Luciana Ortega

Luciana Ortega, a leading music teacher at the Santa María de San Carlos Institute in Chile, exemplifies the transformative power of education through her innovative approach to teaching music. Growing up in the culturally rich Ñuble Region, birthplace of legendary Chilean musicians such as singer-songwriter Violeta Parra, she was inspired by her family of folk singers and poets to preserve the region’s musical heritage. Despite having uninspiring teachers during her own upbringing, Luciana transformed these challenges into motivation, committing to creating a nurturing environment where students could explore music as a means of cultural connection and personal expression.

Luciana began her career as the first music teacher in a vulnerable school in Coronel, where she implemented programs such as choir, Chilean and Latin American folklore workshops, and dance workshops, integrating traditional music from Ñuble and Biobío into the curriculum. Her classes included unique instruments such as the transposed guitar, a tuning technique rooted in Chilean peasant traditions, and the harp, which became a central axis of her teaching. Her commitment to keeping the folklore and traditions of her land alive led her to create the Ensamble Arpas de Ñuble, a harp ensemble that has gained recognition both nationally and internationally. Among her notable achievements are performances at the ODESUR Olympic Games in Paraguay, the World Harp Festival in Mexico, and winning first place at the National Student Folklore Festival of Patagonia in 2023.

Teaching in the Ñuble Region entails significant challenges, as it is a new region and, statistically, it is the region with the lowest economic income in Chile, with abundant rural areas with challenging conditions and high rates of social vulnerability, with restricted access to infrastructure and investment in culture. Many students face various difficulties. Limited access to musical instruments has led Luciana to innovate, making instruments from recycled materials and using everyday objects to teach musical concepts and techniques. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she incorporated local crafts such as weaving on a loom to help develop her students' dexterity and motor coordination of the fingers on the harp. Since then, she has also created radio capsules on music education. Her teaching is deeply inclusive, adapting to neurodivergent students and diverse learning styles.

Luciana’s pedagogy emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and pride in local culture. She encourages student participation by involving students in planning projects such as composing original music and reinterpreting traditional stories through theater and music. Her interdisciplinary projects link music with other subjects, broadening the educational experience for students. In addition, she has developed an innovative methodology for teaching guitar using “transposed” tuning, which has been adopted by other teachers in Chile.

Beyond the classroom, Luciana has had a significant impact on her community. Her students’ performances have brought regional music to national and international audiences, creating cultural ambassadors who represent the richness of Chilean heritage. When they have left the country, she has organized workshops and conferences in collaboration with universities and cultural institutions in countries in the region to promote sustainability, environmental awareness, and cultural exchange. One example is the composition of a cueca inspired by local rivers, performed during a conference on climate change.

Luciana firmly believes that teaching music and passing on traditions not only fosters a love for art, but also awakens a deep awareness of nature, culture and respect for the environment. Her inclusive approach ensures that anyone, regardless of age, by engaging in musical learning, also engages in emotional learning, automatically inspiring their family environment to connect with this cultural legacy.

When families come together, networks of collaboration and mutual support are created that transcend the personal sphere, creating a significant social impact. Through music, Luciana promotes the construction of more united, conscious and committed communities with the care of their environment, the strengthening of collective cultural identity and, therefore, greater empathy and respect for diversity.

Luciana's achievements have received wide recognition, including the Global Teacher Award Prize Chile 2024 in Musical Education. This honor has amplified her voice as an advocate for the integration of music with cultural identity and educational reform. She was also recognized by her university, Universidad de Concepción, and also by the Ministry of Education in the Ñuble Region. As a member of the group “Tierra y Canto,” she continues to celebrate the folklore of Ñuble, performing on international stages while inspiring new generations to value their roots.

Luciana Ortega's story is a testament to her unwavering commitment to education, cultural preservation, and community transformation through the universal language of music.