Born in Cordoba, Spain, Jesus Ramirez Fernandez is currently head of the percussion department at the Cordoba Professional Conservatory of Music. He began his musical training on the piano, and guitar, at the age of seven. And it was at the Cordoba Superior Conservatory of Music where he studied percussion with D. Enrique Baez, and theory with D. Antonio Sanchez; completing his studies at the Sevilla Superior 
Conservatory.
Performing a variety of genres, Mr. Ramirez has toured throughout Europe as an orchestral and chamber musician. As a composer, his compositions are directly linked to his work in percussion pedagogy: with each work providing a simple structure that is easy to understand; and with the intent of leaving all interpretation up to the student and/or educator. Moreover, he has created innovative methods that expound upon the flamenco repertoire for marimba, and his work is distributed among the “Colors” collection by Alfonce Productions.
When did you begin studying music?
I started studying music at the age of seven at the conservatory of my hometown Córdoba.
Did you always study percussion?
Not always. My first musical studies were, like all good Spaniards, on the guitar as well as the piano. It was while attending a recital at the Conservatory that I was introduced to percussion, and I started studying it at the age of 10.
What made you choose percussion?
After attending the aforementioned recital, I became obsessed with percussion. I recall when I experienced the mixture of reed and percussion instruments in an orchestral setting; I don’t remember it well, but all of the colorful timbers made me want to stay in the classroom and study percussion.
Who were your primary teachers?
My first teachers were at the conservatory of Córdoba. My first theory teacher, with whom I learned to read and write music, was Antonio Sanchez, and my percussion teacher was Don Enrique Baez. He was a jazz pianist who knew how to play the drums, double bass, and keyboards. Later on I studied in Seville with Don Pedro Vicedo, and then with French Percussionist, Gastón Sylvestre.
When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
During high school music was a hobby rather than a profession, and I planned on studying chemistry. But chemistry never fulfilled me, and from the age of 18, I decided to study music with professional aspirations.
Did you have a specific goal: teach, compose, etc.?
Since childhood, my special ability was to compose. In fact most of the exercises that I practiced to develop my technique, I wrote myself. In fact my fellow classmates preferred to use them instead of those we had in our method books. Now, being a professor, I write exercises that focus upon the needs of each of my students.
Do you focus on a specific area of percussion, if so, did you always?
My main work, and my main focus, is teaching. Teaching the last 15 years has led me to develop another facet that is parallel to it: composing works for educational purposes. I’m happy to say that my methods and compositions are widely used by students in my region. In addition, I belong to the orchestra of the Cathedral of Córdoba, and I at times perform with the Baroque Orchestra of Córdoba, as well as at private functions where I perform drum set, or on traditional Spanish/Flamenco percussion.
Who impacted your musical growth the most?
To be honest, there is no single person who impacted my career. My growth continues as a musician, and teacher, each and every day. However, an important moment was when I was able to work with Gastón Sylvestre: he opened my eyes to another type of percussion with respect to what was being done in Spain. Another memorable moment was when I listened to “Bach on Marimba” by L.H.Stevens: here I discovered another vision for the Marimba than the one I had.
What teaching positions have you held?
From a very young age I was lucky to win a teaching position and belong to the body of teachers from my Region. In addition, I have been a teacher at many conservatories in the region of Andalusia, Spain: having worked in Seville, Jaén, Málaga, and finally in Córdoba (my city). And for the past two years I have been the head of the Percussion Department at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Cordoba.
What percussionists have inspired you the most and why?
Many musicians have inspired me to be better in each facet of my musical career. Gastón Sylvestre taught me to treat the sound of the instruments as your own voice, and to use the instrumental technique as a resource to create a musical discourse. Jan Pustjen taught me to treat drumsticks as part of my body. And Christoph Caskel taught me to use music as a means of communication. Moreover, there are many who have taught, and inspired me, to improve on all the great Spanish Flamenco Percussionists who use rhythm as a game of accents and dynamics impossible to anticipate and control: using rhythm as a full freedom of action, without spatial restrictions or metric pulse.
Is there a specific genre you enjoy performing the most?
Yes, as a classical percussionist my favorite music is the orchestral music for the cinema, although I have little opportunity to perform it. I really enjoy transcribing Spanish Guitar Music for the marimba. In fact, I am preparing an album of transcriptions that I hope to record as soon as possible.
What composers do you identify with and why?
I don’t identify with anyone in particular. My way of composing is closely linked to teaching, so my music is very similar to the language of the instrument. Also, my music is influenced by my experience and interpretation of Flamenco Music (i.e. rhythmic and energetic); of pop music (i.e. simple and pleasant); and/or Jazz (i.e. colorful and complex) all of which are the basis of my compositions. However, if I had to name some composers who I admire: I love Paco de Lucía, and Vicente Amigo (Spanish Guitarists); pop musicians, such as: Freddie Mercury, and Elton John; jazz greats like John Coltrane, and Charlie Parker; and for percussion: the great Keiko Abe.
Do you get nervous before you play – if so, how do you deal with it?
Except in some very important occasions (for example my recital to be a teacher of my city), I have never been nervous playing. I’ve always thought that people who come to a concert are there to enjoy the music and the show in general; they are not there to criticize but to have fun. So, with that premise, I always go on stage thinking that if I enjoy it, everyone will. That is my secret to not getting nervous. If I had to affirm or deny being nervous, I would say that I have almost never been nervous about playing.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing? If so, how do you go about resolving it?
Not once, but many times. Mistakes are a part of performing music live. I have my own secret to solving it: not worrying about making one. It’s been a long time since I understood that programming a suitable concert repertoire is as important as getting it ready. I never prepare a repertoire that is above my technical, physical, or mental possibilities. That way I, as an integral musician, am always well above what I am playing; thus, any mistake is easily solvable with training and experience. There is no method to solve it, each failure requires a different approach. For example: if you miss a note, nothing happens, if you miss a passage, but you know the piece, you must follow and improvise. Therefore, if the repertoire is below your ability, as mentioned above, you will not make major mistakes. But if it happens, it is best to stop, ask the audience for their understanding, and start over; 90% of the public, anywhere in the world, is very generous with the truth.
Has your practice regimen changed from when you were a student? And how do you keep your technique fresh on all primary percussion instruments?
Of course. When you are a student, it is very important to study repertoire and know everything that has been written for your instrument(s). However, when you are a professional, you not only specialize on an instrument, or a type of music, but you also need to demonstrate that the ability to create music is more important than the repertoire. When you are a student, the study is daily and multidisciplinary: each instrument and each type of grip, etc. is technically worked on, and the movements that are needed to perform a given work is also worked on. When you are a professional, what you work on is less physical and more mental. Hence, when you are a student, repetition is used as the basis of muscle and technical development, when you are professional, accumulated repetition allows you to focus more on the expressive capacity of the instrument and the ability to communicate emotions with it.
Therefore, it is quite difficult to maintain the same level of accuracy and technical proficiency on all percussion instruments because the range of techniques is too varied. Hence, you set aside the repetition as the basis of your development and focus on other areas. Personally, I find that keeping my technique fresh on all instruments is impossible. Instead, I try to focus exclusively on maintaining a unilateral technique that I can employ as the basis to create the best sound.
How do you define a good musician and a good teacher? And has your definition of both changed from when you were a student to the present?
A good musician is one who turns his instrument into his own voice and with it he is able to say what he has to say. He is a great musician when he says it well, and he gets people to understand it: provoking emotional sensations and leading the listener to be part of the communicative experience that is music. This is the belief that my teachers instilled in me, and one that I have always accepted as the definition of a good musician.
I have always believed that a good teacher is one who is able to make his student’s abilities flourish. All students have different abilities, different ways of learning, and different ways to evolve musically and technically. Therefore, a good teacher has to know the necessary strategies to address a given circumstance, and apply the necessary tactics to awaken the abilities of each student. This knowledge is achieved through many years of experience and observation. Having taught from a young age, I have come to realize that one can focus too much on “teaching repertoire” rather than focusing on “using repertoire to teach music. “
Do you think that performing and teaching are intrinsically intertwined? If so, how and why?
Undoubtedly. Most aspects of playing an instrument cannot be separated into these two facets: any piece, whose purpose is to be conertized, can be chosen as a didactic work, and any study whose purpose is for technical and musical progress, can be chosen as a concert piece. In this first aspect, interpretation and teaching are part of the same whole, and it could be said that they have all kinds of links. Furthermore, the purpose of music education must be the acquisition of technical and musical resources, which you can later use for interpretation, although musical teaching has many variants. Therefore, teaching is continuous and progressive, whereas the performer’s interpretation is destined to be concrete and final. Hence teaching is individualized to the student, in contrast to a performer’s interpretation which is intended to be general and common.
However, teaching that is not destined for interpretation is poor teaching, and a performer’s interpretation that is not based on knowledge acquired through progressive pedagogy, is a baseless interpretation. Thus, teaching is the first step to learn how to interpret a composition, and it must be aimed at all instrumental pedagogy; whereas performing is the culmination of functional and directed musical learning.
Has teaching made you a better musician, if so how and why?
Again my answer is yes. Nothing teaches oneself better than teaching others. When music is taught, or instrumental technique is taught, it delves into a process of knowledge of the instrument and the resources necessary to convert that instrument into your own voice. This process forces you to discover yourself, and that self-discovery gives you the necessary strategies to perform in a manner that the audience can understand, and make their own and enjoy. Therefore, when you learn to teach, you learn to address student needs in a variety of ways and settings. Thereby, allowing you to use this knowledge when performing, for it grants you the ability to be a teacher to your audience.
Knowing what you know today, would you change anything about how you prepared for your career? If so, what and why?
Of course, I think every musician or teacher would do it. Knowing what I know today I would have changed my study habits and my preparation would have been totally different. I would have tried to meet more musicians to acquire their knowledge: because when you interact with others, there is a point of support that you need when you are young. I would have devoted more time to practicing, and not as much to theory: because over time you realize that theory is an intrinsic element to performing, and not vice versa. I would have spent more time studying technique: because it is the basis for growth. And above all, I would have played with everyone who asked me to play with them. In short, I would have dedicated my youth to know all kinds of musicians, and travel to study all kinds of music.
What words of wisdom would you share with a student who aspires to make a career as a performer and as an educator?
As a performer: be yourself, play the music that you like, and that is below your technical and artistic level. That way you will enjoy playing and the audience will enjoy hearing you play. And remember that the audience has not paid to criticize or judge you, but to enjoy that time with you.
As a teacher: remember that each student is different. Spend all the time you need to know your students because each has a different need and a different ambition. Thus your job is to know them personally so you can determine the best strategy for each student. Students will not be able to grow if you don’t address how they learn, their concerns, their circumstances, their tastes, etc. And, the most important thing in the world is to teach music by having your students play music. Leave the study of theory for later, much later, even later than that.
To Learn More About Mr. Ramirez Please Visit:
https://www.alfonce-production.com/fr/560-ramirez-jesus
https://www.bubok.es/autores/Jerafer
https://soundcloud.com/jesus-ramirez-75
https://soundcloud.com/jesus-ramirez-fernandez
