Lesson overview
Learn shakuhachi through personalized private instruction
The shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese bamboo flute known for its rich, meditative tone and deep cultural roots in Zen Buddhism. Whether you are drawn to its haunting beauty, want to deepen a spiritual practice, or explore traditional Japanese music, the shakuhachi offers a rewarding musical journey.
Lydia Snyder is an experienced shakuhachi player and instructor at Kent State University. She offers patient, personalized instruction tailored to each student’s goals while sharing the cultural and spiritual depth of the instrument.
What you’ll learn
- Proper breathing and embouchure techniques
- Producing a clean, steady tone
- Traditional honkyoku (solo Zen pieces)
- Modern and folk repertoire
- Music reading with traditional notation
- Mindfulness and the meditative aspects of playing
Lesson format
How the lesson works
Breathing and tone
Develop proper breathing and embouchure techniques while working toward a clean, steady tone.
Repertoire and notation
Explore traditional honkyoku, modern and folk repertoire, and traditional music notation at a pace suited to your goals.
Mindful practice
Connect technique with the meditative and mindful dimensions of shakuhachi playing.
Before your lesson
Lesson details
Materials and equipment
Beginner instruments are available, along with guidance on choosing and purchasing a shakuhachi. Online lessons use Zoom with a high-quality audio setup.
Meet your host
Hosted by
Lydia Snyder
Music Experiences host
Lydia Snyder is a multi-discipline artist and ethnomusicologist with a focus on Japanese music and culture, but with a passion for global arts and travel. As a shakuhachi player, she uses music to explore arts and intimacy, sound healing, trance and altered states of consciousness, and ecomusicology. She is faculty in the music department at Kent State University, where she teaches musicology and ethnomusicology courses- including classes on Japanese anime! She specializes in connecting people to the most culturally and musically authentic and enriching experiences around the globe, whether that is an Irish session at a pub in Galway, a Buddhist meditation in the mountains of Koya, or a jubilant Oktoberfest in Munich. She’ll help connect you to where your heart vibes.
Pricing
Location
Review (1)
Only guests who have booked can leave a review.
Added By Lydia Snyder
Lydia Snyder is a multi-discipline artist and ethnomusicologist with a focus on Japanese music and culture, but with a passion for global arts and travel. As a shakuhachi player, she uses music to explore arts and intimacy, sound healing, trance and altered states of consciousness, and ecomusicology. She is faculty in the music department at Kent State University, where she teaches musicology and ethnomusicology courses- including classes on Japanese anime! She specializes in connecting people to the most culturally and musically authentic and enriching experiences around the globe, whether that is an Irish session at a pub in Galway, a Buddhist meditation in the mountains of Koya, or a jubilant Oktoberfest in Munich. She’ll help connect you to where your heart vibes.
Chaz
October 21, 2025 at 3:34 amLydia is an excellent teacher!!!
Helpful Review