about us

Saco Senko Sakura

Saco Yasuma

Saco, as a musician, has played in rock, reggae, funk, Jazz, Afro Cuban and free improvisational music scenes. As an educator, she has worked as an adapted music lesson instructor in a music therapy studio for many years. She sees “musical improvisation” as a communication and expression tool with colleagues and clients; she always wanted to expand this activity with wide range of people.

Then Saco met Sakurako and Senko. One day, as they played percussive instruments together for fun with other friends, many interesting moments came out. They started singing their own melodies and making beautiful harmonies. Some of them started dancing, too! Saco was so amazed at how they naturally interacted each other and felt connected. Even though for most of them, it was the first time to experience musical improvisation, they were so playful and so natural at letting out their inner voice. She felt something genuine about what she just experienced.

Senko, Sakurako and Saco formed One Note One Spirit in 2016, in order to create a fun and comfortable sound community to share this joyous experience. One Note One Spirit is expanding its family to different parts of the world along with this journey.

音楽療法のスタジオで、子供達と音遊び(即興)をしていると、みんなめっちゃ夢中で楽しそうにやりたい放題をする。大人の皆さんと同じ事をしようとすると、私そんなことできません、とか、やった事ないから、と大概一言。でも恐る恐るやり始めると、だんだんのってきて、最後には顔を真っ赤にして目はキラキラに輝く。どういうわけか、みんなが内に調べを持っている、神様は誰にでも音を授けてくださっているんだな、といつも思っていました。たくさんの人がそれに気づいてくれたら、この世界、すっごく楽しいだろうな、なんて。。。

千子ちゃんとさくらちゃんに(偶然でなく！)出逢って、今の一音一会の前身みたいなものをやりだした。うわぁ、この人たち素直に正直な音が出てる。正直の音同士だとなぜか自然にハモっていく。私の心はときめきワクワク～

ある日突然ひょんな事から(これも偶然ではなく！) グループを結成することになり、これ世界中の人達とやれたら、なんて楽しいだろう、傷ついてる人も癒されちゃうね、と。一音一会、One Note One Spiritと命名。

今のところ、マディソン・スクェア・ガーデンとチューリッヒとバルセロナ公演は決定。最寄りの方は是非遊びにいらしてね～～まだ日にちは未定だけど。あっはっは～

Senko Nishimura

Senko is a CymaSonic healing practitioner. CymaSonic healing is a theraputic method used to improve the body's natural healing powers using sound vibrations naturally developed by the human body's frequency. Also she is an instructor of Shioe Art. Shioe Art is a kind of therapy and healing method using vibrant color. She loves nature, gardening without using harmful chemicals, and utilizing microorganisms. She uses plants for tea, bath herb, tincrure, onitment, etc. To top it off she's recently started whirl dance!

Why Senko started One Note One Spirit? She thought she could not sing, play instruments, dance, or anything music related. Oneday she found that it was a lot of fun to play instruments with her friends because every sound was creating one harmony. Then she met a native american medicine drum, she took drum classes from sherman Irma starspirit. Senko is using medicine drum for healing and enjoy music now. She has then learned that the human's own voice frequencies is one of great healing tool for own body and mind by CymaSonic method. Now she enjoys make music , move and play instruments.
My thought on One Note One Spirit(一音一会）is same as Saco and Sakurako.

Sakurako Kataoka

Sakurako was born and raised in Japan. She moved to the United States 29 years ago for an MA in communications at NYU. She has been many things in her life, including a Japanese news broadcaster for twenty years both in Japan and NY, a banker, and full time mom. Sakurako has recently, rediscovered a new calling for her life in spiritual/performing arts.

In 2014 she wrote and performed a one woman show "本当の私宣言" (Declaration of Authentic Me) that has played in New York, Tokyo, Kobe, and Okayama. She made a film debut in Yun Liang’s “Keiko’s Hands” as a main character in 2017.

When I let my sprit move my body while listening to music, or feeling the resonance in my body, I often ended up encoutering "authentic me." That was fun, interesting and helpful. How could I deepen this tool and share with people who might appreciate it?

When I was day-dreaming that vision I met Saco and Senko.

One thing led another and we started to gather with small instruments with other close friends. All of us except Saco has professional music back ground. We had no experience, no knowledge, no skill in improv. The only thing we had, " maybe we had to have" was almost animal like intuitive senseor to feel other members and the sense of trust. We somehow knew nobody would judge anybody including Saco. In stead of fixing us, she set us free and seemingly enjoyed playing with us. We felt so good about ourselves and blossomed in our own unique ways.

That was a big surprise to see that in the the anarchic environment, each unique sound got together and ended up a harmonious ensemble unintentionally. "One Note" of each person became big "ONE NOTE" as a group. Feeling the resonance in my body I felt like my body was melting into the sound... becoming "One Spirit." This feeling was widely shared among members. That became our name.

"One Note One Spirit"

内なる声に耳をすませ、内から出るにまかせて体を動かしたり、声を出したりすることで、自分でも気づかなかったこころの奥の想いに気がつけたりするんだな。「本当の音」と書くように、音の力はすごい！。これをみんなと深めながらシェアしていけたらいいなと思っていた頃、サコさんと千子ちゃんに出会いました。

あるきっかけから、時々有志で楽器をもって集まるようになったんですがこれがまた自由な方達で。。。サコさん以外全員、全員インプロなどやったこともない素人。知識も技術も経験もない。あるのは互いを感じ合う動物的な勘と「誰も裁かない」という信頼感のみ。

普通のプロのミュージシャンなら「やっていられるか」と思ったかもしれない状態でも

サコさんが、私たちを「なおそう」としないで、

そのまま見守ってくれたのもラッキーで、全員気持ちよく図にのってそれぞれに

花開いて（？）いきました。

安心して楽に自分らしい音を出していると、

全体としてもユニークで調和のとれた、その時、そのメンバーでしか生み出せないアンサンブルになっていくんだ」という、素敵なことにも驚きました。

お茶の世界の一期一会のように、毎回違って毎回すばらしいのです。

一音一会の名前はそんなところからつけました。

自分の奥深くにあるその日その時の「一音」”One Note” は、