Gabriela Perez-Ugalde
Co-Founder
Gabby was born in the USA to Argentinean parents and was raised bilingual thanks to their strong commitment to keep the home language alive, while learning the language of their new home.
Gabby supposes all of the wonderful books and vinyl records sent to her by family back in Argentina helped to keep her Spanish alive, with works, for example, by Maria Elena Walsh and Walter Jonsky. The magic involved with being allowed to use her mom’s typewriter if she wrote letters to “la abuela” in Spanish also helped!
After starting elementary school in the USA, Gabby moved with her family back to Argentina where she remained through college. She graduated with a BS in Music Education under the guidance and support of inspiring teachers, including Drs. Silvia Malbrán and Silvia Furnó, who are leading authors and researchers in the field of Music Education.
Her study in Argentina focused on how people perceive events in music, and how those perceptions are symbolized in different ways and with different systems. Her studies paved the way for Gabby's further work integrating music into language and reading. After working in music education for more than ten years in Argentina, she moved back to the USA, where she has been teaching music in Spanish, in dual immersion programs since 2002. Gabby is currently the happy music teacher at Orange County Educational Arts Academy, in Santa Ana, CA.
Gabby's MA in Education, with emphasis in Dual Language Development has increased her available resources to help children acquire a second language in a more comprehensive and global context, through song, play and movement.
When Gabby met Priscilla and observed her classes, integrating multisensory stimuli with quality stories, and engaging props and activities, she knew she had found her teaching "soulmate" to bring her love for quality music education and second/heritage language development together.
Gabby lives in Long Beach with her husband Ricardo with whom she shares a passion for music and yummy food.
Co-Founder
Priscilla Monserrate-Sanders
Priscilla was born in the USA to hardworking and loving parents from Ecuador. Priscilla grew up speaking Spanish as a first language. Having lived in Ecuador as a child and traveling throughout Latin America as an adult, she developed a passion for working with Latino communities. As a result, she worked for more than ten years developing curricula for agencies serving Latino children of underserved communities, specifically in the fields of public health and youth development.
After starting a family of her own, Priscilla discovered a passion for working with young children, and a gap in affordable activities to support a bilingual upbringing of children in her local community. Drawing from her studies of best practices in early childhood and second language development (e.g., Total Physical Response and Total Physical Response and Storytelling, Early Childhood Education, developmental cooperative preschools, and Waldorf preschool programs), Priscilla began teaching her own curriculum: ¡Hola! Spanish Immersion Programs, in 2007.
Watching child after child go off to kindergarten with a love of and growth in the Spanish language affirmed the effectiveness of the HSIP model. The ability to grow HSIP by leaps and bounds amidst a sharp economic downturn affirmed a second wish: To develop an affordable small-business model for others to experience the same success in their own communities.
Toward that end, Priscilla partnered with the incredibly talented (and FUN!) duo Gabriela Pérez Ugalde and Ricardo Marotta. Together, they launched Bamboleo Spanish Immersion Systems (aka Bamboleo) in 2014.
Priscilla teaches Bamboleo classes in Long Beach, CA and surrounding communities. In her down time, she loves to craft, read, dance to lively salsa music (in the living room), and do all three with her husband and kids! She lives with her immensely supportive and loving husband, and three wonderful children in Long Beach, CA.
Our language programs are offered in various locations throughout southern California by independent proprietors that are trained and licensed to teach Spanish Immersion Networking Group programs. Licensing opportunities will be widely available, soon. To receive our monthly update or make an inquiry, please add your contact information to our distribution list:
Long Beach, CA
ph: 562-661-3168
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