Good hand-eye coordination and skillful grasp of rhythm are important not only in playing percussion but also in playing baseball, as alluded to in the film "When Percussion Playing Meets Baseball Batting (當打擊遇見打擊)." The film jointly produced by Ju Percussion Group (朱宗慶打擊樂團) and former Taiwanese baseball player Peng Cheng-min (彭政閔) was officially launched online on March 23.
Director Ju Tzong-ching (朱宗慶) of Ju Percussion Group said that while the group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, it is unable to tour abroad and the Taiwan International Percussion Convention is postponed due to the pandemic. To remain active and closely connect with Taiwan's social life, the percussion group has launched a series of film projects, hoping to make percussion a distinguishing feature of Taiwan.
The first episode shows a fun and easy interaction between baseball player Peng Cheng-min and the four leading members of Ju Percussion Group: Wu Shih-san (吳思珊), Wu Pei-ching (吳珮菁), Hwang Kuen-yean (黃堃儼) and Ho Hong-chi (何鴻棋).
It is interesting to watch in the film that while learning to play percussion instruments, Peng would cry out loudly when he could not catch the rhythm. On the other hand, in the scene of Peng giving instructions on playing baseball, he was serious, stressing: "One must warm up before going out to the field, and as a beginner, it is the most important to check before swinging the baseball bat whether there is someone next to you."
Peng noted that since he has not heard his cheers and chants for him for a long time, he was happy to hear Ju Percussion Group playing for him. When members of Ju Percussion Group swing their baseball bats, he would also encourage them.
All the basic aspects were explained thoroughly, enabling both parties to experience the joys of learning during the filmmaking process.
Director Chou Tung-yen (周東彥), who co-produced the film, pointed out that it has been 35 years since the establishment of Ju Percussion Group, and the group is way over the stage of needing to promote itself.
"We value the connections built behind the scenes and hope that percussion is made known to more people through different connections in life," he said.
Ju Percussion Group is currently shooting seven thematic short films, covering subjects such as percussion performance, instrument handling, tone development, and change of venues, in addition to interdisciplinary exchanges with professionals from other fields such as baseball, Japanese drumming, and foley.
In June, Ju Percussion Group will be performing percussion instruments at Taitung's Fengtian Elementary School, and Peng Cheng-min will also be present.