Meet Michael Arrom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Arrom.

Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a pianist and an LA transplant from New Jersey. Music first brought me to Los Angeles in 2010 and I’ve never looked back. I never quite had a “Plan B”… As a young person planning my music career, I had always thought that it would be smart to have a supplement to help with my “Plan A”. I worked hard in school and was admitted to Northwestern University during my senior year of high school. I was going to major in economics and continue pursuing music outside of classes. That’s when life started telling me that maybe I should shift more of my attention to the actual “Plan A”. First, the Grammy Foundation invited me to perform with Keith Urban at the American Country Awards. We played “Crossroads” on live national television in front of 10,000 screaming fans! Later that year, I was offered a spot at my dream school, USC’s Popular Music program. Shortly after that, I was invited to audition to play keyboards for legendary guitarist Steve Vai. I was 18 and all kinds of doors were beginning to open for me. My elation turned to horror when I saw the piece that Steve Vai had assigned for my audition. It was a piece called “Angel Food” which Steve described as “unplayable”. Steve explained that he composed the piece without worrying about what was actually feasible on the piano.

With a bit of humor, he said he wanted to see what I could do with it. I immediately got to work and didn’t stop until I had it. I wanted to impress Steve with how quickly I could learn the piece and bluffed a tiny bit by telling him I was ready when in reality, I still needed a day or so to finish preparing (I knew it would take about this long to schedule the audition). The extra time was exactly what I needed, and by the time I was Skyping with Steve at my living room piano, I was able to give him the polished performance he was looking for. I got the job and a few weeks later, I flew to Australia to join the band on the Asia leg of their “Story of Light” tour. Steve is a great teacher and challenged me beyond what I thought was possible. I traveled nearly 40,000 miles that summer and started USC with my first world tour experience already under my belt. Settling into the USC routine felt like a breeze, despite being constantly busy in school. I’m so grateful for my experience there. I got to work with the most inspiring group of teachers, friends, and visiting artists imaginable. Legends like Smokey Robinson and Earth, Wind & Fire routinely came to speak to us. I had opportunities to perform for people like Chaka Kahn, John Fogerty, and Bill Withers. The time at USC flew by, and I’ve spent the time since graduation working my way up and becoming very active in LA’s music community. Like all young musicians, I play on “passion projects” with my friends. It’s a tough business and I’m grateful for the professional opportunities that come my way.

Lately, one of my greatest joys has been collaborating with the dancers at LA’s American Contemporary Ballet. I’ve joined them during their October Halloween ballet series for each of the last three years. In the spirit of Halloween, I play upbeat pop songs in Gothic style on a pipe organ while wearing a tuxedo. It’s quirky and loads of fun. On my last project with them, I composed a short piece for a dance they did with famed Burlesque artist Dita Von Teese. I’m also thankful to be breaking into the world of major label artists. I’m proud to have recently made my first appearance on Good Morning America with rising Disney star, Sofia Carson. There is so much fun stuff ahead with her. Can’t wait to share it all. Meanwhile, I’m always looking forward to what’s next. You never know what the next phone call might be (when it isn’t spam)

Has it been a smooth road?
I didn’t start talking until I was five years old. My poor parents did everything they could to help me, and they searched everywhere for answers. Nobody really had answers. One person told them I had a condition called “dyspraxia”. With a little research, my parents found that dyspraxia was just a Latin term for “doesn’t talk”. As if that weren’t obvious! Whatever the answer was (we still don’t quite know), my family had faith in me. I gradually started talking after several years of speech therapy. I caught up by middle school, but by then I was painfully aware of my existence as that oddball kid; I lived with that crippling social anxiety for a long time. Music gave me an outlet to express myself and to join other kids who did the same. To those kids, we were all kin and my contributions were valued. This is actually my first time publicly talking about my speech delay. For all the people out there struggling with this, please know that things do turn out ok. It’s a harder path to follow, but we’re all the stronger for that. For any parents struggling with a child’s speech delay, please know that your love and faith goes such a long way and that your kids can still grow up to live a beautiful, fruitful life.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I see my job as creating peace of mind for everyone I work with… my fellow musicians, artists, management, music directors, you name it. I love what I do, and I’m passionate about reliably and undeniably bringing the very best. My job as a professional is to make sure you never give a second thought to whether I’ll be on time, prepared, or ready to roll. Also, it’s so important to be good to people and to get along with your fellow music makers. A music tour, for example, consists mostly of travel and you can’t minimize the importance of being a good traveling companion.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaelarrom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelarrom/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelArromMusic/

Image Credit:
Amelia Panico Photography

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