From Percussion Rooms of the World Vol.25 | Paris, France Hirono Tago

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Hello everyone. My name is Hirono Tago.
After graduating from university, I moved to Germany and studied for four years with Professor Isao Nakamura at the Karlsruhe University of Music. When I moved on from the master's program to the national musician certification program, I decided that I wanted to continue my studies in Germany, but wanted to go somewhere with a different language and culture, so I applied to study abroad in France, which I had admired since I was a child. Fortunately, I was able to study at the National Supérieure de Musique in Paris and Lyon for six months each, for a total of one year. As of November, I'm living in Paris, and although I'm from the countryside, I feel like a Parisienne and am enjoying city life. Even now, I am writing this sentence in a cafe at the Pompidou Center. The introduction is long, but this time I would like to write mainly about my life as an exchange student in Paris. Although the writing is clumsy, I would appreciate it if you could read it until the end.

About the Erasmus+ system

I am studying abroad in France through Erasmus+, an exchange program within Europe. About a year before I started studying abroad, I visited the Karlsruhe College of Music's international exchange office and consulted with them many times. Scholarships are available, although the amount varies depending on where you study abroad. The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris has a thriving exchange program, with students coming from all over the world. Immediately after entering the university, there was an exchange meeting for exchange students, and since I have been in the percussion class all my life, it was a good opportunity for me to get to know other majors. It was very interesting to be able to interact with people not only majoring in classical music, but also people majoring in jazz, sound engineering, and dancing.

Erasmus+ JapanAbout EU scholarships that people can receive ↗ (External link: Opens a PDF file)

About school life

The Conservatoire National Supérieure de Paris, where I currently attend, is located right next to the Philharmonie de Paris, the home of the Orchester de Paris, and the Cité de la Musique, the home of the Ensemble Intercontemporan. It's so close that you can finish practice and head there 15 minutes before the performance starts.

The first thing that surprised me was how strict the security was. There are always two or three security guards at the entrance and there is a brief baggage check each time. And you cannot enter the university unless you hold your student ID card over the ticket gate. It is strictly controlled so that only those involved are allowed to enter.

There are eight practice rooms for percussion instruments, all of which are relatively spacious. It looks like the walls were repainted during this summer vacation, so it's especially beautiful now.

There are also quite a lot of musical instruments. Most of them are kept under strict control in the instrument room, but large instruments such as keyboard instruments and timpani are lined up tightly in the hallways. Even though there are many students who have to set up their own setups, I feel that it is a very blessed environment with plenty of room and instruments.

Security and environment unique to a prestigious school. However, surprisingly, there is no reservation system for the practice room. If it's empty, you can come in and practice, but if someone else is practicing, we'll talk to each other and make concessions. I feel like I can get a glimpse of the freedom of the French people in that the practice is left up to each individual depending on their mood that day.

The main professor in the percussion department is Mr. Gilles Durot, a percussionist with the Ensemble Intercontemporan.

There are also 3 other teachers and you can take lessons freely. In Germany, there are many people who specialize in either orchestral or solo studies, but in Paris, I was impressed by how everyone was able to study both at the same time.

Another feature is that there are a large number of master classes. Not only percussionists from all over the world, but also people of all genres visit every month. Last month, an actor/comedian came and gave a class on vocalization, body movement, expressing yourself, etc. I'm looking forward to having a baroque dance master class in January.

About daily life

As expected from Paris, the capital of art, there are so many wonderful places that I have trouble deciding where to go almost every week. It still feels strange to be able to go to a world-class museum in just a few minutes by metro. I can't put into words the emotion I felt when I saw a masterpiece that I had always wanted to see.
I'm also happy to be able to go to concerts by orchestras such as the Orchester de Paris and Ensemble Intercontemporan for around 10 euros. Every time, I am surprised, moved, or discover something by the "sounds of France."
Other than that, I like touring the graveyards of French composers, going to cafes where various artists gather, and trying to get a taste of the city.

At the end

Having said that, the road to becoming a Parisienne is still a long way away and involves many difficulties, such as learning the language, but I spend my days believing that this valuable experience will surely enrich me in the future. I'm really looking forward to seeing what changes will happen to me when I return to Germany in a year.

Hirono Tago Profile

He has won 1st place at the Southern California International Marimba Competition, 2nd place at the Pollensa International Marimba Competition, and has won many other domestic and international competitions. He is the first percussionist to be selected as a YAMAHA Music Support Scholarship recipient (2015-2017).
JapanPerformed with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra at the 30th Emerging Performer Development Project Orchestra Series sponsored by the Japan Music Federation.
Moved to Germany after graduating from Kunitachi College of Music. Completed the master's program at Karlsruhe University of Music with top grades.
He is currently enrolled in the National Performer Certification Course at the same university. At the same time, he studied abroad at the Paris Conservatory under the Erasmus+ (European exchange program) and studied under Gilles Durot.
From spring 2024, he plans to study abroad at the Lyon National Supérieure de Musique under the same system. So far, she has studied under Toru Uematsu, Momoko Kamiya, and Isao Nakamura.

Hirono Tago Official Site
Hirono Tago Official Site - Percussionist Hirono Tago's official site