Meet the Team
HJ Brunskill
Founder & Director
HJ has studied with global taiko pioneers, and connected with taiko groups around the world. She is passionate about taiko inspiring positive personal development and teaches with a spirit of adventure, awareness and compassion. HJ has spent a long time in SEND music education, and is a qualified Early Years music educator.
Ruth Janssen
Associate Session Lead
Ruth is a London Contemporary Dance School alum, danced and choreographed professionally for two decades, notably with Scottish Dance Theatre and working with many of the UK's leading dance artists and touring globally. After relocating to Devon and starting a family, she discovered a love for Taiko drumming, finding rhythm, community, and joy. A qualified yoga teacher, Ruth also leads Thula Mama groups and co-directs The Hall Exeter.
Sarah Mc Lintock
Associate Session Lead
Having previously danced American tribal style belly dance in a collective, Sarah loves the challenge and aesthetic of taiko’s rhythm and movement. Sarah has been playing taiko on and off since 2011 and had a couple of baby bumps along the way. Taiko is her happy place and is a key part of helping her to maintain good mental health.
Sarah is also a qualified teacher, with a passion for personal, social and health education.
Linda Cameron
Associate Session Lead
Having played taiko both in the UK and internationally, she has a natural stage-presence and exudes energy and joy in all her work. A former physiotherapist, Linda is now a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, delivering training in Stress Management. Linda’s work as a psychosocial practitioner is proving to be a powerful element on the corporate team wellness work that Taiko journey offers.
HJ Brunskill
Founder & Director
HJ has studied with global taiko pioneers, and connected with taiko groups around the world. She is passionate about taiko inspiring positive personal development and teaches with a spirit of adventure, awareness and compassion. HJ has spent a long time in SEND music education, and is a qualified Early Years music educator.
Ruth Janssen
Associate Session Lead
Ruth is a London Contemporary Dance School alum, danced and choreographed professionally for two decades, notably with Scottish Dance Theatre and working with many of the UK's leading dance artists and touring globally. After relocating to Devon and starting a family, she discovered a love for Taiko drumming, finding rhythm, community, and joy. A qualified yoga teacher, Ruth also leads Thula Mama groups and co-directs The Hall Exeter.
Sarah Mc Lintock
Associate Session Lead
Having previously danced American tribal style belly dance in a collective, Sarah loves the challenge and aesthetic of taiko’s rhythm and movement. Sarah has been playing taiko on and off since 2011 and had a couple of baby bumps along the way. Taiko is her happy place and is a key part of helping her to maintain good mental health.
Sarah is also a qualified teacher, with a passion for personal, social and health education.
Linda Cameron
Associate Session Lead
Having played taiko both in the UK and internationally, she has a natural stage-presence and exudes energy and joy in all her work. A former physiotherapist, Linda is now a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, delivering training in Stress Management. Linda’s work as a psychosocial practitioner is proving to be a powerful element on the corporate team wellness work that Taiko journey offers.
Our story
Taiko Journey was founded in 2014, responding to a desire to have meaningful connection with the community through taiko drumming. The first group started with just a few drums in an unheated barn in west Dartmoor and welcomed people of all ages to play together and share their drumming at local events. Since then we've worked with schools, universities, businesses, charities and festivals sharing drumming workshops and performances.
2,186
hours teaching in the community
71
hours of performances
12, 325
young people learned
to drum