Shakuhachi Tuition
You can learn shakuahchi with Jim Franklin. Currently, lessons take place mainly online (FaceTime/Skype/Zoom).
In April 2021, Jim Franklin emigrated to Japan, where he also offers face-to-face lessons.
A lesson (60 minutes) costs €43,00 or ¥5500, with payment by PayPal. Please contact Jim Franklin if you are interested:
Email: dr_jim_franklin@t-online.de
Teaching Process and Repertoire
The core of Franklin's instruction is the music of the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan (KSK, International Shakuhachi Research Centre), the school of YOKOYAMA Katsuya, in which Jim Franklin is an authorised teacher (shihan). The focus is on the honkyoku (classical Japanese "original pieces") of KSK. Additional and preparatory material includes the honkyoku of the Chikuho school, the first school which Jim Franklin studied with Riley Lee.
In accordance with students' interests and predispositions, other musical directions may be taught, e.g. contemporary music of the shakuhachi, improvisation, or sankyoku (music for classical ensemble of shakuhachi, koto, shamisen and voice).
Instruments
Jim Franklin can negotiate the purchase of beginners' and concert instruments from master craftspersons in Japan for his students.
There are some rather questionable shakuhachi makers in various countries, who offer cheap (and ultimately unusable) instruments on the internet. It is therefore not advisable to purchase a flute before consulting with Jim Franklin.
Levels of Instruction
The shakuhachi is a musical instrument with a rich and complex classical repertoire. As with any instrument, one must invest time and energy to learn it. And like any instrument, relatively few students reach the point at which they can teach it or perform publicly.
The first level of instruction consists of simple studies, in order to develop a basic technique, and following this, one works systematically through the honykoku repertoire (ca. 90 pieces, counting the KSK and Chikuho repertoires together) for the first time. How long this takes, depends on the talent of the student, the amount of time spent practicing, and the frequency of lessons. In any event, one can expect to spend several years with this basic repertoire work.
Students who are particularly talented and who wish to play the shakuhachi as something other than self-edification, deepen their understanding by working through the repertoire a second time; additionally, they learn a series of gaikyoku pieces (mostly chamber music). Only after successfully completing this second level, and in consultation with Jim Franklin, should one consider playing the instrument publicly.
A third level exists for highly talented students who have demonstrated an aptitude for teaching. For this, a further reworking of the entire repertoire is necessary, considering the pieces from a didactic standpoint. Only after successful completion of this level, and again after discussion with Jim Franklin, is it appropriate for a student to consider teaching the shakuhachi.
In order to obtain a formal qualification as teacher - "Shihan" (master), after working through the above three levels with JIm Franklin and after deliberations with him, it is necessary to go to Japan to work with and be examined by the senior teachers of the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan there. In this way, the quality of the student's playing and teaching is confirmed, and the student is authorised to transmit the music of the shakuhachi through teaching and public performance.
The title "Junshihan" (junior master) can be awarded by KSK Europe to talented and pedagogically capable students who have passed through the repertoire at all three stages, but who are not in a position to spend an extended period in Japan. In this case, the senior KSK teachers in Europe examine the quality of the student's playing and teaching. This certification also permits the recipient to offer tuition and to perform independently. It is assumed, however, that he or she will seek further supervision with senior KSK teachers.
As of late 2020, two senior students of Jim Franklin have received KSK teaching certifications. After the Corona crisis recedes, they will offer face-to-face teaching of shakuhachi in Germany in the style of Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan:
Nina Haarer, Shihan
Email: shakuhachi-gothic-queen@freenet.de
Alexandra Kraus, Shihan
Email: alexa.kraus@gmx.com