Our Teaching Team

Lisa Darmanie is the founder and director of Alabanza Music. She is the first certified Specialist in Early Childhood Music and Movement in Trinidad & Tobago;  holds Honours Degrees in Musical Arts and Spanish from U.W.I., accredited Certification from the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association (ECMMA) USA, Dalcroze teacher training from the Lucy Moses School NYC, USA, Musikgarten® teacher license, and has over 20 years of experience as a multilingual music educator, from secondary- primary - preschool. She is also a founding member and the only educator from the Caribbean on the Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the ECMMA.

In addition to being a formally trained keyboardist, she is an accomplished all-round musician, delighting in choral arranging, directing and conducting band and choir at First Church of the Open Bible, San Fernando, training school choruses & steelbands and has been involved in many musical-theatre productions as well as judging national music competitions in Parang, Calypso, Steelpan for several years.

Drawing from personal daily bilingual experiences within her own Trini-Vene household, Mrs. Darmanie de Quiñones solidifies her God-given passion and dedication to enriching family life through culturally immersive experiences, which celebrate and preserve our rich musical and linguistic heritage, in turn helping children grow to become confident and resilient human beings.