Jose Garza teaching a student at MECA

When Jose Garza was in the sixth grade trying to decide which elective he should take, his older sister insisted, "Since I had to play the violin, you do, too." By the time Mr. Garza reached ninth grade, he was immersed in music, which may have saved his life. That year, his mother was sent to prison. His father had left the family when Mr. Garza was five. He remembers, "When my mother left, I felt alone in the world. Music took me in its arms, helped me develop my personality and my sense of responsibility, and made sure I wouldn’t plummet into society’s pitfalls. Music helped me to be strong and to find myself."

In the tenth grade, focus and determination won Mr. Garza a place in a regional high school orchestra – even though he never had been able to afford a private lesson. "I would ask the other people in the orchestra what pieces they were working on," he recalls. "Then I’d go to the music store and buy the sheet music, which was much more difficult than what I could play. But I tried my best to learn it and to develop technique and skill."

When a teacher at school suggested that he try out for the American Festival for the Arts (AFA) summer program, Mr. Garza auditioned and was accepted with a full scholarship. He explains, "AFA offered so many different kinds of programs that at first it was a great shock, but a pleasant one. I learned everything from music theory to orchestral, chamber and solo music. AFA was my first stepping stone to becoming a true musician."

In eleventh grade, Mr. Garza qualified for the Texas All-State Orchestra. The next summer, with another scholarship in hand, he returned to the AFA program, where he studied with top musicians from around the world. Mr. Garza says, "We even had the opportunity to work with contemporary composers whose works we were playing. It couldn’t get any better than that!" By the end of his senior year, he was playing with the National High School Orchestra.

After graduation, Mr. Garza took a year off from his music to work. He remembers that year as "treacherous." He still works full-time designing computer information systems, but now he also teaches violin 20 hours each week at Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA). Soon he hopes to attend college. "I want to have a family one day and have what everybody wants," Mr. Garza says. "But I want to do what I love and be happy with my life, and I see that in music. Those summer programs at American Festival for the Arts helped fortify music’s hold on me. I learned if I set a goal that through hard work and practice, anything can be achieved."

Back to index