{"id":609,"date":"2025-04-25T00:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T04:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/megumihamura.com\/?p=609"},"modified":"2025-06-23T00:02:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T04:02:47","slug":"rock-n-roll-sensei-ms-meka-nism-brings-music-to-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/megumihamura.com\/?p=609","title":{"rendered":"Rock ‘n’ Roll Sensei: Ms. Meka Nism Brings Music to Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ms. Meka Nism based in Orlando, Florida, is a multi-talented artist known as a metal opera vocalist, guitarist, MC, and voice actor. She spent three years living in Japan, where she taught English at a kindergarten in Kyoto while incorporating rock music into her lessons. This experience deepened her connection with Japanese music and culture. Meka is also an active member of the American educational\/musical project, Rock For Children<\/em>, whose album Solid Rock Revival<\/em> was nominated this year for a GRAMMY Award in the Best Children\u2019s Music Album<\/em> category. We spoke with Meka about her unique journey that bridges education and music, and how she continues to expand the possibilities of rock as a tool for learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Rock Teaches Kids a Safe Way to Express Emotions”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspired you to go to Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan is a very special place, and has a beautiful heart and soul. I really wanted to experience its art, music and culture – especially music, which is my first love. I originally went there as an international English teacher because I got a visa through teaching, but I quickly met my band partner, Yukari. She played bass, and I played guitar as we both sang. We started a band called \u201cOrigami Girls\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Origami<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cOrigami Girls\u201d sounds like a catchy name for a Japanese audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah!\u00a0 At that time, the only Japanese words I really knew were wasabi, sushi<\/em>, and origami<\/em>. Yukari picked \u201cOrigami\u201d for our band name. And then I got recruited by a kindergarten. I think they liked my bright personality, the fact that I had worked at Disney, and that I was a singer. I wrote songs in English about whatever topic we were studying and sang them every day in my class. I wrote a song called \u201cLunch Box\u201d, which I even performed at a metal opera show – it gives everybody a joy burst! Everybody loves food, right? I think art, music and dance are great ways to experience another culture in a safe way. Also, food is always a way to open doors to understand different cultures with the added benefit of learning the words. If you practice English or Japanese every day through music, you can really learn the language. Music creates a great opportunity for kids to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You lived in Kyoto for three years. Did you experience any culture shock?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tashikani. (\u201cDefinitely\u201d) I learned Japanese from my friends, so I only speak Kansai-ben haha! (That\u2019s the regional dialect in the Kansai area – it\u2019s known for being fun, friendly, and sometimes cheeky.) I think I\u2019m grateful that I didn\u2019t know all the rules when I moved to Japan. It can be high pressure to get everything correct and luckily, I wasn’t too afraid of making mistakes at the time. We\u2019re all trying to learn cultural rules or differences when moving back and forth between countries. I was able to bring my cultural habits (like smiling a lot and giving high-fives) to new friends in Japan so that we could share in the exchange of learning of some of our differences and similarities of gestures, etc. It made for some really strong friendships and deeper understanding together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you feel teaching English in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a very loud and energetic personality, but luckily my friends in Japan said I was yabai<\/em> (\u201ccool\u201d or \u201cinsane\u201d) – in a nice way! You know, wild but approachable. I was a loud rock singer with a smile, which made it safe for people to join me in my artistic adventures. That was the most fun – being Rock\u2019n\u2019roll sensei (\u201cteacher\u201d) with the kids and rock out in class by singing and dancing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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