Isidoro Flores

Isidoro Flores

I was born and raised in East L.A. My mom literally walked to the hospital where I was born, and after a few hours she walked back home. She always tells me that those were her most painful steps of her life, but she believes that what kept her from collapsing in the middle of the street were the noises that she was listening to, the birds chirping, the sound of wind blowing by her ear and the noise of crickets in the background. As she puts it, “nature’s music kept her going”. My life, in the past and now, revolve around music too. Music has played an important role in my life. It is my escape. When I feel down, tired, or “bored” music is there to save the day. It is an escape, when life becomes unbearable, I just close my eyes, put my headphones on and I start to listen to music. Over the years, the way music has been a part of my life has changed. At first it began with me being in the orchestra at my elementary school. I would play the clarinet. Then in middle school I went from classical to rock, and I played rhythm guitar in the band I was in. AS time passed I stopped playing instruments, and I began to just listen. The favorite part of my walk home from school is listening to music. I hate being alone, but when I am walking, being alone is the best. I just put my headphones on and I get lost in my music. I stop thinking and I just try to identify every instrument in a song. Sometimes a specific guitar piece will make or break a song. The most beautiful aspect of music, to me, is that you don’t see the story, you don’t read it either, you hear it, with the poetic lines that have different meanings, you feel it with the emotions singers put behind certain words, and sometimes the euphonic sounds tell you the story. Sometimes it is impossible to paint a picture, or to write a story, but with music the impossible becomes possible. Music is art turned into sound, music is a series of euphonic sounds put together, music is poetry, but most importantly, music is part of who I am.
The Beginning

The Beginning

Frank Sinatra famously sang, “And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain.” And, to all those seniors, the end of high school is approaching, and yes it is sad, to end such a beautiful chapter in our lives. At this point we enjoy the little time we have...

Opinion: The Problem with Testing

Opinion: The Problem with Testing

Tests make me extremely anxious. I despise the idea that someone will judge me based on what I have memorized. As a kid, I always feared being left behind, and this fear has manifested itself in many ways. Not being intellectually capable as my peers are is one of...

What will cause the next recession?

What will cause the next recession?

In the last recession of 2007-2009 the economy was crippled. Millions of people lost their jobs and homes making it the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Economists say, that there is usually a recession every three years, and we are now six years...

Chasing the American dream

Chasing the American dream

It has been four years since he was born, and he hasn’t spoken a word since. Now he sits on a bed while a doctor examines his throat. His mother, behind the doctor, waits anxiously. After a few minutes the doctor turns and says, “He will be fine, you can’t rush these...

Music and me

Music and me

I was born and raised in East Los Angeles. My mom literally walked to the hospital where I was born, and after a few hours she walked back home. She always tells me that those were her most painful steps of her life, but she believes that what kept her from collapsing...