You have a voice–a style, a sound, a message–that is uniquely yours.  When you find this voice–or rather, when you strip away all of the things that are “not yours”–you will feel at home within your own sound, and within your own message.  You will no longer fight your voice–that is, push it, manipulate it, or try to make it sound a certain way.

Singing is easier than you think.  It is totally natural.   And yet, it may take you a while to “come home” to your voice, to settle in and feel comfortable with it–just like it would take a while to settle into a new room, or home, to decorate it and make it yours.

In the meantime: Experiment, try new things.  See what songs “feel like you”, what singers you gravitate to.  See what your voice likes to do, what it does easily, and what it longs to stretch towards.  Head in that direction.  Play.  Dive in.  Push your limits.  But never force.   Never try to “make” your voice do something that it isn’t ready to do.

You may find it helpful, in your journey of vocal exploration and discovery, to learn some technique.  There are ways of approaching your voice that are “tried and true”.  There are methods of stretching the voice, of strengthening the voice, of making it more flexible.  All of these tools and explorations are helpful (and I can show you many of these things).

Above all, in terms of technique, I want you to learn to “feel into” your voice.  What does the low voice feel like? What does the high voice feel like? How does it feel to be in between?

And, what are you doing that is UNnatural?  When do you push the voice? When do reach your head, in an effort to reach the note? (. . . Not the best way to go after it, by the way.) When do you hold your breath? When do you slump, and “shut down” energetically? How are you manipulating your tone?

The more you learn to feel into your voice, the more you learn what feels good, and what feels bad.  (Simple, but true.)  Go for the stuff that feels good.  Let go of the manipulation.  Keep only what helps you.  Become comfortable with everything, ESPECIALLY the feeling of “I don’t know,  but let me see what happens”.

Oh, and have fun.  Joy will open your voice up faster than anything else. 😉

Good luck, dive in, and be gentle.  A combination of passion and patience will take you far.  🙂 <3