By: Malasha Parker
Q) What was your path to becoming a vocal coach?
A) It’s going to sound a bit odd, but my career really started in grade school! Our 5th grade class was going to do a short skit version of Cinderella and the most popular boy in class, who knew I could play the piano (from my days accompanying the 4th grade class when they sang patriotic songs in the morning), asked me if I’d teach him a song to audition with. I brought him home after school and taught him a song and he got the “coveted” role of the prince. (Granted, there wasn’t a huge amount of competition! [laughs] He and I were completely opposite in every possible way and yet he was so grateful for my help that it created a bond between us that lasted to our senior year. That one incident had a big impact on me by giving me the feeling that I had something special to offer. It kicked off countless days of me accompanying my classmates, both out of school and in school for the elaborate musicals that my high school put on. So, you see, I have been teaching and coaching almost my entire life! What makes me happiest is that I am enjoying it more now that I ever have! Each year I love it more and work even longer hours! I am incredibly grateful for that!
Q) How did the opportunity for the BBC Maestro course come about?
A) I got a call from Paula Kaplan who I knew as the producer of Julia Louis Dreyfus’s podcast Wiser Than Me and from her terrific work at Nickelodeon years before. She told me the head of BBC MAESTRO explicitly wanted me to do their class about singing and explained how diligently they worked at maintaining a very high level of quality with each class they produced. She then listed some of the people who had already filmed classes such as the producer Mark Ronson, lyricist Sir Tim Rice and writer Bill Lawrence and I interrupted with, “You had me at Mark Ronson! I’m in!” So, that was that! We were off and running! The surprise was that everyone I met at the company was really terrific starting at the top with Michael Levine who is a wonderfully kind, very smart and creative man! It was a fantastic experience!
Q) How do you hope your BBC Maestro course will help those who are not able to get face-to-face lessons?
A) I know that there are huge numbers of people in the world who would love to take private voice lessons but either can’t find a teacher who lives near them, a teacher who has the time to take them on or a teacher who they can afford. Or the only time they aren’t working or taking care of their family is quite early in the morning or late at night when a teacher wouldn’t be available so this course is perfect for them!
I’m really proud of it because it’s valuable to a wide range of people starting with those who want to pursue a career as a recording artist or a Broadway star as well as people who want to excel performing in local theater productions or even just sing better at karaoke! It covers a lot of ground and has over fifty vocal exercises that can be practiced at home or even in the car.
Q) In what ways do you prepare to coach someone’s singing when it comes to a biopic versus a singer’s personal sound?
A) I always start the same with everyone. I first assess their strengths and weaknesses and that determines what vocal exercises I will begin with and how I should proceed. I teach them vocal exercises and vocal techniques that will improve the tone quality of their voice, build up their stamina, increase their pitch range and tips to keep their vocal chords healthy. I often think of this time as “the period of discovery” because once someone truly understands how their voice works and how to control it they discover notes that they never knew they were capable of singing! Then, if the goal is to portray a famous singer for a biopic, after our initial sessions we start to transition into working on how best to capture the essence of that person by delving into what makes their voice unique and special and identifiable.
Q) You worked with Jeremy Allen White on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. What was your approach for him different from your last biopic?
A) The biopics I worked on the year before were A Complete Unknown (about Bob Dylan and Joan Biaz) with Timothee Chalamet and Monica Barbaro and Maria with Angelina Jolie about the famed opera diva Maria Callas. All three actors were completely different! I already knew Timothee’s voice since I had worked with him earlier on the musical Wonka and so I knew that he had a great ear and was very musical. Monica had not previously sung in a movie or onstage, so my job was a combination of first helping her to understand and develop her own voice and how to use it – essentially creating an owner’s manual for her to follow – and then helping her to morph her voice into sounding like Joan’s.
Angelina probably had the most difficult task of all since Maria Callas had one of the greatest and most distinctive operatic voices in history! She needed to learn to sing in several languages as well as conquer some incredibly high, difficult notes. In addition to that, she simultaneously needed to overcome a lifetime fear of singing! But, in the end, all three performed beautifully and I was thrilled! My job is to always to help the actor figure out how they can best “become” the person they are portraying.
To answer your question about Jeremy, in his case it was not only figuring out how to sound like Bruce Springsteen, but how to maintain (and not damage) his voice when singing the “big” songs. When someone has been singing and performing from a young age their vocal chords (if they are lucky) have built up a strength and a stamina that allows them to rock out full throttle and not lose their voice. Jeremy had not been singing from an early age and so a large part of our focus was on warming up correctly and building up his vocal strength.
Q) While working with Jeremy Allen White, how did you coach him to obtain that special raspy sound without harming his voice?
A) We spent time on vocal techniques and exercises that could produce a strong, sexy and intense gritty tone without injuring his vocal chords. Jeremy was able to quite quickly capture the signature Springsteen sound and so each session we would work to fine tune his performance. I think the audiences will be blown away by his performance and how he was able to nail Springsteen’s onstage charisma and magic!
Q) In what ways did Jeremy practice to help him truly capture the essence of Bruce Springsteen?
A) In every session we would review and discuss the unique elements of Springsteen’s voice and often listen to a recording or video of him performing. Next, we would do vocal exercises and then, of course, sing through the songs – often multiple times stopping in between to discuss what tweaks he could make to better capture Springsteen’s sound.
Q) What were the hardest or less challenging songs to work on for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere?
A) Each song had it’s individual challenges…For example, with the ballads it was finding the subtleties of what made the original recordings feel so personal and magical and with other songs like “Born to Run” the challenge was the difficulty of singing the actual notes – high notes, loud notes, gritty notes, passionate notes with intensity…realizing all the aspects of Bruce Springsteen that made him great!
Q) Jeremy has mentioned how Bruce was very giving with his time when it came to being involved with the biopic film. Did Bruce ever join you and Jeremy for any rehearsals? How did he contribute to the vocal lessons?
A) My sessions with Jeremy were all private – both at my studio and on Facetime and Bruce was never at any of them. But,I know that he was quite helpful and supportive to Jeremy for which he was hugely grateful for.
Q) What specific vocal practices do you give your clients that they have said has helped them tremendously, or ones that have changed how they approach their singing?
A) That is a GIGANTIC question! There are so many aspects involved in teaching singing! It’s not just doing vocal exercises and learning vocal technique. I teach a wholistic approach in which everything you eat, drink, say or do affects your voice. Sleep, hydration, laughing, exercising, traveling, rehearsing, talking, screaming… all of it can either help or hurt your vocal performances. Most of my students tell me that no one had ever concentrated on how these aspects of everyday life would affect their voices and they really appreciate it.
Q) You have worked with Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, P!nk, Shawn Mendes, John Legend, Rosalía, Rosé, Camila Cabello, Katy Perry, Lea Michele and many more pop stars and actors. Do you have any specific people or projects you would want to work with in the future?
A) I have a strong faith in the universe that the projects and people I am supposed to connect with will find their way to me. I am always open to working with talented singers and actors who have a special gift (and a strong work ethic), but there is no one in particular I would name at the moment.
Q) What is a special moment you have had with a singer that heavily impacted you?
A) I would have to say that there have been literally thousands of special moments with singers that have affected me and I couldn’t begin to narrow it down to just one or two! There have been some big splashing moments like getting thanked at the Oscars as well as many small intimate moments when my students have shared their gratitude for my work with them that I treasure. Even the sweet and complimentary comments I receive on Instagram for my vocal tip posts all are quite special to me and very much appreciated.
Q) What are the other recent projects that you have been busy coaching singers or actors for?
A) I am currently working on three new movies (that I am not yet allowed to discuss) and about to start a fourth. And, of course I am working with a wide range of pop and rock stars that keep me incredibly busy! Just last night on my way to work with a band playing at the Rose Bowl, I did a Facetime lesson in the car to someone about to perform on the east coast (don’t worry, someone else was driving!), then did a warmup at the venue with the lead singer, watched the first half of the show and then rushed back to the car to do a Facetime warmup to Japan! It was a whirlwind of a night, but I must admit I loved every second of it! It’s the life that I dreamed of living and I’m overjoyed it’s here!