Cultural Responsiveness in the Arts Classroom, Parts 1 & 2

Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz

Oral Historian and Co-Host

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Edwin Brathwaite

Science and Dance Educator

Edwin Brathwaite is a certified science and dance educator and has taught at the Meyer Levin Performing Arts School. A native of Barbados, he facilitates New York City-wide Dance professional development, and workshops for the Dance Educational Laboratory (DEL).

Tina Barone

Theatre Teacher

Tina Barone is an actor, director, and educator with a degree in theatre performance from Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. She also holds a master’s degree in education and has been teaching theatre in an elementary school for the past 20 years.

Lidia Menniti

Visual Arts Educator

Lidia Menniti is an art teacher with over 23 years of experience in NYC Public Schools and serves as the arts office lead teacher for visual arts in Queens South districts. She has had the privilege of nurturing the artistic talents of middle school students at MS137Q, known as \"America’s School of Heroes\" in Ozone Park, NY. Lidia has showcased her students’ artwork at Queens Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s PS Art exhibit in NYC.

Catherine Plichta

Director of Instrumental Music

Catherine Plichta is a graduate of New York University and Empire State College. As a teacher in the NYC DOE for the past 14 years and a quarterfinalist in multiple Grammy Awards, she has worked to bring high-quality music education to students across the entire city. In addition to teaching music, Catherine is an arts facilitator for secondary music and leads professional development for music teachers across NYC. Catherine’s students have performed with celebrities and have even opened at the VH1 Divas Concert.