Author Description

In this book, Rhan Wilson has assembled a collection of thoughts and helpful exercises, gained from his nearly 50 years playing and studying music. Rhan stresses the importance of rhythm and the lost art of "listening", as he encourages the reader to "let go" of the many self inflicted barriers to learning and growing creativity. With a foreword by Joe Craven, this book is targeted towards the growing community of ukulele players, yet could easily be speaking to any musician on any instrument. "Rhan offers here a humble, honest and heart-felt offering of what it means to truly connect to music making. This book is a guide that is both conceptual and pragmatic. Rhan reminds us to not to hold, or worse own, negative opinions about our abilities from others or created within ourselves. Now as an educator, he has become a country doctor of music - making house calls, applying nature's cycles and natural metaphors and with wonderful bedside manner. Rhan importantly reminds us to, occasionally if not frequently, in the inimitable words of Sir Ken Robinson, to liberate ourselves from the "tyranny of common sense" in the world of creativity. Echoing Robert Fulghum's brilliant book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", Rhan brings it all back to the basics. Read this book. Rhan really gets it and so can you. Find the time to take your time to modify your behavior. Remember my mantra, "Success is not the key happiness...happiness is the key to success". Your table is waiting. It will come. You and the world will be better for it." Joe Craven Musician, Educator and Ambassador of Artful Living