Now that that's done, here is a little about myself...
I started vocal lessons in February of 2011, which makes that just a little over a year, at the time of this writing. To present, I have had two vocal coaches -- my first being a certified instructor of the Speech-Level Singing technique, and my current coach is a seasoned performer who teaches at a local school of pop music.
Before I started lessons, I hated my voice and get so scared of singing in front of others (and myself, mind you) that I couldn't even bring myself to sing a birthday song in a group! Well, though it has only been a year, I have grown to accept my voice a little more and singing in front of others has become a lot less intimidating.
So yes, I am still pretty much a newbie to singing, but the fear of singing that many beginners face is still fresh in my mind -- heck, I'm still trying to overcome it now.
So I do understand what you may be going through at this moment, and if you let me, I'll try to use what I have learnt so far to help you get out of your shell.:) When you do manage to stop bashing your singing voice and how it sounds though, you will find singing to be really enjoyable and actually, a pretty nice confidence-builder!
Apart from vocal lessons, I'm currently taking pop piano and guitar lessons, so I know a little about music, to say the least.:) And in case you're wondering, be able to play an instrument really does help with singing in general, so see if you can pick one up, though preferably one you can sing along to, like a guitar or piano.
You could try the ukelele if you're short on cash though. Ukeleles are cool too!
