The year was 1994. I was 12 years old and I was sent out for my first ever animation voice audition. I was asked to read for a few different roles for a new cartoon series called Arthur, based on the books by author Marc Brown. There was the role of the tomboy Francine, the kid sister D.W. and the spoiled rich girl known as Muffy. I was asked to read for all three. Apparently, my spoiled rich girl was a hit and I landed the part. Who knew that 17 years later, I’d still be playing Muffy and loving every minute of it!

Over the years, I’ve played all kinds of characters, from an evil witch to a sporty robot. Whenever people learnt that I did cartoon voices, they would always say “Wow, that’s amazing! How can I get into that?” So in October 2009, I created Voice Pro Studio to teach people about what it takes to break into this exciting industry. Voice acting has been such a positive outlet in my life, and when I hear about my students booking roles, it makes my day!

In January 2012, I will be teaching a 6-week in-studio cartoon voice class in Toronto for children ages 8-12 years. My aim is to encourage children to get comfortable and have fun in front of the microphone. By exploring different characters, speech rhythms and energy levels, children build confidence and enjoy expressing themselves. There is so much freedom in voice acting in that you are not limited by your appearance, age, race, gender, etc. One minute you’re the voice of a talking flower, the next you’re a mischievous monkey. Boys can play girl parts and vice versa. In fact, Arthur’s kid sister D.W. has been played by a boy all these years!

The cartoon voice class will take place in a professional studio environment and I will work with the children on taking direction, creating their own unique character voices and much more. If your child wants to learn more about what it takes to be a voice actor, send them my way! Wahoo! I’m thrilled to share my knowledge and love of this craft with Toronto’s young people. It’s such an advantage to learn these industry tools early on. I began my career in voice acting as a child, so I look forward to seeing the same enthusiasm in my students that I had at their age.

Melissa Altro

To register your child for Melissa Altro’s 6-Week Cartoon Voice Class for Kids send an email to melissa@voiceprostudio.ca or visit www.voiceprostudio.ca for more info.

Having worked with the best and brightest in the Canadian animation industry, Altro continually proves to be a multifaceted professional both in front of the mic and in the control room, with some voice casting and directing credits now under her belt.
Cartoon voice classes for kids will now be added to Altro’s impressive resume in 2012, and she looks forward to making her new students feel comfortable and inspiring them to create and explore.