Student Feature: Micki Porcaro

Micki Porcaro, “Opus 36” by Dustin O’Halloran, from “Marie Antoinette” (2006)

Micki Porcaro is a 17 year old student with ambition and dedication beyond her years. She's been taking lessons with  me for two years and has made tremendous progress during that time. For these reasons and many more, Micki has been chosen as my first Student Feature.

Outside of piano, Micki also played in her high school orchestra and has been playing drums for five years. In this interview, we'll find out more about Micki's musical experiences, goals and plans for the future.

Tell me about a musical experience in your life that was really meaningful to you.

A musical experience that was special to me was when I went to London and saw my dad’s band at Royal Albert Hall. I think I really realized then that (music) was something I really wanted to pursue.

Why did you want to learn piano?

I wanted to learn piano because I was personally interested, and knew that learning piano would help me write songs, have a broader understanding about music theory, and help me overall with other musical endeavors. 

What’s the hardest thing about studying music?

Theory can be a bit complicated, you really have to be self-disciplined in a lot of ways to fully grasp concepts and you must repeat and practice or it’s very easy to forget things. Also struggling to get certain pieces or practices under your fingers can feel a bit discouraging.

What’s the best thing about studying music?

Music is such a creative and powerful way to express yourself. Studying it is not only very stimulating but also causes you to be introspective and discover so much about yourself.  It also opens you up so many opportunities.

What’s your most ambitious musical goal?

Someday I want to be able to have a brand new piece put in front of me and in less than 5 seconds be able to play it pretty much all the way through by sight reading.

What’s your useless superpower?

I’m a master at surfing the web for things that I definitely don’t need during times that I should not be surfing the web.

What’s your dream job?

I think being a music producer would be really cool, or being in a band. Even things like fashion design interest me. Just anything that’s a form of art / creating.

What are your top three favorite albums right now?

Something / Anything? - Todd Rundgren, Speaking In Tongues -Talking Heads, Some Girls- The Rolling Stones

What are you looking forward to in the next couple of years?

The pandemic ending, going to college in a city I like, continuing my musical and artistic practices.

Check out Micki’s YouTube channel for more of her performances!