Luciano Espin is a music producer, composer, and music teacher whose work focuses on multi-instrumental performance and education. With a deep interest in technological instruments and new forms of expression using sound design tools, Luciano integrates his expertise in guitar performance and electric bass into his innovative work.
He holds a B.A. in Music Composition and Performance from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, as well as a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a focus on Philosophy and Education. Recently, he completed a graduate program in Arts Education and Community Engagement at Centennial College.
Luciano’s professional journey includes teaching for the Ministry of Public Education of Ecuador in rural and indigenous communities as part of a national intensive education project. He also completed an internship in the education department of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, where he developed teacher resources and assisted in various workshops at the Allied Music Centre.
Get to know Luciano…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Philosophy and literature, soccer, food, films, and agriculture.
Musical influences: Latin American music (Jorge Drexler, Gustavo Cerati, Mercedes Sosa, Caetano Veloso, Natalia Lafourcade), Electronic music (Daft Punk, Kaytranada, Disclosure, Bizarrap), R&B (Daniel Caesar, Hiatus Kaiyote, Jungle, Erykah Badu), Rock (Tool, System of a Down, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Doors), Pop (Rosalía, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Michael Jackson), Salsa (Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Alexander Abreu).
Favorite food: Encebollado, a traditional albacore soup from Ecuador.
Least favorite food: Sweet Pepino (Solanum muricatum).
Favorite movie: “Interstellar” by Christopher Nolan
Favorite music movie: “Sweet and Lowdown” by Woody Allen.
Best quote from a music teacher: “Each instrument has a Spirit. Part of the Battle is to get that spirit to accept you as a mate, as a friend.” Zakir Hussain
Favorite book: “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Best thing about teaching at ABC: I find great joy in sharing my lifelong love for music with my students. I believe teaching is also a learning experience and my goal is to provide tools for individuals to know and express themselves through music and songwriting. My eagerness is to share methods for developing music practice in daily life.
Latest Homework from Luciano
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Assignments from February 20th
Hello Everyone!
Such fun classes today!
Vida:
Great work this week! Continue to warm up with the F Major scale, hands together. Continue to work on Rhino in the Mud. Don’t forget the D in the right hand of measure 8, and review measure 9-11 (this phrase starts on a G!) You can feel free to record this song for Vida to hear! Ask her to play it as if she is “performing it” (playing start to finish smoothly, and as accurately as possible). When listening back, have Vida follow along by pointing to the notes she hears with a pencil. Take turns pointing so that Vida can read and listen at the same time.
Eva:
Great to see you this week! Please continue to help Eva read “Dancing with Frankenstein”. She knows the first phrase, we read this together in class. If she gets stuck and doesn’t remember the notes, I’ve uploaded flashcards of all the notes in the song for review. I’ve also uploaded a work sheet for Eva. The sheet asks her to write in the names of the notes, write the correct note on the staff, and to colour the notes she sees with matching colours. She can also practice “Jingle Bells” as she requested this song in class. Please help her to read this when practicing, she knows most of the notes, but some of them are new (D, F, and A). If she gets stuck, ask her if the next note is higher or lower than the one she just played and by how many steps on the “ladder”. You can find the worksheet and flashcards here.
Christin:
Great class today! Continue to warm up with the C and G Major scales. When practicing “A Little Night Music”, remember to look for the shape of the phrase to help with sight-reading. I’ve uploaded a recording of myself playing so you can hear the “finished product”. Try not to rely on the recording and remember to read the notes rather than listen for them. If you feel up for the challenge, try to sight read “Sailor’s Tall Tale” that I’ve uploaded to the drive. You can also start to work on “How Long Will I Love You”! Specifically work on playing the C Major (1st inversion) and G Major chords both solid and “rolled” and practice the eighth note melody in measure 9. Feel free to sight read as much as you can between now and our next class, we can correct any errors then. You can find the materials you need to practice here!
Thanks everyone for great classes this week! Happy practicing!
Assignments from February 13th
Hello! I hope you all had a fun snow day!
Noreet:
When warming up this week Noreet can continue to play her G Major scale hands together, pay close attention to the fingerings in as the scale descends. D Major can be played 2 octaves hands together. Practice the A Major scale hands together slowly. We are still working on Ice Cream and More Ice Cream. When practicing please remind Noreet that the eighth notes are twice as fast as the quarter notes. I’ve uploaded a video to the google drive to help Noreet has she learns to play two different rhythms in both hands. Please play this for her so that she can follow along. The same pattern can be practiced on her own with the metronome. Have her count out loud (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) as she taps along. Use the metronome when playing Ice Cream and More Ice Cream. Play these pieces slowly hands together. You can find the video here.
Vida:
Today we learned the F Major scale! Have Vida practice this hands separately for warm up. When she feels confident she can play it hands together. We continued with the song in her book. She can continue to practice the first two phrases, please help her read the 3rd and 4th phrases of the song. We can talk about any questions she has about the piece and address any problem areas next week in class. We also reviewed our note values and intervals. She likes the note value work sheets so I’ve uploaded a new one for her to work on this week. Please bring this next week and we will correct it together. You can find that sheet here.
Eva:
Hello Eva! Sorry we missed you this week. I’ve uploaded a new song called “Donkey’s Love Carrots” to the google drive for you to practice if you need more material for this week. This song has stepwise motion and some small jumps. If you wanted to try reading this at home together we can address any problem areas next week. Otherwise, continue to practice “Dancing with Frankenstein”. If you feel confident with the notes in this song, practice performing the song. You can find “Donkey’s Love Carrots” here.
Thank you everyone! I hope the weather is better for next weeks lessons. Happy practicing!
Assignments from February 6th
Hello Everyone!
Great lessons this week! Some really exciting progress and some great first lessons with new students. See your homework and practice recommendations below!
Noreet:
For warm up with week, please have Noreet play all her scales hands together. Practice a two octave G Major scale at 85BPM on the metronome, two octaves of D Major slowly, and one octave of A Major very slowly. All scales can be played 85BPM when Noreet feels confident in the scale. We reviewed Ice Cream and More Ice Cream on page 18 of her book. Please continue to practice both of these. These two pieces have Noreet play different rhythms in her two hands at the same time. Please help her by counting out loud slowly with her when practicing (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and). Have Noreet point to the notes while she counts. Practice the right hand melody and left hand chords twice through separately before trying to play them at the same time. When confident, play hands together slowly.
Vida:
Help Vida to sight read the next song in her book. Continue to practice the difference in staccato and legato playing as indicated in the song. We will discuss and review any unfamiliar concepts in this song next week. Remember, this song has a B flat in it! Please practice Life is Better Loud hands separately. Remind Vida that the letters I’ve written in are chords not notes. Practice these chords in sequence with the left hand, these can all be found on the chords and triads page of her binder.
Eva:
Hello Eva! It was so nice to meet you and your mom on Thursday! For this week, please practice “Dancing with Frankenstein”. I’ve uploaded this to Eva’s folder in the google drive, you can find that here. Please help Eva to read this piece at home, The left hand starts on A and the right hand starts on a C. If she doesn’t recognize the next note, ask if its higher or lower than the one she just played, and by how many steps, the count up alphabetically to find the next note (moves up 2 steps from C = E). When Eva is confident with the notes, practice “performing” this smoothly (its okay if we don’t get here this week).
Christian:
Hey Christin! I’ve attached a link to the google drive and uploaded Sailor’s Tale in case you don’t have it. Please find that here. Continue to practice this over the next two weeks. When practicing, warm up with the C Major and G Major scales hands separately, focusing on the proper fingerings (123,12345). When practicing Sailor’s Tale, practice your right hand and left hand separately, focusing on accurate pitches and rhythms. I’ve uploaded more sight reading resources if you get stuck. Start your practice by sight reading the whole thing start to finish, ignoring the rhythms if you have to. This will allow you to practice reading. Then practice small chunks of the song (e.x the fist 3 bars) focusing on accurate pitches and rhythms until you can play the phrase confidently and smoothly. You can feel free to practice a few small sections throughout the piece (e.x the first 3 bars and the last 3 bars). Use the free metronome if you find this helpful, this is a free resource on google. Should you feel confident you can then play both hands together slowly.
Happy practicing everyone! I look forward to more lessons next week!
Assignments from January 30th
Hello!
Wow! Awesome lessons all around this week friends!
Noreet:
We have Noreet’s book and her blue glove at the Conway location! It is tucked away safe on Barn’s desk ready for next week. In the meantime I’ve uploaded all the materials Noreet needs for practice this week to the google drive. You can find these here.
We reviewed the C Major and G Major scales hands together. C Major is in a great place and can be left off the practice roster for now in favor of other scales. Please continue to practice the G Major scale hands together with the metronome at 115BPM. Please pay close attention to the fingering in the descent. D Major can be practiced slowly hands together, and the A Major scale which we learned Thursday can be practiced hands separately (remember A Major has 3 sharps, F#, C#, and G#). We sight read new songs today! Please practice “Ice Cream” and “More Ice Cream” with the metronome set to 115BPM, hands separately until Noreet feels confident enough to try hands together. Please work towards accurate rhythms in the pieces specifically. There is an extra sheet we looked at together in class that has different rhythm patterns on it. Please review these with Noreet, help her count the beat out loud (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) and then clap the 4 different rhythms on the sheet.
Vida:
Great first day with the new book! When practicing the first song at home please take the repeat and practice the different dynamics listed in the music (first time though loud, second time through soft). Please help Vida with when reading the phrases with eighth notes split between the two hands. This is the first time we’ve seen them written like this on the staff, but the rhythm is the same as if played in one hand. If this is a challenge when practicing, practice these specific phrases with the right hand only so Vida understands the contour and rhythm of the phrase before going back to playing it between the two hands. We can review this in class next week. Also, please continue to help Vida distinguish between the staccato phrases and the legato phrases. Vida can also start to practice “Life is Better Loud”. Please practice the melody and chords hands separate until she feels confident enough to try the melody and the chords hands together. When practicing the chords, ensure Vida plays them in her left hand and that she knows the name of the specific chord she is playing, especially E Major vs. E minor. These can be practiced broken (E then G# then B) or solid.
Great progress all around this month everyone! Looking forward to our first February lesson next week!
Assignments for January 23rd
Hello!
We had some pretty good lessons Thursday evening.
Noreet:
Today we reviewed some scales and learned a new one as well! When practicing scales, please help have Noreet practice with a metronome at home. Google has one available online for free use. When playing the metronome please ensure it is set to 100 Beats Per Minute, the quicker tempo will help Noreet hear the beat more succinctly when practicing. You can count out loud with her (one and two and three and four and) to the clicks to help her hear the beat. Please continue to practice the C Major scale playing 2 octaves hands together. Noreet can start practicing the G Major scale playing one octave hands together. She can also practice the new D Major scale! Noreet knows that this scale has 2 sharps (C# and F#). Practice this scale slowly hands separately. I’ve asked Noreet to review page 11 of her book. Specifically to focus on playing accurate rhythms. Use the metronome here again to help her. Finally, continue to review Mr. Brahms’ Lullaby. Practice this slowly. Please help her to review the notes and ensure she is playing the correct ones. Should she get stuck, ask her if the next note moves up or down and by how many lines and spaces to help her get to the answer. We will finalize this next week in class.
Vida:
This week we looked at the Piano Adventures level 2A book. I’ve uploaded “Free Willy” to the google drive, see the link below! Please help her to continue sight reading this when practicing at home. Should she feel confident you can slowly start to play this piece hands together. I’ve also uploaded to corresponding work page Vida asked about at the end of the lesson. Please look at this together, help her to add up the beats in each whale and to clap each rhythm pattern you see. We will review this in class next week.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_EQwQJLHjerrQcN8iBRYAz_31kYz_zGU?usp=sharing
Thank you everyone for your work this past week! I look forward to our next lessons.
Happy Practicing!
Homework from January 16th
Hello Everyone! Some great work was done in lessons this week.
Noreet:
Today we reviewed our C Major and G Major scales. Continue to warm up with these as you practice at home. Try playing both hands together slowly. We sight read “Cathedral Chimes” and “Sounds from the Gumdrop Factory” today from the Piano Adventures 2B book. A copy of “Gumdrop Factory” has been uploaded to the shared google drive in the “student-specific resources” file. Continue to practice this piece hands separately at home, paying close attention to the note values and rhythms in the piece. We also talked about sharps and flats on the piano and how the black keys have 2 names (e.x C sharp – C# and D flat – Db) I’ve also given a fill in the blank sheet to be filled out.
Vida:
Today we reviewed our C Major and B Major scales. Start practicing B Major hands together at home, and continue to play C major hands together. Vida can also practice C Major in contrary motion (right hand plays the scale ascending while the left hand plays the scale descending) if she feels confident. We also played “Sounds from the Gumdrop Factory” today from the Piano Adventures 2B book. A copy of this song has been uploaded to the shared google drive in the “student-specific resources” file. Please help Vida as this song shows both the right hand part and the left hand part written together. Practice each hands separately paying close attention to the note values and rhythms in the piece. Use the metronome at home to help with the eighth notes.
Thank you everyone! I’m excited to play more songs from different books next week.
Happy Practicing :)
Assignments from February 15th
Hello! We saw some really great progress this week!
Berke:
We reviewed and warmed up with our scales. Practice G Major hands together, focus on the fingering particularly in the descent of the scale. We learned D Major, this scale has 2 sharps F# and C#, this can be practiced slowly hands separately this week. We played through Mozart’s minuet in F Major. We’ve started playing parts of this hands together slowly. When practicing this piece, please remind Berke that both the right hand and the left hand start on F. Continue to practice both the right and and left hand separately, specifically the left hand as this is not the melody. Remind Berke that the B in measure 2 is to be played flat. When practicing this piece hands together, start with measures 4, 5, and 6. We practiced these in the lesson. Playing these three bars hands together smoothly, accurately, and confidently is the primary goal for this week. When Berke is confident with this he add on measure 3 or measure 7 (Berke’s choice). Practice either of these bars hands together on their own until comfortable and confident add on measures 4-6. Also, we discussed the importance of accurate fingerings when playing the minuet. Please print Mozart’s minuet for Berke as he would like to write in the fingerings under the notes. Have him bring this to class next week and we will correct it together. Finally, I’ve uploaded a sheet titled “Notes on the Staff” to the drive to help Berke with sight-reading. The sheet labels the notes on the staff and where they are on the keyboard. He can use this to help read if he gets stuck. You can find both the minuet and the sheet here.
Great class today! Some really great progress, I look forward to seeing how we improve next week.
Assignments from February 1st
Hello Saturday Friends!
Great lesson today!
Berke:
We learned a new scale today! Berke can now practice G Major, one octave, hands separately. He can also practice C Major with two octaves! Please help Berke by reminding him that both of his thumbs should be on C when he finishes the first octave before he starts the second. This anchor point will ensure proper fingering. We sight read more of Mozart’s Minuet in F Major. Our focus today was proper hand placement and fingerings to allow for efficient playing. Continue to read and practice this at home. Make sure Berke is practicing both the right hand melody as well as the left hand base line. Proper hand placement and fingering are imperative with this piece, please make sure Berke is starting the right hand with his 3rd finger and that the second note in the first 3 bars is played with the 5th finger. This will ensure Berke has enough fingers left to come back down the keyboard as the melody descends. For the bass line, Berke should start with his 5th finger so that he has room to climb with the keyboard. Ensure the C in the 3rd bar of the bass line is played with his 1st finger (thumb) so that he can reach the octave below with his 5th finger. Finally please make sure Berke plays the Cadential Movement at the end of both the first and second phrase in the bass line with his 1st, 3rd, and 5th fingers as practiced in class.
Cadential Movement: Acts a musical period at the end of a phrase. Creates resolution in the phrase.
Great progress this week! I’m looking forward to hearing Berke play more next week.
Assignments from January 25th
Hello!
What a great Saturday full of lessons!
Berke:
Today we reviewed our scales. Please continue practicing C Major hands together, paying close attention to the fingerings of the descent of the scale. Start to practice G Major hands together slowly. When practicing the triads at the end of the scale please ensure Berke plays these with his first, third, fourth, and fifth fingers. The chord should always start with the first finger (thumb) in the right hand, and fifth finger in the left hand. Practicing proper fingerings will help to ensure Berke’s fingers do not get tangled in ascending and descending scales. We also started to sight-read a new piece today! Berke expressed an interest in playing Mozart, so I have chosen Mozart’s Minuet in F Major. This is a selection in the Level One Royal Conservatory Repertoire book. Please help Berke to sight-read this at home up to the end of the second phrase. Should he get stuck, ask if the next note moves up or down and by how many lines and spaces. This will help guide Berke to the answer as we continue to learn how to sight read. You can also rely on the note names sheet I sent home the first week. A copy of this sheet as well as the Minuet and the C Major triads has been uploaded to the google drive. You can find these in the link below.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bJUyXO3FeNBIdhir_V72u45oNlDvneD1?usp=sharing
Thank you for the great lesson today! Happy practicing!
Homework from January 18th 2025
Hello! We had a very productive class today!
Berke:
We reviewed the C Major and D Major scales. For this week please practice with a metronome. This is available online for free via google. For the D Major scale please practice these hands separately at 75BPM (75 beats per minute). We also reviewed the C Major scale and tried playing it hands together today. Continue to practice the C Major scale playing both hands together at home slowly. Use the metronome and play at 60BPM. We also discussed intervals, triads, and chords. I’ve sent Berke home with a sheet with information on intervals and triads, this will also be uploaded to the google drive in Berke’s file for reference if need be. Practice playing all 8 intervals on the piano with both hands. Berke can also continue to practice the C Major chord “broken” (all three notes played individually) and “whole” (all 3 notes played at the same time). Finally, Berke has expressed interest in learning Mozart’s Turkish Waltz. I think this is a great goal to work towards. Please check online if there is sheet music available to download or purchase online and I will do the same so we can work on it next week.
Great lesson today! Happy practicing!
Preferred Books for Luciano’s Students
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Hal Leonard Guitar Method COMPLETE
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together.
Modern Method for Guitar
This pack includes Volume 1 of this practical, comprehensive method book (the basic text for the guitar program at the world-famous Berklee College of Music) PLUS a matching DVD-ROM featuring 14 complete lessons with Larry Baione, chair of Berklee’s guitar department.
