Mission Statement
My mission is to help everyone realize they have music within them.
Through Music Mindfulness, I offer a new approach—one that sees music not just as a hobby, but as a powerful pathway to healing and transformation. I believe music can support us through the mental and emotional challenges of modern life.
The problem isn’t with the person—it’s with the outdated way music is traditionally taught.
I’m committed to sharing Music Mindfulness as both a new musical pedagogy and a therapeutic practice to help people experience greater peace, presence, and well-being.
Principles
The Necessity of Music
Music is not just something “nice” or “fun”—it’s essential to our well-being. It’s food for the soul and medicine for both individuals and society. The act of creating and experiencing music heals us, bringing us closer to presence and peace. Without it, we lose a fundamental part of what it means to be whole.
Everyone Can ‘Music’
Everyone has a musician within them. Music isn’t about talent—it’s about belief. The idea that we’re not “good” at music restricts our inner freedom. Imagine the impact if we all believed we could create music. You have a musician inside you—what if you gave yourself permission to discover it?
Music Belongs to the People
Music has been taken from our communities and transformed into something to consume rather than create. It’s been stripped from our schools, homes, and hands. But music isn’t defined by industry, commodity, or celebrity—it is a birthright. The world needs music now more than ever—not as an industry, but as a shared, living experience. Let’s take it back.
Music is Freedom
True freedom lies in reclaiming our time, attention, and choice. Music offers a pathway to that freedom, allowing us to feel present and fully alive. Music Mindfulness helps tune into this freedom, free our attention from distraction, and get back to what matters. Through music, we rediscover a sense of sovereignty and peace.
Music is Soul Food
Music feeds the soul and nurtures the spirit. It is a language beyond words, connecting us to something greater than ourselves. Music isn’t just a universal language—it is the language of the universe, offering access to experiences that expand our being and deepen our connection to life.
Music is Communal
In a divided world, music is the glue that brings us together. It crosses boundaries and connects us in ways few things can. When we play music together, we create a field of peace, bridge differences, and remember that we are part of one global community. Shared music brings shared harmony into the world.
The Peace Instinct
What if music is our natural instinct for peace? A built-in path to connection, wholeness, and harmony? Music can guide us back to ourselves—and to each other. It’s a universal language of unity and a tool to reclaim freedom from within. Let’s follow that instinct and bring music back into our lives.
My Music Journey!
Hi, I’m Josh — Music Educator, Coach, Founder, Musician, and Producer.
I’m devoted to helping you transform through music and mindfulness.
My journey to this point hasn’t been easy—and that’s exactly what shaped my approach.
Out of my 44 years of life, I’ve spent 36 as a musician and 32 as a teacher.
But the truth is: I wasn’t a natural talent.
When 8-year-old me decided to learn guitar, it was anything but easy. I wasn’t a prodigy. My rhythm was off, my pitch was shaky, and my attention span wandered. To be honest, music felt impossible—but something in me was drawn to it, despite the struggle.
By the time I was 12, music had touched me so deeply that I knew I wanted to become a professional musician. It still wasn’t easy—far from it—but I became more dedicated. I also started teaching guitar at 12, and quickly discovered that teaching came naturally to me.
Looking back now, it’s clear:
Music wasn’t just a gift for me to receive—it was a gift to share.
And My Path Of Music Began
Music led me to Berklee College of Music, where I graduated in 2002. Just a few months later, I was invited to join the faculty—a profound honor that launched my career as a college teacher, touring artist, and session musician.
While music remained my guiding light, it was also a source of challenge. The life of an artist can be hard—and for me, it eventually became overwhelming. Depression, ADHD, and personal struggles pulled me into a dark place. I seriously considered giving up.
But music saved my life.
As difficult as it was to keep going, something inside said: “You must never give up.” I realized that music was much more than a career or an art—it was a powerful instrument of healing. I didn’t know how yet, but I knew music could help heal depression, ADHD, addiction, and the behaviors that had blocked my growth.
That’s when everything clicked. The calling was clear: Music as mindfulness. Mindfulness as music.
This realization changed everything.
I began to see music not just as a skill to learn, but as a direct pathway to inner peace—a way to process emotion, reconnect with the body, and rebuild from the inside out.
I discovered that learning music doesn’t have to be frustrating or isolating. It can be joyful, shared, and deeply healing.
That understanding became the foundation for what I now call Music Mindfulness—a revolutionary approach to learning music from the inside out. By integrating mindfulness and self-awareness with music education, this method helps people transform not only their musical experience, but their relationship with themselves.
With this vision in mind, I developed programs like The Yoga of Guitar and The Yoga of Ukulele, and created the curriculum for the Music Mindfulness School.
Today, my mission is clear:
To make music accessible to everyone—regardless of age, experience, or perceived “talent.”
To guide people toward inner freedom and self-discovery through music.
To create spaces where music is shared, learned, and played together.
