Private English coaching helps actors produce particular English accents in a way that sounds natural and native. Private accent coaching or diction coaching helps actors learn the subtle and not-so-subtle variations that differentiate one English accent from another.
This English Accent Coaching course is totally personalized, and is recommended for actors, singers, public speakers, business presenters, Ted Talk presenters, business leaders and thought leaders – anyone who wants to achieve a native or near-native sound.
This course is generally for high intermediate to advanced speakers.
The average course is 10 hours, however, some clients just need a few hours to refine a particular accent, others need many more. It all depends on where you are starting and what you want to achieve, as well on how much practice you put in. Learning the accent, just like learning the lines, it takes work!
That all depends on you and your goals. You should bring any specific scripts or speeches that you want to improve, or we can provide speaking content. In both cases, we will correct errors and tell you how to shape the sounds of the target language or dialect.
We offer both online training on Zoom and in person appointments at our outstanding locations in Amsterdam – in the beautiful, artistic Museum Quarter close to the Vondelpark and Van Gogh Museum, and at 2 historic canal houses just minutes from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Plus we see clients in Den Haag, Amstelveen, and at studios.
Fun fact–We were recently onsite with Kaap Holland Films for their upcoming film, Krazy House.
Written, directed, and co-produced by Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, this film is their English-language feature debut.
If you are a non-native English speaking actor (or singer), you will no doubt want to focus on either an American English (AE) or a British accent (BE) first. You may need to learn them both, but you should start with one or the other. Of course, many sounds are the same across the two dialects.
But if you already know the accent you need – if you already have a role – if for example, you are playing a Texan, we will jump right on that horse and ride! ‘OK, pardner?’
Yes, your trainer will be a native speaker from the language family that you want to practice. Broadly speaking, that’s American or British English.
An English diction coach assists actors with “standard” English pronunciation (AE and BE), regional accents, and vocal delivery. They provide detailed guidance and training on how to deliver lines with the desired accent or dialect, and with correct phonemes (individual sound units) word stress, speech pace, and sentence intonation patterns.
Yes and no. Despite the word “diction,” clear enunciation of every word is often not desirable. For example, a diction coach can advise an actor on when to connect words for a more relaxed, native sound. A diction coach will tell the actor which sounds to omit, which sounds to reduce, and which vowels to pronounce as a schwa.
In short, the diction coach helps the actor style spoken English to properly express the character. Considerations for accent training for a specific script usually include the place where the character lives, where they grew up, their education, socioeconomic background, their profession and personality.
Because most day to day spoken language is automatic behavior, i.e. your brain tells your mouth what to do without conscious attention, it takes some time, explanation and repetition to learn and habituate the new habits that will allow your accent to be both accurate and authentic.
We are happy to speak with you in English or Dutch, on the phone +31 (0)20 823 0569 or via Zoom. With just a short conversation we will give you good advice about improving your English accent for acting.
Are you Dutch? Read “Geavanceerde Tips en Trucs: Klinkt als een Amerikaan – Amerikaans-Engelse Uitspraak blog post.
During our private intensive crash courses in English, you will be fully immersed in the English language: you will think, speak and breathe English. This is how you achieve optimal progress and fast results. Choose a package of 20, 35 or 50 hours.
