# Inside Stories: Buzz Knight Chats with Vocal Coach Eric Vetro on Music's Emotional Journey and Artist Growth

An episode of [Music Saved Me Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1703080557), 14 Nov 2025, 29 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/038eec94-1ba4-451d-8945-b08f00e9f877/4287d04f-9d54-43d3-b543-b38f014b674a/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=dfceda02-3624-42c7-b522-b25700f0584c

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform a raw vocal talent into a superstar? Join host Buzz Knight on this captivating episode of Taking a Walk as he dives deep into the inside stories of vocal coaching with the renowned Eric Vetro. With a clientele that boasts names like Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, and Timothee Chalamet, Eric's journey from a small factory town in New York to the heights of Hollywood is nothing short of inspiring. He shares his early inspirations, from the magic of the Ed Sullivan Show to the joy of playing piano for classmates, highlighting how these experiences shaped his unique approach to vocal coaching. Throughout this episode, Eric Vetro emphasizes the significance of tailoring his coaching methods to meet the individual needs of each artist. Every singer comes with their own set of challenges and backgrounds, and Eric’s ability to adapt is what sets him apart as a coach. He delves into the psychological aspects of vocal performance, revealing how a singer's mental state can significantly influence their artistry. With insights on dedication, resilience, and the emotional support he provides, this episode is a treasure trove of inside stories that resonate with anyone interested in the music industry. Buzz Knight’s engaging conversation with Eric Vetro not only sheds light on the intricacies of vocal coaching but also offers a glimpse into the passion and work ethic that drive success in the music world. From established stars to emerging talents, the stories shared in this episode encompass the essence of the music journey, making it a must-listen for aspiring musicians and fans alike. Tune in to explore the inside stories of music, creativity, and personal growth that will inspire you to pursue your own artistic dreams. Whether you’re a fan of jazz music, rock music history, or the latest in indie music journeys, this episode has something for everyone. Join Buzz Knight as he walks you through the music history insights and stories behind songsthat make up the fabric of our beloved music culture. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a true master in the field and discover the inspiring music stories that can change lives. Hit play and embark on a journey filled with musician storytelling and the creative journeys of artists that shape our world. Takin’ A Walk: In-depth music interviews exploring the stories and music history behind the songs. Check out our other shows Music Saved Me hosted by Lynn Hoffman Comedy Saved Me hosted by Lynn Hoffman Takin A Walk Nashville hosted by Sarah Harralson Part of IHeartpodcasts Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Support the show: https://musicsavedme.net/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Taking a walk.
[0:01] Speaker 2: It was thrilling to me to get to play the
[0:03] Speaker 2: piano for them, and also to work with the singers,
[0:05] Speaker 2: all the kids that got cast in it. I would
[0:07] Speaker 2: teach them the songs, I would rehearse the songs, and
[0:10] Speaker 2: that to me was my favorite time of the year.
[0:13] Speaker 2: That was just so exciting to me.
[0:15] Speaker 3: I'm buzznight and on this episode had taken a walk.
[0:18] Speaker 3: We're joined by the extraordinary Eric Vitro, the vocal coach
[0:23] Speaker 3: behind some of the biggest names in music and film today.
[0:26] Speaker 3: From Ariana Grande to Sean Mendez, Timothy Chalome to Broadway legends.
[0:32] Speaker 3: Eric has shaped the voices and careers of countless stars.
[0:37] Speaker 3: No not only for his unmatched vocal expertise, but his
[0:41] Speaker 3: empathetic and motivating approach. Eric brings a rare blend of teacher, therapist,
[0:47] Speaker 3: and friend to his work. We're going to dive into
[0:50] Speaker 3: his journey from a small New York factory town to
[0:53] Speaker 3: becoming Hollywood's most sought after voice specialist. So whether you're
[0:57] Speaker 3: a singer, an actor, or you just love great stories
[1:01] Speaker 3: of dedication and passion, this conversation with Eric Vitro will
[1:06] Speaker 3: inspire you to take your own walk with confidence. It's
[1:10] Speaker 3: coming up next after these words Taking a Walk. Eric Vitro,
[1:17] Speaker 3: thanks for being on the Taking a Walk podcast.
[1:20] Speaker 2: Thanks so much. I'm thrilled to be here.
[1:23] Speaker 3: So since we call this taking a walk, I do
[1:25] Speaker 3: have to put you under the heat lamp and ask
[1:28] Speaker 3: you our opening question, okay, which is Eric, if you
[1:33] Speaker 3: could take a walk with somebody, living or dead, who
[1:37] Speaker 3: would you take a walk with and where would you
[1:40] Speaker 3: take that walk with him?
[1:41] Speaker 2: Oh gosh, there are so many people that come to
[1:48] Speaker 2: mind instantly, I think, and he's living. I think it
[1:52] Speaker 2: would be Deepak Showbra because he's one of my favorite
[1:54] Speaker 2: writers and I love so many of the things he's
[1:59] Speaker 2: had to say. His books have had a big impact
[2:01] Speaker 2: on me, and so I have met him briefly. But
[2:05] Speaker 2: I think to take a walk with him, I think
[2:07] Speaker 2: would be fascinating and I think it would be life changing,
[2:11] Speaker 2: even more so than the books.
[2:14] Speaker 3: I think it'd be amazing. I think that would require
[2:16] Speaker 3: you possibly to not be too far from where I am,
[2:20] Speaker 3: because isn't he out in Western mass or something?
[2:23] Speaker 2: You know? I don't know, but I met him out here.
[2:27] Speaker 2: He was in a restaurant one time. Well, I met
[2:29] Speaker 2: him several times. Actually he wouldn't remember me, probably because
[2:33] Speaker 2: it wasn't really a formal introduction. One time it was
[2:36] Speaker 2: one of his talks. He gave a talk and one
[2:38] Speaker 2: of my students had sung an operatic aria before the
[2:42] Speaker 2: talk started, so she did introduce me to him, and
[2:45] Speaker 2: that was just hello, nice to meet you, with a
[2:47] Speaker 2: great lecture. Then I saw him at a restaurant and
[2:50] Speaker 2: I was with a friend of mine and I said,
[2:52] Speaker 2: you know, I was listening to his book, one of
[2:54] Speaker 2: his books, on the Way here. I think I'm going
[2:57] Speaker 2: to go tell him. And she kind of looked to
[2:58] Speaker 2: me like, I don't know if you should bother him,
[3:00] Speaker 2: and I said, you know what, I'm just going to
[3:02] Speaker 2: do it because my instinct is telling me to do it.
[3:05] Speaker 2: And he could not have been warmer and more friendly,
[3:08] Speaker 2: and he actually hugged me, and she was like I
[3:11] Speaker 2: could see the shocked look on her face because I
[3:13] Speaker 2: was staring at her when I was having this encounter
[3:15] Speaker 2: with him, and I said to him, I was listening
[3:17] Speaker 2: to your book on the way, and I love it
[3:19] Speaker 2: when you read the books because there's something about his
[3:21] Speaker 2: voice that I really really like. I find it very
[3:24] Speaker 2: soothing and it's intriguing to me and seems very sincere,
[3:29] Speaker 2: and so I had a really great encounter with him.
[3:33] Speaker 2: So that's why I know that a'll walk with him
[3:35] Speaker 2: would be great.
[3:36] Speaker 3: Wouldn't it be such a terrible story that somebody's so
[3:40] Speaker 3: chill and so inspirational if you went up to him
[3:44] Speaker 3: in a restaurant that he gave you the proverbial hairy eyeball.
[3:50] Speaker 2: I know, I know, and you know you hear those
[3:52] Speaker 2: things that happen all the time. But I always give
[3:55] Speaker 2: people the benefit of the doubt because I think that
[3:59] Speaker 2: if you I know myself, I've been out with some
[4:01] Speaker 2: of the people I work with who are quite famous,
[4:04] Speaker 2: and it is really intrusive. When you're having a conversation,
[4:07] Speaker 2: You're right in the middle of something, you know, like
[4:10] Speaker 2: I might be about to tell punchline. All of a
[4:12] Speaker 2: sudden someone comes up and goes, oh my god, oh
[4:13] Speaker 2: I got I cant believe it. You, you know, all
[4:16] Speaker 2: of a sudden, everything has to stop for that moment.
[4:19] Speaker 2: And so I get it. I get why sometimes people
[4:23] Speaker 2: get a little irritated and say, please, I'm with my
[4:25] Speaker 2: family or with my friends or whatever. The person who
[4:29] Speaker 2: I see, though, handle it so graciously. It's amazing, I
[4:33] Speaker 2: think because he's had to do it, probably almost his
[4:36] Speaker 2: entire life is John Stamos, and I've been places with him.
[4:40] Speaker 2: One at the place we were in a movie premiere
[4:42] Speaker 2: was Timothy Shalla Mays Wonka and John was there. And
[4:45] Speaker 2: he'll spot someone. He can look at you, but out
[4:48] Speaker 2: of the corner of his side, he'll see someone coming
[4:50] Speaker 2: towards him. He knows what they want. They got their
[4:53] Speaker 2: phone out because they want to picture a selfie. So
[4:56] Speaker 2: he'll keep talking. He'll acknowledge them. He'll to a quick
[5:00] Speaker 2: smile and a nod. He takes the phone, he poses
[5:03] Speaker 2: with them for a second, takes the picture, nods and
[5:06] Speaker 2: they're happy. They thrilled, and he somehow handles it so graciously.
[5:11] Speaker 2: It's amazing.
[5:12] Speaker 3: That is masterful.
[5:14] Speaker 1: Wow.
[5:14] Speaker 3: Yeah, So what initially inspired you to become a vocal coach.
[5:19] Speaker 3: How did your early career develop before you were working
[5:23] Speaker 3: with Hollywood stars.
[5:25] Speaker 2: It started when I was really just a kid. I
[5:29] Speaker 2: was always fascinated. I would see things on television. I'm
[5:32] Speaker 2: old enough to have watched the Ed Sullivan Show, where
[5:35] Speaker 2: you'd gather around the TV on Sunday nights, and they
[5:38] Speaker 2: had all kinds of you know, live acts, everything from
[5:41] Speaker 2: Elvis Presley, the Beatles, all of it. And it was
[5:45] Speaker 2: so exciting to me to see those people. And I'm
[5:48] Speaker 2: not quite sure what it was inside of me. Well,
[5:52] Speaker 2: actually I can say I do know now that I
[5:53] Speaker 2: think about it. So I learned to play the piano
[5:56] Speaker 2: very young. I was like around five years old and
[5:58] Speaker 2: I started playing the piano, and so people would sing along.
[6:01] Speaker 2: I would play the piano songs. Sometimes I played from
[6:05] Speaker 2: a book called Italian Songs and Dances, and my grandmother
[6:08] Speaker 2: would sing along and she loved it. One of my grandmothers.
[6:11] Speaker 2: My neighbor had a really beautiful voice. The neighbor who
[6:14] Speaker 2: lived next door to me, she came over and she
[6:16] Speaker 2: would sing. And then I started playing for my classmates
[6:19] Speaker 2: to sing. You know. I started playing the patriotic songs
[6:23] Speaker 2: in the morning and class I started teaching some of
[6:26] Speaker 2: my classmates at school songs. So I think somehow that
[6:30] Speaker 2: im planet it in my head. Oh you know, I've
[6:32] Speaker 2: got this gift or I've got this thing that makes
[6:35] Speaker 2: me a little special or a little bit different. And
[6:37] Speaker 2: then I started fantasizing, well, what would be like the
[6:40] Speaker 2: people I say on TV? Like Elvis Presley. What would
[6:43] Speaker 2: Elvis be like to play the piano and Elvis sing
[6:45] Speaker 2: Love Me Tender?
[6:47] Speaker 1: You know?
[6:47] Speaker 2: I just saw, Oh he had that beautiful voice, and
[6:51] Speaker 2: even Judy Garland, all sorts of people I would listen to,
[6:54] Speaker 2: and I think, I wonder what that would be like.
[6:56] Speaker 2: And I started fantasizing about working with these people, coaching them,
[7:02] Speaker 2: giving them tips. I think you should be a little louder,
[7:03] Speaker 2: I think you should be a little softer. It just
[7:06] Speaker 2: happened very naturally, so technically, because I started playing the
[7:09] Speaker 2: piano and did it in class when I was in
[7:12] Speaker 2: great School. I'd basically been doing it my entire life.
[7:16] Speaker 2: It's all I've ever done.
[7:18] Speaker 3: So was Ed Sullivan a pivotal situation for you in
[7:25] Speaker 3: terms of impacting you and your love of music.
[7:30] Speaker 2: It was Ed Sullivan combined with I had. One of
[7:33] Speaker 2: my grandmothers used to take me and my cousin Melissa
[7:36] Speaker 2: to see movies at the one movie theater in the
[7:39] Speaker 2: small little city that we lived in at the time.
[7:41] Speaker 2: It had one movie theater and it was a big, beautiful,
[7:44] Speaker 2: though old movie theater. It's still beautiful, it's still there,
[7:47] Speaker 2: and we would go and see the sound of music,
[7:50] Speaker 2: West Side Story, I think Babes and Toyland. And then
[7:54] Speaker 2: on the way home, we would walk back to my
[7:56] Speaker 2: grandmother's house and me and my cousin Melissa would sing
[7:58] Speaker 2: every song that we could read in the movie, you know,
[8:02] Speaker 2: probably just the choruses, but we would sing along. We'd
[8:04] Speaker 2: sing it on the way home. And so I think
[8:07] Speaker 2: it was the combination of that, then watching at Sullivan,
[8:11] Speaker 2: watching the people live, and then me playing the piano
[8:15] Speaker 2: for my classmates, and I would get very excited when
[8:18] Speaker 2: they would sing, and I would start like coaching them, Oh,
[8:20] Speaker 2: try it like this. My cousin Debbie still left. She
[8:23] Speaker 2: always says, you remember I was your first student. She
[8:26] Speaker 2: reminds me of that all the time. She says, I
[8:28] Speaker 2: started it all off. I kicked off the whole thing,
[8:31] Speaker 2: and she and she doesn't remember as much as I
[8:34] Speaker 2: remember that. She was singing a Christmas carol one year
[8:39] Speaker 2: and I kept telling her she was singing it wrong
[8:41] Speaker 2: and I was correcting her, and she said, I got
[8:43] Speaker 2: really irritated, like, no, no, it's not like that, you're
[8:47] Speaker 2: saying it wrong. And so for some reason that was
[8:51] Speaker 2: just my thing. And then I think when you're a child.
[8:54] Speaker 2: If you get attention for doing something that makes you
[8:58] Speaker 2: feel kind of special, you really lean into it because
[9:01] Speaker 2: it makes you feel like you have something unique to offer.
[9:05] Speaker 2: So it just went from there and that even when
[9:07] Speaker 2: I went to NYU and I also took course as
[9:10] Speaker 2: at Juilliard, I spent more time working with my schoolmates
[9:15] Speaker 2: on their music than I did online. You know, I
[9:18] Speaker 2: just was always trying to help them sound better.
[9:22] Speaker 3: And since the moment you started, it's pretty interesting. I
[9:25] Speaker 3: was thinking about this before you came on for the interview.
[9:29] Speaker 3: I mean, in general, the concept of coaching, you know,
[9:33] Speaker 3: business coaching, leadership coaching, you know, is really sprouted so
[9:40] Speaker 3: many tentacles. It's become kind of this you know, popular,
[9:45] Speaker 3: you know, way of employment for people. And when you started,
[9:49] Speaker 3: I'm sure there were vocal coaches, but were there many
[9:52] Speaker 3: of them?
[9:54] Speaker 2: No, well, certainly not. In my little city where I
[9:57] Speaker 2: grew up. There were two people, but they were just
[10:01] Speaker 2: singing teachers. One talk piano and voice. One was a
[10:04] Speaker 2: school teacher in my school, and then on the side
[10:07] Speaker 2: he had a little side business that he would coach people.
[10:10] Speaker 2: But you know, from what my mother would see of them,
[10:15] Speaker 2: they weren't what you would call big successes. They didn't
[10:18] Speaker 2: make a lot of money, they didn't have a big house,
[10:20] Speaker 2: and that's all she cared about. She was very into finances,
[10:24] Speaker 2: and so she when I would talk about wanting to
[10:29] Speaker 2: do this, she would get really upset because she thought, oh,
[10:32] Speaker 2: then you're just never going to have much of a life.
[10:34] Speaker 2: How And you know, looking back, I go, well, how
[10:37] Speaker 2: could she? How could she think I was going to
[10:38] Speaker 2: be doing what I get to do with the people
[10:40] Speaker 2: I get to do it with. You know, it probably
[10:43] Speaker 2: did seem like a pipe dream. My father would actually
[10:46] Speaker 2: get angry at it. He would get really annoyed when
[10:48] Speaker 2: I say I'm going to go to Hollywood and I'm
[10:50] Speaker 2: going to work with big movie stars, and he'd be
[10:53] Speaker 2: so irritated me, like, what the hell is wrong with you?
[10:57] Speaker 2: What makes you think that this possibly can happen? And so,
[11:02] Speaker 2: you know, I was sort of fighting against that. But
[11:05] Speaker 2: it's not like some people go, oh, okay, that's what
[11:07] Speaker 2: gave you your fuel to continue, and I go, not, really,
[11:10] Speaker 2: it was just my desire to do it. I just
[11:12] Speaker 2: wanted to do it. And every once in a while,
[11:14] Speaker 2: you would see, especially in those old tide movie musicals,
[11:17] Speaker 2: there'd be someone banging away at the piano, and the
[11:19] Speaker 2: singer would be singing, or they'd be rehearsing. They'd be
[11:22] Speaker 2: doing a rehearsal, and it looked like so much fun.
[11:25] Speaker 2: It just looked like they were having a great time.
[11:27] Speaker 2: Of course, they had rehearsed that rehearsal scene a million times,
[11:31] Speaker 2: and that's why it flowed so easily to them. But
[11:34] Speaker 2: you know, you would watch those movies Singing in the Rain,
[11:36] Speaker 2: all of them. I just loved those movie musicals and
[11:39] Speaker 2: I wanted to be a part of it.
[11:41] Speaker 3: What was the town you grew up in?
[11:43] Speaker 2: It was called Gloversville, New York, upstate New York, near
[11:46] Speaker 2: a very beautiful city called Saratoga Springs and a kind
[11:50] Speaker 2: of a classic storybook city named Johnstown, New York. But
[11:54] Speaker 2: glover Is what was a factory town. They made gloves
[11:56] Speaker 2: and they had leather tanneries. So it wasn't really a
[12:01] Speaker 2: place that would encourage the kind of behavior or the
[12:05] Speaker 2: kind of career that I was looking for, although the
[12:10] Speaker 2: truth is that they did put on quite elaborate high
[12:13] Speaker 2: school musicals, and I played the piano for those musicals,
[12:16] Speaker 2: and they always rented this gorgeous grand piano that Liberaci
[12:20] Speaker 2: had played on and he had signed it. And you know,
[12:23] Speaker 2: when he would travel around, he would travel around and
[12:25] Speaker 2: his with a glass top to a certain make Baldwin piano.
[12:30] Speaker 2: He had this glass top made so whenever he was performing,
[12:34] Speaker 2: he would have this piano on stage when he was
[12:36] Speaker 2: on tour, and he would say to the audience, do
[12:37] Speaker 2: you like my piano. It's the only one like it
[12:39] Speaker 2: in the world with the glass top. But it was
[12:42] Speaker 2: just the glass top that was traveling with him, it
[12:44] Speaker 2: wasn't the piano. And so anyway, they would rent that
[12:47] Speaker 2: piano and for months we would rehearse those musicals and
[12:51] Speaker 2: it was thrilling to me to get to play the
[12:53] Speaker 2: piano for them, and also to work with the singers,
[12:56] Speaker 2: all the kids that got cast in it. I would
[12:58] Speaker 2: teach them the songs. I would rehearse songs, and that
[13:01] Speaker 2: to me, was my favorite time of the year. That
[13:03] Speaker 2: was just so exciting to me, and I felt like
[13:06] Speaker 2: I was already in the big time. And I look
[13:08] Speaker 2: back and go, I was kind of doing the same
[13:11] Speaker 2: thing I'm doing now. It's just a little bit different
[13:13] Speaker 2: level now and it's a little bit higher stakes. You know,
[13:17] Speaker 2: at the Grammys or the Oscars, but it's the same thing.
[13:20] Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more of the Taking a
[13:22] Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
[13:32] Speaker 3: So you've coached this incredible range of artists, from Ariana
[13:36] Speaker 3: Grande to Sean Mendez, Timothy chalomea Emma Stone. How do
[13:45] Speaker 3: you adapt your coaching approach to such diverse talents and needs?
[13:50] Speaker 3: And most importantly, could you make a no talent such
[13:54] Speaker 3: as me sound good after working with me?
[13:58] Speaker 2: Well, here's the thing, I'm not sure I would know
[14:04] Speaker 2: after a couple lessons. You know, this is what I
[14:07] Speaker 2: always say because when people say can anybody learn to saying,
[14:10] Speaker 2: I go, no, they really can't. That's bullshit. But oh
[14:13] Speaker 2: I'm sorry, I don't know. If I'm silling, that's okay,
[14:16] Speaker 2: they can't. But what I always do say is I
[14:19] Speaker 2: can make anyone sound better. I'm very, very confident because
[14:22] Speaker 2: I've done it enough times that I can make anyone
[14:25] Speaker 2: improve and sound better. Can I get them to sound great? No?
[14:29] Speaker 2: That I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I
[14:32] Speaker 2: like to think I can, but sometimes people just don't
[14:35] Speaker 2: have the capacity. That's like someone you know, four foot
[14:38] Speaker 2: nine wanting to be a pro basketball player, it's probably
[14:42] Speaker 2: not going to happen because they don't have the equipment.
[14:44] Speaker 2: So if you don't have the vocal cords or the ear,
[14:48] Speaker 2: it's probably not gonna happen that you'll be great, but
[14:51] Speaker 2: you can definitely get better. So that's how I answer
[14:54] Speaker 2: that question.
[14:56] Speaker 3: Very diplomatic. I my wife before I told her I
[15:02] Speaker 3: was going to be speaking with you, and she looked
[15:05] Speaker 3: at me and she said, please don't ask him that question.
[15:10] Speaker 3: So of course I was emboldened and I had to so.
[15:13] Speaker 2: Sure, of course, And I don't blame you to it.
[15:15] Speaker 2: And like I said, who knows, if we did a lesson,
[15:18] Speaker 2: I might go, hey, I think there's something here. I
[15:20] Speaker 2: think you really, I think you have some potential. I'm
[15:24] Speaker 2: going to take to Eric.
[15:25] Speaker 3: I'm taking that part out. I'm going to take that
[15:27] Speaker 3: out of the interview. He said I had potential.
[15:30] Speaker 2: Yeah, I edit it just the right way. I I said,
[15:34] Speaker 2: you know, you would ask me about all the different people,
[15:37] Speaker 2: a wide range of people, and some of the people
[15:40] Speaker 2: you know, I've worked with since they were so young.
[15:42] Speaker 2: Ariana Grande was I think around thirteen or fourteen. Sabrina
[15:46] Speaker 2: Carpenter was around twelve or thirteen. I knew right away
[15:50] Speaker 2: in those cases they had such a strong work ethic,
[15:53] Speaker 2: so much talent, they had such a desire and passion
[15:56] Speaker 2: for it. And a lot of the other younger ones
[15:59] Speaker 2: I worked with, like Shawn Mendez or Camilla Cabello Rosalia,
[16:03] Speaker 2: a lot of them. You know, I just had a
[16:06] Speaker 2: feeling they were going to do well because they had
[16:08] Speaker 2: a passion for what they were doing. They had a
[16:10] Speaker 2: really strong work ethic, and they had a lot of
[16:12] Speaker 2: natural talent. But you know, you have to just sort
[16:15] Speaker 2: of diagnose what's in front of you and make a
[16:18] Speaker 2: decision of like, how am I going to proceed? How
[16:21] Speaker 2: best can I help this person. That's why when I
[16:24] Speaker 2: hear a teacher say, oh I teach the blank blank method,
[16:27] Speaker 2: I kind of turn off to that because I think, well,
[16:29] Speaker 2: that method will work on some people, maybe a thirtain people,
[16:33] Speaker 2: but it's not going to work on everybody because everybody
[16:35] Speaker 2: is so different. Everyone's history and experience of singing is
[16:38] Speaker 2: so different. You have to be flexible. You can't just
[16:41] Speaker 2: give everyone the same exercises and accept, you know, the
[16:46] Speaker 2: same result, expect the same result. You just can't. It's impossible.
[16:50] Speaker 2: So I try to tailor everything I do to whatever
[16:54] Speaker 2: I'm hearing right in front of me that moment that day.
[16:57] Speaker 2: You know, Angelina Jolie, when we were working on moving
[17:00] Speaker 2: Maria that she did. They came out last year. She
[17:04] Speaker 2: didn't even sing Happy Birthday at birthday parties because someone
[17:07] Speaker 2: had sent to her, you can't sing, don't do it,
[17:09] Speaker 2: don't even sing Happy Birthday. So she had a mental
[17:11] Speaker 2: block about it. So part of the excitement about working
[17:14] Speaker 2: with her was to get her over that so that
[17:17] Speaker 2: she actually could sing and sing opera with, you know,
[17:20] Speaker 2: with one of the greatest divas who ever lived, Maria Callas.
[17:23] Speaker 2: So everybody is so different where they coming from, what
[17:27] Speaker 2: their attitude is, what their talent is. I just try
[17:31] Speaker 2: to be I try to be like a doctor, you know,
[17:33] Speaker 2: good Dike to Dike, what do you call it, Dike
[17:35] Speaker 2: to missions. Oh my god, could you cut that part out? Please? Diagnostician.
[17:41] Speaker 2: I think that's the lead. Let's say it please. I
[17:44] Speaker 2: did that. So anyway, I think that that's what I
[17:47] Speaker 2: try to do. I try to figure out what each
[17:49] Speaker 2: person needs and go from there.
[17:52] Speaker 3: So that leads me to the direction I was going
[17:55] Speaker 3: with the next question. Because many artists they credit you,
[17:59] Speaker 3: you know, not just with vocal training, but emotional support.
[18:03] Speaker 3: And how important is the psychological and emotional aspect of
[18:09] Speaker 3: the work that you do with your clients.
[18:12] Speaker 2: I think it's huge. You know, there's so many studies
[18:15] Speaker 2: on how our mind affects our body, you know, the
[18:18] Speaker 2: mind body connection. There's books written about it, there's articles
[18:21] Speaker 2: written about it, there's documentaries about it. And so I
[18:25] Speaker 2: always think to myself, I have to keep that in mind.
[18:29] Speaker 2: Their mental state is going to make a huge difference
[18:32] Speaker 2: on how well they do, so I try to concentrate
[18:35] Speaker 2: on both things. I am always honest. I never lie
[18:39] Speaker 2: to anybody. I'm very, very honest. I learned long, long,
[18:42] Speaker 2: long ago that there's nothing that's good or positive that's
[18:46] Speaker 2: going to come out of telling someone they're great if
[18:49] Speaker 2: they're not, because they're either going to make a fool
[18:51] Speaker 2: of themselves, or they're going to get angry at you
[18:53] Speaker 2: that you told them we were great and then it
[18:55] Speaker 2: didn't work out, or they did make a fool of themselves.
[18:57] Speaker 2: So I'm always very honest, but I do it in
[18:59] Speaker 2: a way that I say, Okay, this is what you
[19:02] Speaker 2: need to work on. For example, someone might be singing
[19:05] Speaker 2: a little flat. So I wouldn't just say you're flat,
[19:07] Speaker 2: you're flat, you're under pitch. I might say your tone
[19:11] Speaker 2: quality is improving, that's getting really good, but let's work
[19:13] Speaker 2: more on your pitch, because I think that's one of
[19:16] Speaker 2: your weaknesses that we need to make stronger. So that's
[19:19] Speaker 2: how I approach it. I try to do it in
[19:21] Speaker 2: a way, and then when they do improve, I make
[19:24] Speaker 2: a big deal out of it so that they feel
[19:26] Speaker 2: good about that. And when someone feels good about their progress,
[19:29] Speaker 2: they keep wanting to work at it more. You know,
[19:32] Speaker 2: if you're just too hard on someone, they kind of
[19:35] Speaker 2: I wouldn't say they give up, but there is a
[19:37] Speaker 2: part of them that is spirals inside, and then they
[19:42] Speaker 2: can't possibly do their best. So I try to figure
[19:45] Speaker 2: that out. And you know, you can suss out pretty
[19:47] Speaker 2: quickly the people who really want the tough love and
[19:49] Speaker 2: want you to just go at them, and then there's
[19:52] Speaker 2: other people that just need more of a gentle approach.
[19:55] Speaker 3: So I was a program director of radio stations. I
[19:59] Speaker 3: started on the radio and then grew into the role
[20:03] Speaker 3: as the program director. And one of the things I
[20:06] Speaker 3: was responsible for was coaching the on air talent, and
[20:12] Speaker 3: we used to talk about this concept with talent that
[20:16] Speaker 3: most talent hated first of all being coached. They didn't
[20:19] Speaker 3: really want it. And then secondly this notion of the
[20:24] Speaker 3: ratio of filling up the bucket with good vibe things
[20:28] Speaker 3: versus those tough love things, and that ratio in radio
[20:34] Speaker 3: terms was about eighty percent bucket filling twenty percent of
[20:40] Speaker 3: tough love. What kind of ratio for a coach like you.
[20:45] Speaker 2: It really depends on the person I'm working with. You know,
[20:48] Speaker 2: some people would need I don't know if I've ever
[20:50] Speaker 2: gone eighty percent, but let's say seventy percent. I probably
[20:55] Speaker 2: gone seventy percent. It just depends on the person.
[20:58] Speaker 1: You know.
[20:58] Speaker 2: They're also different, and I don't want you know. I
[21:01] Speaker 2: also learned many many years ago. I said to an
[21:05] Speaker 2: actress who was auditioning for a Broadway show. I said
[21:09] Speaker 2: to her, here's the deal. I was really clear. I said,
[21:13] Speaker 2: your chest voice, your lower range is really good. You
[21:16] Speaker 2: have a great natural lower voice. The part you're auditioning
[21:19] Speaker 2: for is a high soprano. That is not where you're
[21:22] Speaker 2: at your best. As a matter of fact, that's probably
[21:25] Speaker 2: your weakest area. I think you should instead of putting
[21:29] Speaker 2: so much time and energy into this audition for a
[21:32] Speaker 2: part that's really not meant for your voice. I think
[21:34] Speaker 2: you should find a musical that is meant for your voice,
[21:38] Speaker 2: that is going to suit you, and then we can
[21:41] Speaker 2: work on that. And I made it really clear. And
[21:44] Speaker 2: a couple months later I ran into another actress, or
[21:47] Speaker 2: not ran into. She came in for voice lessons to
[21:50] Speaker 2: work on a movie, and she said, well, I was
[21:52] Speaker 2: really nervous about coming here. And I said why and
[21:54] Speaker 2: she said, well, because so and so told me you
[21:56] Speaker 2: could be so cruel, she said, Eric Vitro told me
[21:59] Speaker 2: I couldn't sing. Eric Vittel said, don't even bother audition
[22:04] Speaker 2: for this show. And I was like, what is she
[22:07] Speaker 2: talking about? Was she high? Was she on crack? What
[22:10] Speaker 2: was going on in her head? That's not what I
[22:12] Speaker 2: said at all. And I was so careful not to
[22:15] Speaker 2: give her that impression. I kept saying, your lower voice
[22:18] Speaker 2: is great, Your belt voices where you really should focus.
[22:21] Speaker 2: That's where you're meant to be. And it also went
[22:24] Speaker 2: with her personality and her look. You know, there's a
[22:27] Speaker 2: certain look to certain characters and musicals, you know, the Belter,
[22:32] Speaker 2: the hei soprano, Angenoux, all of that, so she just
[22:36] Speaker 2: wasn't meant for the character that she was auditioning for,
[22:39] Speaker 2: and I couldn't believe she so got it wrong or
[22:42] Speaker 2: that's what she walked away with. So after that I
[22:44] Speaker 2: was even more careful than ever. But still the ratio
[22:50] Speaker 2: just depends on the person in front of me. And
[22:52] Speaker 2: I think that one of the things I'm pretty good
[22:55] Speaker 2: at is reading the room. I think I'm pretty good
[22:57] Speaker 2: at knowing what someone needs and also what they want.
[23:01] Speaker 2: Now I'm in a lucky position as opposed to what
[23:04] Speaker 2: you were at the radio station, whereas most of the
[23:06] Speaker 2: people are coming to me for help. They want help,
[23:08] Speaker 2: they're asking for it, sometimes begging for it. You know,
[23:11] Speaker 2: I get calls please please to fit me in. I
[23:15] Speaker 2: really need to work on this. I can't believe I
[23:17] Speaker 2: said yes to this project and now I've got to
[23:19] Speaker 2: do it. So most of the time they really want
[23:22] Speaker 2: to come here. There have been several people along the
[23:24] Speaker 2: way that were usually older, usually in rock bands, and
[23:28] Speaker 2: the producer, the music producer who was doing their album
[23:32] Speaker 2: encourage them or in some cases insisted they take voice
[23:35] Speaker 2: lessons to improve and those people I had to win over.
[23:39] Speaker 2: You know, I could see it in their eyes. I
[23:42] Speaker 2: walked into a situation once in the lead singer of
[23:44] Speaker 2: the band said, before he said hello, before he said
[23:47] Speaker 2: anything else, he said, don't try to get me to
[23:50] Speaker 2: quit drinking, don't get me to try to stop smoking,
[23:54] Speaker 2: and whatever you do, don't try to get me to
[23:56] Speaker 2: sound like an opera singer. And I said, well, I'm
[23:59] Speaker 2: a voice teacher, not a miracle worker. No, no one's
[24:03] Speaker 2: gonna make use helmet and opper serious. They don't worry
[24:05] Speaker 2: about it. So but I'm pretty good at knowing who
[24:08] Speaker 2: I can talk to like that and who I can have.
[24:11] Speaker 3: You ever had to coach a comedian and was it
[24:16] Speaker 3: possible to coach them to be able to be a vocalist.
[24:21] Speaker 2: Yeah, well, there's been several cases where I worked with
[24:25] Speaker 2: comedians or actors who did comedy.
[24:28] Speaker 1: You know.
[24:29] Speaker 2: The first prison who comes to mind, and oh my god,
[24:32] Speaker 2: I'm forgetting his name. Isn't that awful? I can see
[24:34] Speaker 2: him in front of me. He died fairly young. Oh gosh.
[24:38] Speaker 2: He ended up doing the tour of Hairspray. You know,
[24:42] Speaker 2: there's the role of the mother and Tracy's mother and
[24:48] Speaker 2: the turnblat who was always played by a man that's
[24:51] Speaker 2: how it's always been right. John Travolta played him in
[24:53] Speaker 2: the movie and played her in the movie. And this comedian,
[24:57] Speaker 2: I'm John Blake on his name John anyway, So he
[25:01] Speaker 2: was a comedian and so I worked with him, and
[25:03] Speaker 2: I thought he did a very good job Bouce Flance,
[25:06] Speaker 2: which I don't know if he considers himself a comedian,
[25:08] Speaker 2: but he certainly is a hilarious comedy writer and you know,
[25:13] Speaker 2: very funny public figure. I worked with him on Hairspray,
[25:17] Speaker 2: Billy Crystal, I work with on one of the Oscars
[25:19] Speaker 2: when he's sang the opening medley, which was a very
[25:22] Speaker 2: comedic medley. So there's been a number of those people. Yes,
[25:26] Speaker 2: and Ben Stiller, Chris ben Stiller can do anything comedy
[25:31] Speaker 2: or drama. But I worked on a movie with him
[25:33] Speaker 2: where he's saying and they were all great working experiences,
[25:38] Speaker 2: all of them. It was really, really fabulous. The only
[25:41] Speaker 2: hard part about working with ben Stiller was that every
[25:44] Speaker 2: once in a while he would have an expression on
[25:46] Speaker 2: his face that I remembered being in one of his movies.
[25:50] Speaker 2: And so, and I loved ben Stiller and his movies.
[25:53] Speaker 2: I just love them, all of them. And sometimes he
[25:57] Speaker 2: would just kind of react to something. And I would
[25:59] Speaker 2: see a zule interface and I couldn't stop laughing, and
[26:02] Speaker 2: you know, and I would say to him, I'm sorry,
[26:04] Speaker 2: I'm sorry, but that reminded me of Zuolander. That reminded
[26:07] Speaker 2: me of, you know, another movie. And so but he
[26:10] Speaker 2: got it, he understood it. He said, Oh, I know,
[26:12] Speaker 2: I'm used to that. People tell me that all the time.
[26:14] Speaker 2: So he was so great to be around.
[26:17] Speaker 3: So, Eric, looking ahead, what exciting projects or new directions
[26:22] Speaker 3: are you most passionate about in your in your work
[26:24] Speaker 3: as a vocal coach.
[26:26] Speaker 2: Oh gosh, there's so many, you know. I Well, I'm
[26:30] Speaker 2: working on three movies right now that unfortunately I can't
[26:33] Speaker 2: really talk about because they haven't been announced. Uh. Well,
[26:36] Speaker 2: one has been announced. It's It's going to be about
[26:39] Speaker 2: Sammy Davis Junior, and Colin Domingo is directing it, and
[26:44] Speaker 2: David Johnson is starring in it as Sammy Davis and
[26:48] Speaker 2: Cindy Sweeney is in it. And I'm very excited about that.
[26:52] Speaker 2: I'm such a huge fan of Coleman Domingo anyway, and
[26:56] Speaker 2: and I had a great meeting with him, and so
[26:59] Speaker 2: I'm it's rilled about getting to be a part of that.
[27:02] Speaker 2: I have a movie that I worked on with Jeremy
[27:04] Speaker 2: Allen White about Bruce Springsteen, Deliver Me, Deliver Me from Nowhere.
[27:09] Speaker 2: I believe it's the title. I got so much swimming
[27:12] Speaker 2: around in my head at this moment, and Jeremy was
[27:15] Speaker 2: he's going to astound people with his portrayal of Bruce Springsteen.
[27:20] Speaker 2: He really did such a great job vocally. I can't
[27:22] Speaker 2: I can't even tell you. It was really amazing. And
[27:24] Speaker 2: that's not an easy person to sing like, because Bruce has,
[27:28] Speaker 2: you know, sings with such intensity, high notes, intense notes,
[27:32] Speaker 2: rasp by notes. I mean, it really puts you through
[27:34] Speaker 2: the ringer and Jeremy did a great job. I think
[27:36] Speaker 2: that movie is going to be great. And I work
[27:39] Speaker 2: with a lot of young pop stars. Several of them
[27:41] Speaker 2: are going to be singing on the VMAs soon. Sab
[27:44] Speaker 2: being a carpenter is going to be on there. Alex Warren.
[27:47] Speaker 2: Alex Warren had a huge song this past year called Ordinary.
[27:51] Speaker 2: I think it surpassed Elvis for weeks on the charts
[27:54] Speaker 2: in the UK, and he's broke a lot of records.
[27:57] Speaker 2: I'm so proud of him. And so there's a lot
[28:00] Speaker 2: of things. Wicked Part two, Wicked for Good, is coming out,
[28:04] Speaker 2: which I work on with Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey.
[28:07] Speaker 2: I'm so excited to see it. I have not seen it,
[28:10] Speaker 2: and I'm really thrilled. I mean, that became a whole
[28:15] Speaker 2: world unto itself, the world of Wicked, really, you know,
[28:20] Speaker 2: and so I could not have been more honored to
[28:23] Speaker 2: be a part of that. And there you go. So
[28:26] Speaker 2: there's a bunch of stuff. That's great.
[28:28] Speaker 3: What an honor to talk to you. Thank you for
[28:31] Speaker 3: sharing all the behind the scenes and some of the
[28:35] Speaker 3: secret sauce, and it's just great having some laughs and
[28:39] Speaker 3: hearing the stories behind your work. Eric.
[28:42] Speaker 2: Well, it's my pleasure. I'm so happy to meet you.
[28:44] Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. I have such
[28:46] Speaker 2: a great podcast, so I'm honored to be hon it.
[28:50] Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
[28:52] Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
[28:56] Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
[29:00] Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
[29:04] Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.

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