May 15, 2017

Meet Juan Carlos De Luna, Guitarist in San Fernando Valley

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Carlos De Luna.

Juan Carlos, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was exposed to different kinds of music at an early age, but I started with my formal music education when I was in college. Some say that to become a successful musician, we must start at an early age. That is true to some extent because music is demanding and requires a lifelong commitment.

I am fortunate that I have met caring and excellent teachers and that through their guidance, music to me became a lifestyle. I worked very hard, I was a practice room slave, and my standards kept increasing on a daily basis. I listen to everyone, especially to my teachers and close friends. I never questioned anyone, rather, I analyze how they think and create my own take. All of my teachers have their own understanding of music and I absorbed different special qualities from my teachers like their discipline, musicality, creativity, and love of the craft.

When I was studying, I made sure to prepare for my future and I needed to get strong by learning music from different angles. Being a well-rounded musician is what makes me different. Being a well-rounded musician include being a proficient performer, arranger, teacher, and business part of it (although I am still working on this part).

The most important factor in my journey is that I did not study music to become rich and famous. The love of the art is the reason why I went for it and the reason why I am still doing it. I believe that following your passion with hard work is almost a guaranteed success.

Has it been a smooth road?
I had to quit my full-time job to become a full-time student and to accommodate the demanding minimum requirement of practicing 24 hours a week. When I decided to quit my job, I understood that the position I was putting myself into would not be permanent. That understanding is what made me strong, especially in the beginning stages.

Financially, it was very difficult. Thinking of financial responsibilities slightly could throw me out of the zone and make times a little harder to recover from mentally. It didn’t take that long before I started teaching guitar lessons privately. I started accepting paying gigs, and it became my main source of income. It wasn’t steady, but I was fine with it because I feel satisfaction when I see my students improving and becoming independent players. Also, I was doing it for my own personal growth and experience.

Even when I got to the point where I started to question the path that I took, I stayed positive and strong.

One of my teachers told me, “do not put roadblocks in your path”, and that advice made me very careful with everything that I do. I am taking that advice seriously and I re-adjust whenever I feel stuck. I also had the luxury of having excellent teachers who I can talk to to help me prepare.

Another major obstacle for me was how to become one of the better players around. The financial trouble became the issue of not being able to focus and it was difficult to concentrate because of it. I think that in order to be focused all the time, having inner peace and clear understanding that “it is a process” is the key for a better outcome.

Playing music and recitals taught me how to be in the present. That became my main priority and my love of my instrument became stronger. It helped me a lot that way to forget about the reality and I was able to push myself to achieve my goals. I think of the financial part less that way too, and I understood that it wasn’t permanent and I was doing it as a preparation for a colorful future.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a music teacher and I teach at an elementary school and as an independent contractor. I teach guitar lessons, I perform solo, and I arrange music for different ensembles. I am known for my unique arrangements for solo and fingerstyle guitar.

I am most proud of my students and I am their biggest fan. They are the extension of what I believe in and they are becoming instant rock stars. I prepare for our class or lessons to make sure that they receive what they need to improve and all of my students are willing learners which makes it easier for them to improve. I like to personally know how my students think so I can relate the material that I am teaching to their level. That takes a lot of effort and that’s who I am.

I don’t think and worry about my competition and it is because mainly of my personality. I am a professional and I work extremely hard. That reflects on what they see and what they hear and that alone is what sets me apart. What makes me different too is I offer my services for free sometimes especially with students who do not have the flexibility to pay for lessons.

Another important element that separates me from others is I am always prepared and ready. I have a lot of resources musically and I am very resourceful and dependable.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is a good place only if you’re a versatile player. You need to be skilled in different areas of your discipline to make it and stay inside that circle. The result of your hard work as a student will be in play when you start building your brand. Without that hard work, I personally don’t think that I would make it to this point in my career. That’s all I can say and that might sound a little rough, but it’s true for me.

If someone was just starting out, similar to the advice I have told some friends, go to your hometown and start there. Build your brand there and get all of the experiences and resources that you need before moving to Los Angeles. That way, when you move to Los Angeles, you are ready and you are not trying out different things because that might lead to different results.

Our city offers a lot of resources and that attracts a lot of competition. What the city can do to improve is to show more support for people in my field and to create an artistic environment similar to that of San Francisco. If our city were to promote the Arts heavily, the public will be educated and they will follow along. We will receive continuous support everywhere. That will open up and expand new resources for people to make it in our business.

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