Getting To Know the MQ in MQWrites

My name is Michael Quadro, however many people know me by Teacher Michael or Mister Q. I live in San Mateo, CA (about 20 miles from San Francisco) in a studio apartment that is my bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, office, gym, and recording studio. I like to call it my multi-purpose room. I am a huge SF Giants and 49ers fan. I am also an avid runner. Running is my form of meditation...mobile meditation. I run between 40-50 miles a week, so I definitely have plenty of time to think and reflect. Often times some of my best material strikes me while I'm chugging through city streets or up and down trails.

I am a teacher by trade. There is no other job I want to do or care about doing. Teaching is everything to me. In 2012, I will be celebrating 10 years of being a teacher in some capacity or another (really no need for celebration), but 10 years is about a third of my life and I never thought I would do anything for a third of my life. Unfortunately, this CA economy has made it exceedingly difficult to be a teacher, however, since this state seems to think laying off all of it's young and motivated teachers is an absolutely fabulous idea, it has actually afforded me the opportunity to pursue my other love of music and performance. 

For the last 2 and a half years I have been establishing my business Mister Q Live! I do my best with getting all the gigs I can. Usually, during the week you can find me driving up and down the Peninsula and San Francisco to my preschool, daycare, and Music Together gigs (thank you Pam Donkin for hiring me). On those special weekdays you can find me putting on a heck of a show for library patrons or elementary school kids. On the weekends you can find me scrambling to make it to my birthday party performances on time (3 parties in a day is cool, 4 gets crazy). During the evenings you can probably find me sitting in front of a mic sipping on a gin and tonic and recording new music (note; two gin and tonics and I still sound awesome, three gin and tonics or more and I begin to sound like Drunky Smurf). 

Overall, I love what I am doing with my life right now. Things are not perfect, but everyday I am getting more and more successful at this music thing. One day I hope I can officially call it a career.