Question:
I’m 19 years old, in a teaching program, and my voice is constantly too low and mumbled. In elementary school I used to win the speech contest every year and present in front of the school no problem. In high school I began to notice my voice becoming quiet and mumbled, especially when I saw myself in videos. It’s gotten to the point recently, in 2nd year university, that I cannot maintain a proper conversation. I feel like I can never be loud enough and lack any emotion in my voice no matter how hard I try. I’ll go to concerts and have no voice the next day from shouting to be heard. It’s getting ridiculous and effecting my social life significantly. It’s causing me to be depressed and stressed over my career as I will not be a good teacher if I cannot speak.
Answer:
I’m sorry you are so distressed. It is upsetting to not have the power and grace of one’s voice. You need to work with a laryngologist and speech pathologist to determine the cause of the issue and then get exercises to help you retrain the way you speak. Work with your advisor and the health insurance provided by your college. This should all be covered for you. You are doing the right thing in reaching out for help, but an email answer won’t be enough for you. You must reach out to people who are there to support your growth and success. Stay as calm and hopeful as you can because you will develop very useful strength and insight as you solve this. You will be a better teacher and have something special to share with your students because of this.
In the meantime, you can read other posts about breathing, phonation, resonance and articulation. Also, because you have to work on a complete vocal process, you might consider downloading the BASIC VOCAL TUNE-UP from the products page on this site or try finding another audio/visual program you would prefer to work with.