By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
While Austin senior Michael Mastrodicasa plays safety on the football team, off the field, he trades his pads for a piano and posts his skills on his Instagram account, “Pianodicasa,” all while balancing a neuroscience degree.
Originally, Mastrodicasa said he planned on only focusing on his neuroscience degree in college, but after COVID-19 took over, his focus shifted. He honed in on his athletic skills, ultimately landing him an offer from Baylor that he couldn’t refuse.
Mastrodicasa always had a passion for music. He started playing trombone in middle school. By high school, he was faced with a choice between band and football, and though he picked the latter, his passion for music never left him. His sister would later be the one to reignite it.
“I had to pretty much give up my formal trombone studies,” Mastrodicasa said, “and then, throughout high school, I had a musical itch in me that I couldn’t really satisfy. I’m a big fan of music. I’ve always been a fan of video games and music soundtracks and orchestras and symphonies.”
Katelin, Michael’s sister, began taking piano lessons at a young age and continued progressing throughout her teenage years into adulthood. During Michael’s senior year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Michael was inspired by his sister to start playing piano and immediately felt at home amongst the keys.
“COVID came around, and I was going into my senior year of high school,” Mastrodicasa said. “And we had a piano in the house, and I’d heard my sister play a lot growing up. I think it was just one random day that I got the inspiration. Like, ‘What if I just sit down and start playing around?’ and ‘I wonder how fast I can pick this up, or if it’s even a possible thing.'”
Mastrodicasa didn’t know at the time that piano would become such a significant part of his life, he said. This skill eventually turned into something that would not only clear his mind, but also improve his capability on the field.
“There’s a lot of creativity that goes into football and how you approach things,” Mastrodicasa said. “A lot of the work ethic is very similar to piano. There’s almost like a hyperfixation when you’re trying to learn a song. I think the same can be said when you’re trying to master a football technique or when you’re trying to get in the zone for a game. It’s very similar to just sitting at the piano for hours, just losing yourself in the music.”
Because Mastrodicasa is passionate about both piano and football, one of his greatest obstacles has been figuring out how to prioritize time in his otherwise busy schedule to play piano.
“Music is this beautiful, artistic thing that helps him think outside of the formulaic processing of football,” Katelin Mastrodicasa said. “That’s what helps him balance it out. He’s got an outlet. He’s got something that’s different. I think if his entire life was football, he would not be the person that he is today. I think balancing them has been something that he’s had to learn, and appreciating them for their differences is something that has been learned as well.”
Mastrodicasa’s Instagram serves as a place to keep track of his progression in his musical journey while also sharing his passion with his family while away at college.
After graduation, Mastrodicasa plans to attend medical school and foresees that music, specifically piano, will continue to be a large part of his life and, ultimately, a place of mental clarity.
“If I was able to maintain the hobby while I’m playing football, I think I’ll be just fine later on in life,” Mastrodicasa said. “So I think it’ll always be a hobby, for sure, and if, for whatever reason, it becomes more than that, it’s definitely a welcome thing.”
