I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water. – Ray Charles

Anyone who has ever been at karaoke with me can tell you I was not born with music inside me. Thankfully, as long as I am in good company and have had a glass of wine, it hasn’t stopped me from getting up and opening my mouth in public. Despite my inability to understand the language of music, I have great appreciation for performance and there are few things I enjoy more than live music, whether it is a children’s school concert, an open mic night or an accomplished musician performing a sold out venue. Regardless of what language you are hearing music in, it is a universal language. The first live opera I had the privileged of attending was Puccini’s Tosca at the Baths of Caracalla, Rome. I had no clue what the exact words meant but it was easy to feel the story through the music. As Tolstoy wrote “music is the shorthand of emotion.”

This month, our writer’s explore music; from Mexico’s great orchestras to Canadian musician’s who have been performing in Mexico and an interview with the supremely talented Horacio Franco. I was personally inspired by Kary Vannice’s piece which validated that, despite my off key voice and poor finger control, playing my ukulele is actually good for my health!

April 22nd is Earth Day and we didn’t want to let this issue pass by without mentioning some of the things that are pressing on our community right now; recycling and the development of Playa Cacaluta. Julie Etra delved into these issues and we will see what the future brings. If looking at the history behind Huatulco’s historical walk is any indication, it is that change is inevitable; sometimes for the better and sometimes not so much.

See you next month,

Jane