For musicians, dealing with a chronic illness can mean the end of their career. This is the story of singer Margaret Felice, a Boston vocalist whose illness caused her to lose her breath mid-performance. After major surgery and a painful healing process, Margaret was able to overcome her difficulties and come out on the other side.

Our country is a melting pot of diverse people and cultures that define the breadth of music we know and enjoy in our daily lives. For this reason, CMI asked our contributor Patrick Hanley, Texas-based teacher and writer to share his thoughts about how new immigration laws are impacting music and musicians, and the ways in which our country embraces and disrupts diversity.