American Reshape
Professional Accent training for non-native English speakers.
Next American Reshape program begins: Sept 8th
If you're an actor or public speaker with a non-native English accent, you’ve likely felt the frustration of being unfairly judged based on how you speak. Perhaps you’ve been told it will hold you back professionally, or you’re only getting seen for roles that play into a stereotype. We are often caught walking the line of accepting that our accent is part of who we are and fighting for more diversity on our screens and in our offices, while also facing the reality that we’re not getting hired or cast.
I LOVE your natural accent.
Accents are wonderful. That’s why I got into this job. I adore them, and there are no “better” accents than others. Every person on the planet has a unique way of speaking. You can’t “reduce” an accent, but you can learn to reshape it, and move it closer to that of a native English speaker, or even sound entirely like you were born in the USA.
You speak more than one language. So let’s assume you’re already doing exceptionally well and basically have two brains. (at least that’s how it can feel sometimes!) But it can be frustrating when you say something grammatically perfect and are met with that glazed over look, or you’ve been living and working in Canada or the USA for years and are tired of having the same “Where are you from? How long have you been here?” conversation again and again. This is your home.
Think of it as a spectrum. You can sound closer to your native language (ex: French in the diagram below) or closer to an accent of a native speaker. No matter where you are on that line, American Reshape can help you.
“Is it really possible to sound just like a native speaker though?”
Yes. Do I guarantee that will be you- no. It depends on the person, your goals, and the amount of time and effort you’re going to put into it. But I’ve seen it done many many times, AND, I’ve done it myself. I am bilingual (English and Spanish) but I didn’t start speaking my second language until my 20’s. Do I sound like I was born in Spain in every situation all of the time? No. But when I meet someone, particularly in a professional setting, the response I get is usually “Wow, you don’t even have an accent!” I basically reverse-engineered my coaching on myself. It works. And I now act and coach at a professional level in both of my languages.
So, will you vastly improve if you do the work? 100%.
The process:
Accents are muscular. If you’ve hit a wall and don’t know how to keep improving, that’s because you’re probably doing a good imitation of English sounds with muscles that were literally built and shaped by another language. My method is based on anatomy, voice training, neuroscience, and linguistics, and has been developed over the last 23 years working with thousands of actors and public speakers from all over the world, both individually and in production.
The Commitment:
This is a 4-week intensive program. Every day, you’ll receive a video class and exercises. These can be things to do, watch, listen to, pay attention to… expect to dedicate 30-45 minutes daily to your accent training.
The program:
Week 1: We focus on setting your mouth and brain up for success by working and reshaping your muscles to move like an American through physical exercises, observation, and awareness.
Week 2: With this new awareness, we look at the consonant sounds, to make sure the movements are happening in the same way as an American makes them.
Week 3: Now we get into the vowels of American speech, working with physical positioning of each sound, as well as placement and resonance.
Week 4: Once all the sounds are moving like an American, we need to connect them into speech- looking at word stress, linking, rhythm, and intonation.
The Cost: American Reshape costs €197.
(Roughly £170 GBP. $230 USD)
BUT, take 20% off with code LAUNCH20 at checkout until Aug. 31st.
American Reshape
Still you - just sounding more American.
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Launching Sept. 8