On any given day, Ashton Garcia can be found at the back of the music room at the Raul Yzaguirre Schools for Success. You might not immediately see him, but your ears will undoubtedly pick up the incredible string of notes consistently coming from his trumpet solo. The senior has been a star pupil of the Diaz Music Institute (DMI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering at-risk youth through Latin music education, for more than seven years.  

“Music has changed my life, I don’t know where I would be without it because it’s literally shaped who I am as a person,” an emotional Garcia said. 

This year, Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) County Connections Youth Summer Initiative awarded DMI a total of $80,000 across Harris County’s four precincts to support student growth. Funding for the enrichment curriculum is approved by Harris County Commissioners and administered to vetted programs by HCDE’s Center for Afterschool, Summer and Enrichment (CASE) for Kids.  

A core component of DMI’s mission is to help youth develop skills, talent and discipline for a professional career in the music industry. Every student learns the fundamentals on the piano and must master the instrument before transitioning to one of their choice, be it saxophone, trumpet, percussion, bass or more.  

Acclaimed musician and educator, José Antonio Diaz, founded the program more than 20 years ago and works to connect budding musicians with peers, professionals and life-changing opportunities. That includes trips to the Houston Symphony and the chance to compete at the national level.  

“With the increase in technology and social media, it’s removing the emotional aspect of what it means to be human,” said Diaz, who also serves as the program’s artistic director. “Having a strong music program that provides the opportunity to connect is something these kids don’t get often. Music opens their minds and hearts to a sensitivity that’s disappearing. We as humans must be able to come together to communicate and create something greater than ourselves, and to see these kids doing that, it can bring you to tears.”  

For Garcia, DMI is not a means to keep busy during out-of-school hours. It’s personal. In fifth grade, he picked up the trumpet out of curiosity, and his mother soon gave him a challenge: learn to play “Havana.” Garcia couldn’t do it then but promised her he would. 

“I ended up forgetting about it and didn’t pick up music again for a couple of years because all I wanted to do was play basketball,” he recalled. 

By the time Garcia found his way back to music in seventh grade and joined DMI, something shifted. The trumpet had become more than an instrument – it became a part of who he was. 

County Connections funding provided Garcia and his peers opportunites to meet prominent musicians, vocalists, composers and educators, thereby extending high-level music instruction to underserved students through out-of-school-time workshops and clinics. These mentors offered lectures on syncopation and ensemble listening before breaking into small groups by instrument for individualized attention and exercises.  

“When we start to play, sometimes you do get in that zone where you close your eyes and just hear what you’re playing,” Garcia explained. “But sometimes I’ll look out at the crowd and see people tearing up, and I’m always filled with joy to know that my music, our music, can affect someone like that.”  

Garcia has learned a variety of classic- and Latin-inspired selections for class, competed at the local and national level, and was even named a 2025 All-State trumpet player. However, he will never get the chance to fulfill his childhood promise to his mom, who died in February.  

“Sometimes life brings the unexpected,” an emotional Garcia said. “I’m still working through all my grief and trying to heal, but I’m sticking with the trumpet because one day I want to be able to play ‘Havana’ for her. I fully intend to keep that promise to my mom.”  

For now, the senior is focused on college, attending workshops on finance, arts entrepreneurship and college-readiness offered by DMI.   

“Our goal is to get them into colleges outside of Houston because they tend to build friends within the music program community who have a similar collegiate mindset,” said Elizabeth Diaz, the executive director who co-founded the institute with her husband, José. “These kids want to graduate, get good grades and make something of themselves. Often, when our students stay in Houston, they might have friends who were not as fortunate as they were in going to college. We see them get wrapped up in partying, and their interest in school declines.”  

Added Garcia: “I’ve heard about this great trumpet professor in Indiana, so I want to audition there, and, obviously, The Juilliard School is on the list. I’m preparing for that process now because I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned at DMI is that you can only go as far as you prepare for.” 

County Connections funding allows programs like the Diaz Music Institute to provide Garcia and thousands more with access to experiences, mentors and resources that turn their passions into a pathway for the future. But perhaps the greatest impact isn’t measured in competitions, college auditions or the number of instruments mastered. It’s seen in the confidence students gain as they discover their voice, find their place in the world and begin to envision what’s possible.  

“It’s exciting because I get to watch them grow daily,” Diaz said with a smile. “You see those moments when their eyes light up, their confidence sprouts, and they become more gracious about themselves. I feel like we played a small part in helping them figure out who they are meant to be.”