Escamillo,I don't think your right.Okay maybe my "natural" approach is wrong and in 5 years I'll see the damage I've done to my voice,but I'm quite sure I'm doing well.I've met several singers(most rock singers,okay) that had no clue of how to really sing,even basilar things like diaphragm breathing were unknown to them! So they couldn't sing,just "mimick" a singer.I guess I'm an alto (voice loud and clear on the lower notes)but maybe I'd need a professional for telling me if it's really my voice.Did you feel really different when you sang before meeting your teacher? Like you were streching your voice too much? How's about speaking in a higher voice than our singing voice? To me is different.If I talk it's higher.So I guess is related to breathing.Obviously I breath in a different way.If I speak using diaphragmatic my voice sounds lower just like when I'm singing.Or maybeI just don't know what I'm doing...maybe I'm not a "real" alto. Anyway in folk music you can easily sing with your "nose-voice",don't think you can in classical.lol