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Ernesto Abreu
Executive Coordinator / Music Instructor
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Ernesto was born in New York's East Harlem and grew up during the 1970's and 1980's surrounded by music.
He began his formal music education when he was five years old. He studied African, Afro Haitian, Afro
Puerto Rican, Afro Cuban, and Afro Dominican drum culture from some of the greatest percussionists in New
York and around the world. Ernesto taught himself drum set, piano, and guitar by the age of sixteen. He
is a well-versed percussionist, playing Conga, Bongo, Djembe, Bata, Timbal, Tambora Dominicana, and many
other instruments. He was a member and co-writer in Cooly's Hotbox, Antibalas, and Topaz. He has performed all over
the U.S., Canada, England, Europe and Japan.
Ernesto received a BA in Music from SUNY Purchase College. He is passionate about educating the young about
the unique beauty, creativity, and genius in Pan African Drum Culture music.
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Shari Honig
Program Coordinator
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Shari is an educator, former dancer, and most importantly, a mother of two. She
is a graduate of Hunter College with a B.A. in Cross-Cultural Literature and an
M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Currently, Shari is the
ESL teacher and International Student Advisor at Professional Children’s School and
a consultant for the Juilliard Pre-College Division. Shari has taught both elementary
and middle school in the New York City Public School System, community based English as
a Second Language and literacy classes, and has done extensive private tutoring.
In the private sector, Shari was Director of Operations for On Location Education, the nation’s
premier tutoring service for children in the entertainment industry, and administrator of
the School for Young Performers,
a New York State registered non-public school catering to
"pre-professional" and "professional" children. As a graduate of Professional Children’s
School herself, Shari possesses the unique perspective of the young artist and the experienced
educator. As an advocate for the educational needs of children, Shari has presented seminars
at Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel and published an article in Young Performer Journal on
the reality students face balancing academics and extracurricular activities. Shari’s experience
with teaching diverse populations, educational administration, curriculum development, and child
advocacy was recently recognized when she was recipient of the Professional Children’s School
Alumni Award. Shari is dedicated to sharing her passion for the arts and education through
Song & Beat.
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Goussy Celestin
Dance Instructor
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Brooklyn-born, Haitian-American, Goussy Célestin has studied and performed,
for the last two decades, as a jazz pianist, vocalist, and dancer. Goussy
performs with Retumba!, a traditional folklore music and dance ensemble
dedicated to spreading the rhythms and movements of the Caribbean and African
Diaspora. She can currently be seen around the city with her own ensemble,
C.O.R. (Catalysts Of Rhythm), and with ASE Dance Theater Collective, a neo-folklore
music and dance ensemble. For over two years, she served as a keyboardist for the
Femme Nameless, a 10 piece all female Afro beat band dedicated to the tradition of
Fela Kuti, and as a solo dance artist for Beauteez 'n' the Beat, an ensemble which
incorporates hip hop, tap, Afro-Cuban, and jazz music/dance elements with spoken word.
Goussy has opened for distinguished members of the famed Buena Vista Social Club with,
Mo' Guajiro, a NYC based traditional Cuban-Son group. She has toured the U.K., U.S., and
Japan. Goussy teaches music and dance around New York City in various programs for children.
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