Latest Posts  •  December 28, 2015

When Joe Porcaro, one of the most recorded drummers of our time, invites you to his house to ask him questions about his life and career – it doesn’t matter how old you are, you get as excited as a kid at Christmas.

It’s true! (Even if it’s not close to Christmas yet.) And it’s exactly what happened to me and to Modern Music School’s International Education Director, Sebastian Quirmbach.

At the beginning of this year, Sebastian and I set out to interview L.A.’s top musicians — Sebastian wanted to research his upcoming book “The Psychology of Musicians” and I wanted to be able to share their insight on this blog. Joe was one of the first superstars we had the honor to sit down with.

As you can imagine, this man’s stories captivate from the first moment, which should hardly be surprising considering the subject matter — his spectrum ranges from jazz, pop and rock to opera and symphony, recording with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Madonna and Luciano Pavarotti. He’s even made it to ‘first call’ status in Hollywood as an on-demand drummer for film scores (a title he held from the 1960’s until very recently).

His career reads like nothing short of a thrilling novel. He talks about recording sessions with Sinatra and concerts on the greatest world stages, but the underlying theme is always his passion for music, learning, and teaching. From the very beginning of his career, teaching has been his inspiration.

Both Sebastian and I studied under Joe, who’s not only a legendary jazz drummer but also one of the most highly regarded drum and percussion teachers in the world.

We owe much of our passion for music to his great influence and still cherish the lessons we’ve learned from him.

The one thing he’s absolutely adamant every student with pro ambitions learns is discipline. And when he says ‘discipline’, he means the perseverance and dedicated practice schedule it takes to go from good to great. When his students show up for lessons, he expects them to be prepared and practiced enough to be able to play what he asks of them.

One particular student came to mind when we asked Joe for his perspective on talent, motivation and what it takes to become a great musician. “This student couldn’t even play one rhythm back in time,” he remembered, telling us how he had to send his student home to work on the same lesson again and again and again until “he nailed it.” Very slowly, this student began to show progress, and after a few weeks, reached a point where he was ready for new assignment every week thereafter.

This exact student went on to become one of L.A.’s busiest drummer and percussionist.

It’s a little bit like the story you sometimes hear about famed basketball star Michael Jordan, who was ‘cut’ from his high school basketball team — this student (we won’t name any names) was sent to Joe by Al Lepack (another world-class drummer), along with the message “he’ll never be a good drummer.” Al almost begged Joe to work with this student because “he had HAD it” after working with him for four years with no real signs of improvement.

“And you know what the lesson is?” asked Joe, “the lesson is repetition!”

Being a musician requires a lot of effort (“It’s a life-time endeavour”, says Joe). It’s not talent but Joe’s mantra – “discipline, perseverance and a dedicated practice schedule” that will take you from good to great.

Looking back at Joe’s career and our own lives, we can say from experience this is 100% true.

Your passion for music, having great mentors, and keeping a highly professional work ethic will get you anywhere you want to go.

To sum it up, on your way to becoming a professional player you need real passion for music … and repetition. Lots and lots of repetition!

For all my students out there (and the entire Modern Music School team), it’s my wish that passion, enthusiasm and motivation will be their lifelong companions.