St. Theresa students groove to a Hispanic beat

Grupo Habanera uses music to teach the students about Hispanic heritage.

MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Ryan McMillan moves to the music during a performance by Grupo Habanera at St. Theresa School Oct. 13. The performance was part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the Coral Gables school.

MARLENE QUARONI | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 10.21.09

CORAL GABLES | To mark Hispanic Heritage Month, students at St. Theresa School received a visit from Grupo Habanera Oct. 13.

The group consists of a violinist, pianist, percussionist, bass player and flutist, all of whom have backgrounds as teachers and extensive experience with young audiences. They perform at public libraries, private schools, park fairs, local festivals and other events.

Grupo Habanera’s dynamic director, Andres Trujillo, creates a get-involved show by allowing audience participation through sharing percussion instruments and playing musical and trivia games, which feature famous Hispanics and their contributions.

The group divided their performances at St. Theresa into two one-hour parts, one for younger children and one for older children, who were offered an extensive repertoire of popular melodies drawn from traditional Hispanic folk, pop and children’s music from various Latin American countries.

MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Samantha Diaz plays the conga drum as classmates, from left, Daniel Mercado, Daniel Suarez and Alesia Pans watch during a performance by Grupo Habanera at St. Theresa School Oct. 13.

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