The 22nd annual Dia De Muertos Festival takes place this weekend at the historic Houston Dow School

HOUSTON – For some students in Houston, music, art, dance or theater programming may not always be available in school. Born in El Paso, Texas, Alice Valdez began her music career in elementary school. “My mother decided that all of us were going to play instruments," recalled Valdez, founder of MECA. All they had was maybe visual art and general music," said Valdez. For more than four decades, MECA has provided artistic programming, educational resources and services to underserved students and adults.