Accent Acquisition
Many people come to New York City from other parts of the country - and other parts of the world - and sometimes we bring our regional accents and dialects with us. Many people, from actors to businesspeople, southerners to foreigners, will contact me for help with acquiring a more neutral 'American' accent, with the goal of becoming more clear and better able to communicate with others.
If you have the will to make progress in this area, and the time to dedicate to it - you can make a lot of progress towards your goal of clear communication.
Generally, we have three principle areas that we can work with to make improvements:
1. Physical exercises that help build your awareness of the American speech sounds that we'll be looking to change or refine; as well as awareness of the articulators, 'mouth shapes,' and vocal placement that create these sounds.
2. Attention to specific sounds (phonemes) of the English language - and a gradual process of identifying and replicating these sounds.
3. Work with conversation and text to bring together physical awareness, specificity of speech sounds, and the rhythmic and musical qualities of American English to make your communication in English natural, practical, fluid...and truthful.
Most often, students will work with me once a week, sometimes even twice a week. It's also possible to work less frequently - there is a lot of information you can get in a short time - but of course, like learning a musical instrument, it's the weekly practice that produces the most reliable results.
Of course, it depends on your time & budget realities, but I’m delighted to work with you for as many or as few sessions as we can work out. Send me an email, and get starting working towards your goal!
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"From my work along side Evan as both vocal coach and colleague, I see a deep care for evolving artists, a passion for text & language, and a tireless pursuit of the wonder found in simple, honest expression. A true professional, Evan never settles for set ways but is always tweaking his approach to better serve the students that are inevitably empowered by his guidance. Without reservation I recommend him to anyone seeking to deepen their craft and take their technique to an inspiring new level."
-John Patrick Head of Voice & Speech, Professional Actors Training Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Resident Vocal Coach to Playmakers Repertory Company |
