By: Allison Fonte

Expatriate and Local Community Share Discovery of Explayarte Academy of Music in Playa Del Carmen

Just one year ago, a little gem opened quietly here in Playa del Carmen on the second floor of Plaza Las Perlas on Constituyentes. Explayarte Academy of Music is the first and only school in Playa del Carmen to offer a broad range of group and private music classes, voice instruction as well as the sale of used and new musical instruments. The school operates from 9am to 9pm everyday except Sunday and offers courses for both adults and children.

As is often the case with many fledgling startups, the school is still a bit of a well-kept secret - but locals are learning fast......................

Photo: Explayarte founder, Luis Ernesto Lopez, on bass jamming with Fernando Toussaint on drums at Apasionado Restaurant and Jazz Club. (photographer: Tom Doody)

There is a lack of advertising or signage to tell passerby of the school’s existence. Recently though, word-of-mouth publicity is spreading quickly among the local expatriate community who are raving about the school, its excellent teachers, its affordable, quality music instruction, and its convenient location with ample parking.

I initially heard about the school from Paula Numan, a well-regarded yoga instructor in Playa, an author, and the owner of Star Condos Property Management. Paula could barely contain her excitement at having discovered--for the first time--that she possessed a very strong, powerful singing voice. She was initially prompted to take classes from Oscar Torres of Explayarte after accidentally winning a role in the chorus of Jesus Christ Superstar. A role she was chosen for in spite of lacking prior singing experience. Now she is hooked on singing and takes 1 private class per week. Paula now harbors a dream to perform as a jazz singer once she has gained enough confidence in her voice.

Photo: Student taking drum class at Explayarte Academy of Music

Rick Jones, the founder and owner of The Blue Parrot, enrolled his energetic 5-year-old son in drum classes at Explayarte. Since he began, Jones has noticed a remarkable improvement in his son’s ability to concentrate and he adds, “It has really changed his life for the better, and he loves going to his classes.”

Explayarte, founded by Luis Ernesto Lopez just over a year ago, was the dream child of a musician whose passion was to do something good for the community while providing the talented musicians of Playa del Carmen with jobs. A wonderful by-product of Lopez’ vision is that kids--by being introduced to music and learning to play an instrument--are provided with an alternative to the streets.

Photo: Students, Tulum, Benjamin, Milo and Manilo, taking group drum course from Explayarte instructor, Oscar Torres.

“I am very excited about the growing popularity of Explayarte in just one year. However, we are still a long way from our goals. I am very anxious to expand the school and our offerings to attract more students, especially the expatriate community.” Lopez adds, “in order for us to grow, we will need to invest in more equipment and classrooms.”

Explayarte has recently experienced a great deal of interest from “new breed” digital artists seeking instruction as DJ’s, or to self-produce recordings of electronic music. These classes in digital music, along with drum and percussion, are driving the demand for more classrooms with better acoustics.

Photo; Students at Explayarte Academy of Music

Courses for up to three, 2-hour group classes per week in voice, drums, guitar, bass or keyboard are currently being offered in the school’s 3 classrooms. Private classes are available for $1,200 pesos a month for 8 one-hour private classes. As of September annual membership will be $350 pesos per year, and group classes will cost $800 per month until January 1, 2005.

In addition, Explayarte periodically offers special clinics, open to the public and led by guest celebrity musicians. In the past year, clinics were given by Fernando Toussaint one of the country’s most highly regarded drummers from Mexico City; Saul Hernandez, a Mexican rock star who is the lead singer and guitarist for the rock group, Los Jaguares; and Christian Beck, a well-known percussionist in Playa Del Carmen.

Readers interested in enrolling themselves or children in classes can obtain more information by calling Explayarte at 984-803-3720. Playa Maya News readers that mention this article will receive the first trial class free. E-mail Explayarte at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it to be added to our list and receive emails about upcoming clinics, new courses and fund-raising events. Explayarte is always in need of donations of musical equipment or cash to help support the school in its efforts in providing the best teachers, classes and services to our community.

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