Biography

Leadership and training make up a big part of his work experience over the past few years. Louis Mbani taught for almost 10 years in Africa and Canada. Since 2001, he does training for various organizations. He has a Bachelor of Administration from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. He has taken part in leadership training and theatre arts. Musician, actor and dancer, Louis Mbani has more than 20 years experience as a professional artist. He is a member of the Chambre de commerce de Gatineau, of BNI Canada (Business Network International) and of the RGA (Regroupement des gens d’affaires).

Kerron Lamb holds a BA in Psychology and Business Administration from the University of Guelph, and she is also a certified professional coach, Neurolinguistics Programming (NLP) practitioner and Reiki Master.

With over 20 years of experience in the field of Human Resources in the federal government, over 15 of which have been in the area of learning and development, Kerron’s passion for helping people grow and become empowered was also what attracted her to the power of the drum.

She started drumming recreationally over 10 years ago, which quickly turned into her leading community and corporate drum circles for fun, wellness and personal empowerment. Kerron also plays classical piano and acoustic guitar and can be found playing and singing in local venues as part of an acoustic duo.

Danielle Trudel is a workplace and organizational coach/psychologist. Her main professional focus is on transitions and career development, psychological health in the workplace and tapping worker potential.

Ms. Trudel is a member of the Quebec order of professional guidance counsellors and educational psychologists (Ordre professionnel des conseillers et conseillères d’orientation et des psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices du Québec), the college of psychologists of Quebec (Ordre des psychologues du Québec (1992), the International Coach Federation and the Quebec corporation for industrial and organizational psychology (Société québécoise de la psychologie du travail et des organisations).

Trainer and group leader Audrey Keedy was exposed to group leadership early in life and followed other members of her family down the path of music and dance from a very young age. She holds a B.Sc. in psychology from the University of Douala and is currently completing a master’s degree in human resources and industrial relations at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. Audrey was instrumental in improving the content of Percussimo’s workshops. Using her knowledge and expertise in human resources, Percussimo was able to fine-tune its curriculum and adapt it to the specific needs of each client.

Philippe Bonin has a Bachelor of Business Administration and is currently finishing a master’s degree in Regional Development.  Thanks to his wealth of experience in group leadership, as well as at summer camps as a counsellor or as a martial arts instructor, Philippe always knows how to make his skills and knowledge work for the client. His versatility and ability to listen are two of those great skills. His role as consultant to SME allows him to form a solid understanding of the business world and its expectations. Philippe Bonin always favours an approach based on discussion and mutual respect.

Marianne Ouellet has a bachelor’s degree in French (writing & editing) from the University of Ottawa. She has taught French as a second language in the south of Spain and the National Capital Region since 2005. Besides languages, Marianne loves music and dancing. She studied ballet and modern dance for years as a child, and recently took it up again. This time she’s attracted to the swing style that was popular in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’S. Marianne also performs in a gumboot band with Étienne Owona.

A recent graduate of the ÉNAP, Véronique Sabourin has a master’s degree in international administration and a bachelor’s degree in social work. She is currently employed by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Véronique is a true rhythm aficionado; her love of percussion goes back to a trip to Mali and Burkina Faso. Since becoming acquainted with the djembé through a well-known Mali teacher, she is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to play the djembé, with its multiple interesting sonorities.

Her interest in international affairs and music, combined with her knowledge and experience in project management and group leadership, make Véronique an active player within the Percussimo team, not only from a musical point of view, but also in the management and organization of the group’s activities.

Étienne Owona holds a Bachelor Degree in Communications and International Development from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. A musician, actor and dancer, he has directed several creative arts projects in Cameroon and Italy. He offers training in youth centres and has taught dance and percussion instruments at the City of Gatineau for the past 8 years.

Étienne is a dedicated athlete. He ran the marathon for several years and in addition to playing soccer with several local clubs, he provides support to sports teams in Gatineau and Ottawa. His leadership skills and teaching experience enable him to convey his love of learning to everyone who takes part in his training sessions.

Marianne Dumas started her musical training as a drummer and percussionist in the stage band at her high school. At about the same time, she was invited by a professor of classical percussion to become his student and took part in a show put on by the Gatineau Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. She went on to study drumming and pop/jazz at Cegep, and somewhere along the way, discovered the marimba and the vibraphone.

Marianne later decided to study piano, an instrument that resonates deeply with her – first jazz, then classical. She kept building on her skills at the KoSA music camp and by taking courses at the Université de Montréal and the École de musique de l’Outaouais. Marianne currently teaches piano at the École de musique Sonart de Gatineau.

Jean-Philippe Boucher is a musician to the very core. He was still in the womb when he was exposed to the sound of his mother singing in the church choir, and it didn’t take him long to pick up on his daddy’s rock and roll after that! As a child, his best friends were his xylophone and tambourine, and he loved the piano at his babysitter’s. Later he studied drumming and percussion and always loved to jump onto the stage with his friends. He started to DJ at parties to get other students moving to the sound of his inner beat.

Jean-Philippe is a born group leader. While he was still in school, he worked at different jobs where he got to develop those skills: teen program leader, community worker, urban intervention program supervisor, president of the UQO social work students’ organization.

Jean-Philippe has been playing the djembeh for four years now, and is a familiar sight at several social and cultural events, most notably the Festival de l’Outaouais émergent (FOÉ).

Born in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Jean-Marc Lalonde first appeared on the professional music scene at the age of 14. After touring the country as the drummer for the punk/jazz group Plus-que-parfait and going on tour with other ensembles such as Brasse-Camarade and Yvan et les voyous, he took up the diatonic accordion while studying music at university, where he specialized in percussion.

Since 1995, Jean-Marc has taken part in many recordings with various artists and bands such as Deux Saisons, La ligue du bonheur and Châkidor, to name but a few. He has received an impressive array of grants and awards, most notably the Franco-Ontarian Pride award, and (several times) the Trille d’Or, awarded by the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM).

Jean-Marc admits that he found it odd at first to combine African hand drums and the accordion within Percussimo, but now that he’s into it, the combination feels perfectly natural and destined to reap great success!

Saul Vera Inga studied management at the Colegio Nacional San Miguel de Piura in Peru. He worked as manager of the Hostal San Jorge, a three-star establishment in Piura, and then in finance and accounting in tourism and the arts. Once in Canada, Saul studied at the Centre Administration, commerce et secrétariat (CACS) in Gatineau, where he received a diploma of professional studies in accounting. He has worked for Services comptables Ghislain Sévigny and as a customer service director and tax consultant for H&R Block. Saul is currently Director of Finance and Accounting at Percussimo.