I hope this finds you well and in good spirits. I believe that every single person on earth is blessed with a passion or gift that should be shared with the world. I also believe that it is our individual responsibility to find that passion or gift, work hard for it, and never give up. The bottom line is that nobody will believe in you until you first believe in yourself. Sometimes, your goals may seem too distant and difficult to accomplish. At other times you may feel overwhelmed and become discouraged in the face of so many obstacles. But again, if your passion in life is that important to you and you believe it needs to be expressed and heard, then you must go for it because nothing is impossible. Just remember, trials and tribulations create character, and when you have character, you have hope. When you have hope, faith automatically follows. From my experiences, all it takes is imagination and a pinch of faith. Ever since I decided to pursue my music career full-time four years ago, this is has been my daily motivation. I can honestly say that although it is progressing slowly, I believe that I am humbly on my way.

With all that having been said, I just wanted to share with you that the next two weeks will probably be the most exciting times in my musical journey so far.

On May 30th I will be in Honolulu attending The Na Hoku Hanohano Awards which is considered by many to be Hawaii’s equivalent of the Grammy Music Awards. I am truly honored to have my first major CD release, “From His Heart,” nominated for the Instrumental Album of the Year, Best Instrumental Performance award.

As soon as that event is over, from June 2nd through the 6th, I will be at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to attend and perform at an exclusive music conference called Music Strategies 2010.

Lastly and unbelievably, I will thereafter travel to Arizona and step on the biggest stage I have ever performed on in my musical career. On June 9th, I will perform an instrumental arrangement of our National Anthem on Chase Field for the Arizona Diamondbacks! It has nearly taken 17 years, but it seems that that my childhood dream of somehow becoming affiliated with a Major League Baseball team will soon come true.

All these events will be first-time experiences for me and I am at the same time overwhelmingly excited and yet very humbled on this journey.

Thank you for your time, consideration and continuing true support. Take care, and I will surely keep you posted. Aloha and may God bless!

Facing all of life’s trials and tribulations, I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing, making the right sacrifices and decisions, and following the path in life that God has planned for me. Whenever life has become challenging, I have always thought of my friend, instructor and mentor, the late Eddie Bush, who passed away in 2002. I always vividly remember him telling me, “Derick, the best is yet to come!”

As most may know, the music industry is a tough one. It is a difficult place to catch any breaks. It is very hard work, it is a constant fight and it is sometimes extremely discouraging. Although there are many reasons and excuses I could come up with to justify giving up, I have instead chosen to fight day in and day out to make that climb to the top. Things are slowly but surely falling into place.

I am pleased and proud to announce that my first full-length ukulele instrumental major CD release, “From His Heart,” has been nominated for the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts’ Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawai’i’s version of the Grammy Music Awards) as a 2010 finalist in the category of Instrumental Album of the Year, Best Instrumental Performance.

There remains a final vote to be cast by Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts members only, and the winner will be announced on May, 30th, 2010, at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards Ceremony at the Hawaii Convention Center.

Just being a Na Hoku Hanohano finalist is in and of itself a true honor and privilege. It is also an honor and privilege to thereby be included in a very prestigious group of respected musicians and artists. Regardless of the outcome, this already has been an overwhelming accomplishment for which I am truly grateful.

I would like to humbly and personally thank you for your unconditional support in this long journey of musical endeavors. I know that I can work hard and create opportunities, but that doing so alone I can only go so far and do so much. Your support has always given me the edge and allowed me to do so much more than I could have ever done alone. I again thank you so, so much! Take care, Aloha and may God Bless!