A sell-out crowd of 670 people packed the Pearl City Cultural Center yesterday, seeking peace and harmony by way of relentless drumbeats and exuberant karaoke.

The third annual Taiko and Karaoke Festival, whose theme was "The Path to Peace," drew a most enthusiastic community crowd as students of the Pacific Buddhist Academy performed their art.

All freshmen at the academy are required to study the fundamentals of performing on taiko and many continue their studies there.

The idea is that by working together as a group to present an artistic experience, the students gain an appreciation of Buddhist values such as peace, harmony and being in the moment — in other words an expression of peaceful interdependence.

Pieper Toyama, head of school, said: "They are experiencing values, not by listening, but by doing it. Through participating, they gain an awareness of the present moment and by being sensitive to the next person, they learn interdependence to perform well together."

The whole idea, Toyama said, "is getting out of yourself and experiencing the group" since the students must depend on one another to create the desired artistic effect.

Judging from the reaction of the crowd, the academy students have mastered the method.

The audience clapped their hands red when singer Tevita Apina and drummer Ken Okamoto performed "Chan Chiki Okesa," a traditional obon dance song.

Another big hit was "Yabusame," performed by the PBA Taiko group, which through costume, drums, flute and chants formed the artistic perception of a warrior riding a horse and firing arrows. The drumbeats brought to mind the rhythmic clatter of hoofbeats, and the drummers used their drumsticks to strike poses as archers. If you were willing to clear your mind and concentrate on the spirit of the moment, which after all, is the purpose of the experience, the effect was dynamic and electric.

Art is always changing, and this was demonstrated vividly by "Wa," another crowd pleaser, which had a hip-hop beat and was composed by the seniors in the academy.

Senior Taylor Nagata, 17, said, "We wanted to try something different, combining the old and the new. We're the new generation of taiko."

Nagata said he studied taiko because: "For me, music is my life. It brings peace and a sense of self in the present moment. It helps me connect with all the people — in sync, one spirit with the song."

Besides, he said grinning, "It's really fun to whack on drums."