A Conversation with Lisa Harrison (The Best Vocal/Singing Coach in Los Angeles, per Backstage Magazine)
- laurahanj
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
When I was growing up on a farm in rural South Dakota, our family home received two television channels: CBS and NBC. So, I never saw Charlie’s Angels or The Brady Bunch. The TV shows I liked best were I Dream of Jeannie, Little House on the Prairie, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched...and...The Waltons.
My mother and I watched The Waltons every Thursday night on CBS.
I’m watching it again now on Amazon Prime; I watch an episode nearly every evening before I go to sleep. In this era of the non-stop digital onslaught, warring, and massive division between people, I find the storylines of this depression era family in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia welcome and necessary.
Earl Hamner, Jr., based the book Spencer’s Mountain, TV movie/pilot The Homecoming, and The Waltons series on his own family. Since the characters of John and Olivia Walton were based on his own folks, he must have been raised by quite extraordinary parents. Depression life managed to feel abundant, and the children were raised to be caring, compassionate people who respected others and made decisions based on their own inner guiding compass.
One of my favorite recurring characters on The Waltons was Toni (Antoinette) Hazelton Walton, played by the remarkable Lisa Harrison. As I’ve been enjoying The Waltons again over 45 years later, I found Judy Norton’s (Mary Ellen Walton) YouTube Channel. I loved her interview with Lisa (both Judy and Lisa are professional singers) and reached out to the actresses. I later scheduled a voice lesson with Lisa, as my own teacher is now living in Europe, and learned even more about my own voice, both as a vocalist and teacher.
Lisa, whom Backstage Magazine called the Best Vocal/Singing Coach in Los Angeles, generously agreed to be interviewed for my blog.
I invite you to enjoy our conversation about the enormous potential of the human voice, overcoming bad vocal habits (including performance anxiety), and Lisa’s personal experience as a performer and voice teacher.
Contact Lisa here:
Love Your Voice & Voice Your Love,
Laura
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