Learn cello with
Miquel Garcia Ramon
Cello from early music to contemporary music
Miquel is a cellist fluent in all styles of music that believes that everyone is capable of what they set out to do, they just need to believe and trust themselves.
Price
10 lessons of 45 min.: CHF 840
For children, 30-minute lessons are also possible.
Location
Leonhardsstrasse 6
4051 Basel
Instrument
Cello
Music style
Baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary music
Level
Beginner, Advanced, and Master
Language
English, French, Spanish, and Catalan
Age
Miquel Garcia Ramon teaches students from 4 years
I can teach you
I can teach from the basics (mindful exercises that include warm-up and mobility routines to compensate the imbalances of playing an instrument) to all levels of technique, music reading, theory and how to develop your ear to better understand music. I can also help you with audition preparation (orchestras, schools, competitions, etc...) and practice methods to become more independent and efficient.
Education
Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag and Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Bachelor degree in music, Michel Strauss and Raphäel Pidoux.
Hochschule für Musik Basel, Master degree in music performance, Rafael Rosenfeld.
Hochschule für Musik Basel, Minor studies in historical performance, Petr Skalka.
Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Master studies in chamber musique, François Salque and Claire Désert.
Projects
Duo Matilde Salvador i Segarra
I love to teach you songs / works from these artists / composers
J. S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, W. A. Mozart, Boccherini, Beethoven, Schubert, Piatti, Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Popper, Shostakovich, Poulenc, N. Boulanger, Webern, Lutosławski, and Penderecki
Interview with Miquel Garcia Ramon
Which musician has influenced you the most?
I have always admired Jacqueline du Pre, she is always so genuine when she plays. I always look for that in my playing.
But then musicians like Yo-Yo ma, Jacob Collier, Barry Harris that are so versatile but also love to share how they do what they do, I find it very inspiring.
What can you teach me about your instruments different than any other teacher?
I can teach you the tools to learn and understand music, from mental exercises to music theory, music reading, history, improvisation, so that your cello playing can develop and become second nature.
How did you learn to play your instrument?
I have always been traveling to learn about music and cello playing. When I was 13 years old I decided I wanted to become a musician and I soon found out that I had to travel to meet the best teachers, so from then on I have traveled and lived in plenty of different places.
At the beginning I was traveling from Valencia to Barcelona, Euskadi and Madrid and when I turned 19 I moved to Den Haag in the Netherlands and then to Paris and now I live in Basel but I keep traveling often between Switzerland and France.
How do you go about writing a song or composing a piece yourself?
I haven't composed anything yet but I have done several arrangements including a piano reduction of the Witold Lutosławski Cello and Orchestra concerto that I am looking to publish soon.
On what equipment do you play today?
I have the chance to be playing with a Jean Batiste Viullaume made around the 1850's in Paris.
What personal trait has helped you when you practice the most?
I have always had a strong desire to perform that has helped me through the difficult moments.
What does your instrument have that others don't?
It has happened more than once that after a concert people would come to tell me that they feel very touched by the cello in particular because they find that it's sound resembles that of the human voice.
What you pay special attention to when you teach?
Most of our time with the instrument we spend it by ourselves, so I always try to give the student the tools they need so that they can practice most effectively when they are alone.
How do you build up your music lessons?
I like to start the lessons with a little improvisation warm-up to strengthen the connection between the aural imagination and the instrument. Then it depends very much on the goals and interests of every student, we can read and play music together, learn some of the student's favorite songs, work on practice tools, technique, etc...
What do you do with children?
Every kid is a world, depending of their interests, motivations, concentration level, etc... I structure the lessons in a different way. Like with an adult, I like to be creative and find fun ways to approach learning.
What was until now your greatest experience as a musician?
The most recent one would be performing the W. Lutosławski Cello and Orchestra Concerto with the Symphonieorchester Basel at the Stadcasino but any performance I do with my duo partner Elise Hiron is something I am very grateful for. Having the chance to perform with someone you can trust and connect at such high level on stage it's amazing.
What was the largest stage that you've performed on?
I think it would have to be the salle Stravinsky at Montreux Jazz Festival sharing the stage with Jacob Collier and Jon Batiste or the Berliner Philarmoniker's Großer Saal with Kammerorchester Basel and Giovanni Antonini conducting.
Which musician would you like to play with?
I would love to play with Jacob Collier, I love the way he conceives playing and sharing music.
Which record would you bring to a desert island?
It would probably have to be Dvorak's Silent Woods played by Jacqueline du Pré and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim conducting, it has always moved me very much.
On which stage do you prefer to perform?
I often think first about what audience I will be playing for that on which stage. I love to think about ways to make people listen through the performance and to keep it interesting without interfering with the story that music is trying to tell.
After music, what is important in your life?
Nowadays I am focused on having a healthy lifestyle, trying to always be energetic and ready for the next challenge. I also try to have a rich life, doing exercise, reading, learning new languages, trying new things so that I can have a more creative approach to what I do.