One of the things I try to relay to everyone I teach right from the beginning is that you are already an expert at modifying your voice. Humans change their voice all the time to suit different contexts. To better understand this, I want to share with you an exercise that will reveal your per-existing voice alteration talents: I want you to perform what I like to call a Voice Audit.

Think about how you talk when you're speaking to a cashier, a parent or guardian, your best friend. How do you speak to customers? How do you speak to your boss? How do you speak to your significant other? Now think about how you speak to your pet. How do you speak when you are very joyful or excited? How do you speak when you're angry? Sad? Tired? Sick? Nervous? Think about all the ways in which you already use your voice and write them down in a notebook or journal. 

Once you have this list, compare and contrast how it feels to speak in those two different voices. So, if your pet voice is super high and cute and your teacher voice is a lot more open and professional sounding, try and explain to yourself, "How am I making these two different sounds?" What structures are changing? Gathering this information can lead you to some pretty great discoveries about how much control you already have over changing your voice, and help you along your journey to discover the voice you love!