My CIP this semester was learning shamisen at Greenwich House music school. Greenwich House is run by the Iwasaki family, and they teach as well as do performances with shamisen (similar to a guitar), koto (similar to a harp), and shakuhachi (similar to a flute).

Through practicing once a week at Greenwich House, I was able to learn more about traditional Japanese music and interact with a wide variety of people, which allowed me to practice both formal and informal Japanese. At the end of the semester, me and the other KCJS students who were learning instruments at Greenwich House had the opportunity to perform at a traditional Noh theater.

I made so many amazing memories during my time at Greenwich House, and I would highly recommend this CIP experience to incoming students. My advice to incoming KCJS students is to give yourself grace when it comes to making mistakes, both in terms of language speaking and in terms of doing your CIP activity itself.