Instrument of Peace
February 23, 2011Jake Shimabukuro strums on a Hawaiian ukulele
When Jake was 4 years old his mother gave him his first lesson on the ukulele and he has been strumming ever since. He experiments with different sounds that cross music lines of funk, jazz, rock, classical and flamenco. He is a spokesperson for Music is Good Medicine, a community outreach program that promotes healthy living through music. He travels to schools spreading a positive message to children. He presented at TED and you can see him below at TEDxTokyo. Jake believes that the ukulele is the instrument of peace. You can see him on YouTube playing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and other pieces.
me arts ed 
What an inspiring video!
Awesome! He has taken the instrument out of the stereotypical context that Tiny Tim placed it in years ago. His comment that people that come to see a ukulele performance don’t have very high expectations really gave voice to his hard work and talent. Thanks for this post, Argy!