Our virtual concert series Music Mondays continues in November with many more amazing musicians! Bringing some cheer to your lives through music, we will be preforming LIVE via Facebook every Monday at 12:30pm.

The them this month is "Gratitude" and we will feature the following Artists:

November 2 - Hideaki Tokunaga: Born in Osaka Japan, guitarist, Hideaki Tokunaga came to the United States in 1985 and settled in New York, playing with an organization called Music Under New York (MUNY), which arranged for musicians to play in subways.

In 1990, he moved to Southern California and started attending CalArts through the Charlie Mingus Scholarship Program. In 1998, he graduated from CalArts with a Master's Degree. His debut CD, "The Wind Told Me" was released in 1997 and the second album, "Midnight Rainbow" was released in 1998.

Currently residing in Los Angeles, his warm, beautiful, solid and grooving guitar sound has been capturing the hearts of every Jazz fan.

November 9 - Minyo Station: Minyo Station is “The Contemporary style of Japanese Folk Music group”, based in Los Angeles, California. They arrange Japanese folk songs with a western twist.(jazzy, funky, and ROCK!) Classically trained Minyo singers and shamisen(3-string Japanese guitar) players are the core instruments to carry the traditional Japanese sound, and western instruments such as guitar, keyboards, bass and drums bring out the modern side of taste. Their mission is to carry on the sound of Japanese traditional music to the next generation and to create their own modern sound of traditional Japanese music. minyostation.amebaownd.com

November 16 - Miki Aoki: Praised for “genuinely memorable performance” by BBC Music Magazine, pianist Miki Aoki is widely recognized for her diverse abilities as pianist and collaborative artist. She is recording exclusively for German Label Hänssler Profil. Her latest recording, Tokyo Story, was released in 2018. This sensational recording featured the original piano version of the film soundtracks of Japanese film director, Yasujiro Ozu and was given recognition by the Japanese media. Currently based in New York City, she is a Doctorate Candidate at SUNY Stony Brook and is a teaching assistant under Gilbert Kalish. Since September 2019, she has been working at the Juilliard School as the studio pianist for Professor Carol Rodland.

November 23 - Layla Lane: Somewhere in the bustling alleys of the pop music metropolis lies L.A.- based pop duo Layla Lane. With a live show that can charm even the most resilient crowd, members Heday and Valerie have mastered their instruments to deliver a one-of-a-kind brand of dueling piano-guitar revelry.

After guitarist Heday left his native Japan, he honed his skills in LA collaborating with Jerry Lee Lewis and the Beatles' Ringo Starr. In 2009, he joined forces with Los Angeles-born pianist Valerie Stern, who has performed with members of the L.A. Philharmonic and even doubled for actress Lindsay Lohan playing Chopin in the film I Know Who Killed Me. Together, Layla Lane has written music for two Coca-Cola commercials, recorded a song for the Lionsgate film Killers, toured Japan, and hosted their own variety TV show, Layla Lane's Pop Spot. The duo's debut album and single "Happy Lane" were released by major label avex in Japan.

To participate, please visit JFLA's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JFLALC).

There will be one session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JFLALC). Refresh and recharge yourself with us at home!

There will be one session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JFLALC). Stretch and refresh yourself with us at home!

Click here to contact us with any questions or to inform us of your intention to apply to one of these programs.

⚫︎TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS(BASIC [LONG-TERM] / JAPANESE LANGUAGE / JAPANESE TEACHING METHODS [SHORT-TERM] / ONLINE TRAINING

⚫︎JAPANESE LANGUAGE PROGRAM FOR SPECIALISTS IN CULTURAL & ACADEMIC FIELDS (TWO MONTHS / FIVE MONTHS COURSE)

Advocacy Support Letter 

Please contact jflaeducation@jflalc.org for details.

Deadline:  Two months prior to the project start date

How is everyone handling the changing weather? Lately, Los Angeles has started to cool down and I have to find ways to warm myself up during this time. But compared to East Coast and some other areas, we are much warmer and we’ve experienced a longer set of summer this time around. For this month, we actually have some exciting Japanese language education events! Like last year, we will be collaborating with American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) with the Leadership Training! But this year, it will be virtual and working with multiple Japanese language teachers all over the United States. So it’ll be a great opportunity to oversee the conditions of Japanese language education, especially during this Coronavirus pandemic. Many teachers are going through difficult times and if you ever need support, please don’t hesitate to contact us at jflaeducation@jflalc.org . We will do our best to support you through this difficult time in terms of resources and support letters. Also, this year, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) will be hosting their conference virtually! So this year, we will be having our virtual booth and doing our best to support language teachers in the best way we can. We do miss seeing everyone “face-to-face” so let’s hope for the next Convention, we can see each other! Until then, please stay safe and healthy during these months!