“Eric, the vocal coach”
By the time I became a senior at Xavier University, my life on campus had changed dramatically. I was much more confident, and I even befriended the older students who had once made fun of me years before. I was voted president of the Concert Choir and appointed section leader of the bass/baritone section of the University Chorus. I had earned the respect of my professors and my peers... But I wasn't satisfied.
I was wasting time. Xavier University's music program was intensive, and I learned much about music history, theory, and business... But, when it came to the vocal training (my primary reason for pursuing a music degree), I had a voice teacher who was stuck using archaic methods that were ineffective (at best) and detrimental (at worst). As a means of preserving my voice, I had developed the skill of pretending to listen to my teacher's advice during lessons, while in actuality implementing my own techniques. There were still some instances in which I would be forced to use the harmful technique of my professor. On those occasions, after the lesson was done, I would run to the practice rooms or to my car and vocalize. I was reminded then of the awesome restorative powers of healthy vocalization (as taught to me by my "secret" instructors). I would focus on tension release: retraining my abdomen to gently contract vs. locking tightly. I would utilize liprolls to rebalance my breathflow and my registers. I learned to find my "home base" place of vocal balance, constantly undoing the damage that my "expert" voice teacher had done.
On top of all that, I felt stifled creatively. There was this recurring theme in college that Classical music was "real music" and that all other forms of music weren't worth the time or attention of a trained singer. While I appreciated the beauty in the works of Purcell, Mozart, and Puccini, I was annoyed at the overwhelming and unapologetic pretentiousness of it all. I found the Operatic world to be restrictive, and I resented it. Originality wasn't encouraged. It was moreso about working to acheive an ideal of sound (an ideal that was often as ambiguous as the technique itself). Everyone sang the same repertoire that had been sung for hundreds of years before. The musical compositions were like various olympic events and we were just vocal gymnast proving that we could execute all of the swoops and flips.
The good news was that I would be graduating soon - early, of course. Not only did I take a ridiculous course load every Fall and Spring semester, but I also took as many classes as the university would allow during the summer.
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It was common in the beginning weeks of the fall semester for new students to gradually trickle in to some of the classes: transfers from other departments, those who had housing issues, those who just were late with scheduling. And it was one of these late arrivals that changed the course of my life.
Emanuel Burke was (and is) an extremely successful musician in New Orleans. Considered a prodigy by many, he had a wealth of professional performance experience while still in his teens (he has performed with Baby Face, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, and many others). Jazz, Gospel, Classical, he could play it all... and he could play it all fantastically! I went to high school with Emanuel. We knew of each other, but I can't recall us ever actually having a conversation of any kind. Still, Emanuel was one of those present years ago, when I auditioned (catastrophically) for the school Gospel choir. So I was pretty sure that he didn't have a very high opinion of my singing ability.
I recognized Emanuel immediately, when he walked in to class late (a fresh transfer). He sat next to me, the only spot really available at that point. I gestured towards him with my sheet music, letting him know that we could share. Like the insanely gifted musician that he is, he sight-read effortlessly music that he probably had never even seen before. I continued to sing as normal. Hunched over the music together, I was practically singing in his ear. "What the f@$#!", he said in an emphatic whisper. I recoiled, embarrassed that I might have sung too loudly (or out of tune) in his ear. I honestly didn't mean to. "What's wrong?", I replied. "You are REALLY singing," he said. I was shocked and - honestly - pretty darn flattered. I had always admired Emanuel's talent. A compliment from him meant a lot.
I think that, more than the "beauty" of my voice, Emmanuel was amazed at the dramatic improvement from the voice he had heard from me in high school. When choir class ended, I prepared to head to my next class. But Emanuel wouldn't let me off the hook quite that easily. "What did you do?", he asked. I laughed out loud. "Was it really THAT big of a difference?", I thought to myself. Apparently, it was. And Emmanuel wanted details on how I made it happen. I was more than happy to share the information. Vocal pedagogy was definitely a passion of mine at that point. I began telling him the story of my vocal training, and the cutting edge - non-classical - techniques of my private coaches. His curiosity was piqued. I would imagine that his thought process went a little something like this: "If Eric can go from sounding CRAPPY to sounding pretty good, then he could probably take me from sounding good to sounding AMAZING!"
He wanted a lesson... from me! But I had never taught a voice lesson before. Sure I had shared info with friends, but never in a formal setting. And NEVER for compensation. I wasn't THAT good... was I?
My first voice lesson with Emanuel Burke was misleadingly easy. I would later learn that most voice students wouldn't catch on nearly as quickly, but Emmanuel's genius level musical abilities made the process move along with text book precision. In our first lesson, I showed him how to connect his chest voice to his head voice. His range grew immediately. And I had to admit to myself that maybe I did have A LITTLE natural teaching ability. My gift for analyzing voices allowed me to hone in on his issues pretty quickly.
Emanuel was very happy with his vocal progress... So happy that he offered to pay for lessons. I didn't think I was at that level yet, nor did I really care to be. I didn't want to be a voice teacher. Helping him out with his technique was just a fun way to pass the time and share my obsession. As far as Emanuel was concerned, I had a skill that deserved attention. In the weeks that followed, Emanuel made it a personal mission to tell all of his local music contacts about me.
In this business, everyone claims to have "contacts"; everyone claims to have the ability to "hook you up". So, when Emmanuel began telling me to prepare and consider how much I wanted to charge for my services, I didn't really take it seriously. After all, what professional singer would trust a 19 year old college student with his voice? Apparently Euricka, a.k.a. "The Golden Child", was someone ready to take a chance. Euricka was a locally popular artist in New Orleans. At the time that Emmanuel introduced me to her, she had a video on BET and a huge van with her image airbrushed on it. Her van could be seen riding all around the city. She was creating a lot of buzz - a self proclaimed "hood princess", with the body of a playboy bunny and a musical style reminiscent of Tina Turner.
Euricka had just landed the opportunity to perform the National Anthem at an NFL game and had upcoming showcases with several major labels. The only problem - she had no voice... Don't get me wrong, Euricka definitely had talent, but at that moment she was hoarse... big time. She had almost completely lost her voice. She, too, had a previous voice teacher who encouraged her to tighten her ab muscles for power and to push for high notes. The result was vocal damage. She was being presented with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and she was stressed(understandably so), but VERY focused. She was skeptical of me (understandably so), but she had great respect for Emmanuel. I was scared. I didn't want to ruin Emmanuel's reputation, so I figured I better do my best.
We met with her, before one of her rehearsals. She sang for me, and I could hear the swelling in her vocal folds causing her to have a husky sound. I could hear her tensing her abdominal muscles, and I could hear her pulling her chest voice up (both of these actions were even more intense, as she attempted to overcompensate for the swelling in her cords). I kind of surprised myself at how easy it was for me to hear these things. But I knew with a fair amount of certainty what needed to be done. Instead of recommending vocal rest, I put her on a strict vocal regimen. She was allowed to use her voice only to vocalize, no extra singing or talking for 2 weeks. Her talent was obvious, but so was the irritation to her vocal folds. I had no doubt that she could make a full recovery... eventually. But to go from a barely audible voice to one capable of belting out the national anthem, in just two weeks... I just wasn't sure.
Euricka was (and is) one of the best students I have ever worked with. It is truly rare to meet someone who actually demonstrates the drive that they profess to have. I speak on it often today, the fact that so many abuse the phrase "I want this so bad". Few really mean it; Few really put in the work; Few demonstrate the discipline necessary for significant growth. But, Euricka, she had fierce determination. Euricka was given a customized 20minute vocal exercise routine. After a few days I received a call... "Hey Eric. This is Euricka. Is it o.k. if I do 40minutes?". Why I loved working with her: She never complained, and she welcomed hard work. Within a week, her voice began to show major signs of recovery. She eliminated the break between her head and chest voice, and the airiness was subsiding. By the end of week two, her voice was stronger than it had ever been. Her voice became so much stronger, in fact, that her management requested that she re-record the singles from her upcoming album. They thought the difference in her voice was so significant that it was worth redoing all of her lead vocals. I was so proud... and relieved. It was really working. I was helping someone realize her dream and it made me feel good.
When it came time to sing the National Anthem at the NFL game, she was more than ready. You would never have guessed her voice was damaged just weeks before. She even added extra high notes at the end for a big finish. Days later, she KILLED at Jazz Fest. The best part was that she shut up a lot of haters. When a singer with a body like Euricka's flaunts her physical assets, it can detract attention from her musical talent. Many people assumed that she just couldn't sing. But when she covered Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You", the skeptics began to believe. The hardest part of that song, "But I DON'T", she sang powerfully and easily. I got a lot of new clients after that show. People were amazed by Euricka's drastic vocal makeover. Even Euricka herself took on a new confidence, as her vocal strength developed to match her natural performing ability. Yet despite all the praise she received, she remained humble and was very grateful to me. On top of it all, she didn't want to settle - another reason why she was so great to work with.
She had improved beyond everyone's expectations. And after a month of intensive sessions, I was sure she could maintain the health of her voice on her own. But she wanted to push forward and see how far she could really go. Even then, I loved working with singers who don't put limits on themselves. It's much more exciting and fulfilling to work with that kind of artist.
Helping Euricka bolstered my confidence. I realized that I was actually pretty good at this coaching thing, and - thanks to referrals from both Emanuel and Euricka - I took on a few more clients. I was motivated by a sense of purpose and duty to help vocalists in need. It didn't hurt that I was getting paid pretty well, too... I was still in college, but making more money than all of my friends while doing something I actually enjoyed. Also, as a side bonus, I began making a lot of music industry contacts of my own. I was developing a rep - "It's like you bring voices back from the dead," one client told me. I was dubbed the "Vocal Guru"... The name sounded a little overly dramatic to me, but it stuck. I hadn't chosen to be a Voice Teacher, but it had clearly chosen me. Should I accept that I had a gift and help others, or should I simply pursue my own dreams? Could I do both? I wasn't sure... but I was about to find out.
Next time: Chapter 7… “Chip On My Shoulder"