Musical Chairs

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play an instrument or anything that requires a new skill? 76-year-old James Mitchell, a non-musician, set out to do just that––but not one instrument, the entire orchestra.

Musical Chairs is a bow by blow adventure that follows Mitchell on his quest to perform excerpts from the classical repertory with just twelve lessons and practice on each instrument. His more than three-year journey provides a platform allowing his imagination to take him to unexpected places. As he delves into music history, immersing himself in the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and other great composers, Mitchell does battle with the orchestra in this breezy, often humorous account that informs as well as delights. He weaves in tales of Tarzan and Jane, doing surgery on a double bass, falling in love with a cello, and spy games between the Stradavari and Amati families in 17^th-century Tuscany, to name a few.

Musical Chairs is a multi-dimensional book that will appeal to any reader with a healthy curiosity, a sense of adventure, and a goal itching to be achieved.

James Mitchell was born in New York City and grew up listening to classical music. Music trailed him through life, literally and metaphorically always in the background, until he began writing Musical Chairs, when music finally took the spotlight.

He has been an actor, a sales manager for a ski company, a wilderness outfitter, a cowboy, the president of an advertising agency, the business manager for a bagpipe band, the co-founder of an NGO in Afghanistan, and an educator.

Mitchell believes his eclectic career does not describe the life of a drifter, but rather the record of responding to ideas that, in musical terms, resonated for him. His guiding principal has always been to follow your passion and excel at it.

Mitchell lives near Longmont, Colorado, north of Denver, with his wife, some zebra finches, a cat, and a few equines. He is immensely proud and fond of his two grown offspring, and he has one very young grandson.

You can find Mitchell online at jamesmitchellbooks.com.