Jake Neuman has had a passion for music since he was eighteen months old and first heard Glenn Campbell’s, “Rhinestone Cowboy”. Dressed in full cowboy gear, he would serenade his family with his tiny guitar at every opportunity. At age two, his life quickly changed when he suffered a massive bleed in his brain and it was discovered that he had several cerebral vascular malformations. Jake underwent emergency brain surgery and throughout his recovery, music was his consolation. His first verbal response after his surgery, was to sing along with his mom to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.

As Jake grew older, so did his love for music, especially for the guitar. He began guitar lessons at age 8 and although he practiced diligently, he was not making the progress his instructor expected. Due to the deficits caused by his surgery, the instructor thought it would be impossible for Jake to ever learn guitar and encouraged him to take up another hobby, but Jake refused to give up on his dream. Guitar was his passion and so he just worked harder. One day, his plinking of strings had a melody, and shortly thereafter, he was playing full songs. After that, there was no stopping him!

Jake has continued to hone his skills and competed in his first talent show during his sophomore year of high school and won first place. He currently uses his talent by playing for church services and weddings, but has dreams of bigger audiences. Jake has learned that surviving a challenge can bring about the greatest opportunities in life. He hopes one day to inspire others to always believe in their abilities and to never give up on their dreams.