Getting to Know: John Stocker, Voice Director of Sailor Moon Part 4

Please read Part 3 of the interview before reading Part 4

Voice Teaching with Stocker

Let’s add one more career to his resume: voice teaching. He had received a number of requests from voice agents who knew him and the aspiring talents that looked up to Stocker. At that point, he “realized there was a real need for one on one instruction.” He is not into the one room schoolhouse approach for voice acting lessons. If it was a classroom environment, he would be dealing with various levels of experience and skills of each student. Plus, he sincerely loves to shares what he's learned with others. “Perhaps, at the bottom of it all, is that human desire to be needed. I’m still an actor, and actors are actors because they need their egos stroked more than most people. I’m flattered by the attention.”

Now in my mind, there is some fine detail that makes a voice director similar to a voice teacher. I was curious to learn from Stocker about the most important experience as a voice director that helped him become a better voice teacher. His answer: “developing patience.” He understands that not everyone is as “gifted” as another, nor do they learn things the same way. Also, how he comprehends a copy does not mean his cast or anyone else will the same way. “That’s what makes us all different in that wonderful, almost exhilarating sense. I simply transposed those directing lessons learned to my teaching. Again, we’re back to that one on one issue.”

At least Stocker knows that you need patience to be a good leader. Some people do not even know how important that is. Besides having patience, you know what makes someone a good teacher? Someone who enlightens you outside the textbook. Someone who says to themselves “I gotta tell my students this. They need to learn from it.” Here's what he had to say:

“Like everything else, this business is a microcosm of life. Ups, downs, successes, failures, praises and criticisms. It simply appears more intense because it’s a career in the spotlight. You’ve got to really love every aspect of it to do well. You can’t let yourself get too disappointed by the bad stuff or too elated by the good. It’s a job. Sometimes it gets boring, believe it or not. It’s not for the faint hearted. Think of it this way…every audition is like applying for a new job every day.”

© 2014 Linda Thai

Photography by Linda Thai

Stay tune for Part 5 of the John Stocker interview