can continue to make music with them.

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Moe Fukuda Profile

Born in Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from Kunitachi College of Music and the same graduate school, he went to Germany as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Association) scholarship student and completed a master's degree in contemporary music at Karlsruhe University of Music in Germany.
Currently based in Germany, he performs mainly on 20th and 21st century music.