Noriko ‘Noripen’ Yonezawa is based in Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido in Northern Japan. She is a member of DCFA (Japan Drum Circle Facilitators Association). She is also co-founder of a major drum circle group in Japan, ‘Orange Boom Boom’ (founded in year 2005) with two other leading facilitators, covering the Northern, Central and Southern parts of Japan.
As a response to the success and increasing demands for her work, she has founded her own 'Sapporo Drum Circle' in 2004, delivering the joy of music making and working energetically towards building a healthy community. She has organized “Drum about Japan” events with Arthur Hull and her own local school children and community in 2006,2008,2011.
Noripen has an amazing talent to gather people to informal outdoor drumming events in parks and festivals. She has been successful in drum circle in one of Japan's biggest all night music festival ‘RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL’. A lot of people have gotten in tune by sharing their spirits. They have become involved through her magical making sounds.
Her work with children has encompassed circles for kindergartens, elementary, junior-high, high school and college students, as well as learning disability classes. She has taught about living together naturally.
Noripen has completed Health Rhythms® program. In events for elderly people, she does wonderful work socializing them, bringing good moments of flexibility, therapeutic moments and relaxation through the rhythm.
She has appeared on both public and network television in Japan and was featured in “Percussion Magazine,” May, 2008.
Noripen is a veteran keyboard instructor and arranger throughout her long career. She is also a talented singer. She’s had great successful concerts for kids.
