by Evan C. Gutierrez   Music educator and relaxation artist Stephen Rhodes was born in Birmingham, later relocating with his family to Aldridge, England. He felt a strong urge from a young age to become a professional musician. Rhodes sensed that his calling would be to compose, record, and teach others. In his compositions he relies on visualization techniques, picturing peaceful and serene surroundings, then "composing" that picture. From early on in his career, Rhodes has delighted in hearing his fans recount imagining a similar image to that which inspired the piece. Rhodes is a Yamaha Music School teacher, and education has long played an important role in his career -- empowering others to express themselves through music and composition is a natural extension of his lifelong commitment to bettering people's lives with music. Rhodes formed a relationship in the '80s with the New World Music label, a company specializing in publications furthering mind-body-spirit health, including relaxation music. His first album released by the label, entitled Perfume, was written to inspire calm, quiet confidence and contentment. Like many subsequent releases, Perfume would become popular in meditation and relaxation music listening communities worldwide. Though New World Music artists tend to rely on their domestic British fan base, Rhodes' music appears on new age charts the world over. With nearly a dozen productions to his credit in a career that has spanned better than two decades, Stephen Rhodes is an important voice in therapeutic music.