..
..
..
....Tomoko Murabayashi was born and raised in Tsu-city in Mie prefecture, Japan.
Her love for music was strongly cultivated, growing up with a musical family. Nobody was professionally trained, but country guitar, banjo, mandolin, accordion, there was always somebody playing music at home.She entered the Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) in 2000, majoring in voice performance. She studied voice with Donna McElroy, Larry Watson, Catherine Russell, Marlon Saunders, and Gabriel Goodman. And she also studied the live band approach with Darren Barrett, Winston Maccow, Walter Beasley, and Tiger Okoshi. Tomoko was honored for the Berklee Achievement Based Scholarship from 2002 to 2004. She also graduated the college with the honor of Cum Laude de in 2004.Outside the college, Tomoko joined the Re-union choir at the Union United Methodist Church, which was directed by Renese King. She also studied vocal technique wtih Mark Baxter.Her love for African American music led her to its root, the African music.
In 2002, she went to Ghana with the group of Joe Galeota to study Ghanaian drumming and dancing. She studied at the Dagbe cultural center in Volta region, and also worked with Bernard Woma, who is one of the greatest xylophone players in Ghana. After the trip, she instantly became one of the lead dancers of Joe Galeota's West African drumming and dancing group. On the 2nd trip to Ghana in 2004, she explored the culture of the Northern part of Ghana, traveling by herself.In 2007, Tomoko recorded her own sound project, four leaf sound's first album, "27" with a producer, Yuki Kanesaka aka Ukey. The thrid track from the album, "is this real?" was on aired on Radio Sakamoto (J-WAVE 2007).In 2008, she completed her master's degree in jazz studies at the Georgia State University(Atlanta, GA). She studied jazz vocal approach with Audrey Shakir as she continued her study in vocal techinique with Keri Hughes (Former Speech Level Singing Level 3 Instructor) outside the college.In 2009, Tomoko recorded the four leaf sound's second album, "29"with Yuki Kanesaka, and she currently studies at the Advanced Leadership and Pastoral School at the Christ for the Nations Institute while continuing her vocal education with Keleen Miskin (Speech Level Singing Level 3 Certified Instructor). She also serve as a member of the Josiah praise team at the Potter's House.
