“Marianna’s approach is creative and transformative. She tailored our sessions to craft techniques that work for me, in my unique settings and situations. She looks at all angles—mind, body, and spirit—to help you shift focus away from trepidation.”
How we say things and how we sound can sometimes create a barrier between ourselves and the listener, and our message can get lost. If you feel your accent is in conflict with your professional goals, or keeps you from expressing yourself fully in a professional setting, please contact me for a consultation below.
My approach is not to "sound American"- unless that is a specific goal. My focus it to meet you where you are and guide you towards understandability and clear communication. I work to create a respectful space that doesn’t “reduce” or “modify” you; together we will identify and shape the skills you already inhabit. The process can be very humbling, and requires motivation and patience for long-term results and a commitment to daily practice. With dedication and the right coach, changing how you speak is possible.
I have a degree in German and spent many years in Vienna, Austria. Working as a T.A. on a Teaching Fulbright, I taught topical ESL in high schools on and tutored individuals. In combination with my graduate acting training, this background gives me a unique view into, and a great sensitivity around, the subject of dialects and accent modification. (If you’re an actor or theater company interested in dialect coaching, click here.)
recording how you speak to track your progress
identifying your 'trouble-sounds'
outlining the basic sounds in standard American speech
exploring mouth posture and placement and working on strengthening the muscles used in Standard American Eng.
ear-training - listening to sound samples for examples of pitch, melody, stress, intonation etc.
in-depth analysis of speeches, with a focus on vocal technique
exercises with a focus on repetition and how to incorporate what's been learned into every day speech
recommendations on community and online resources
“Definitely a professional who knows how to help people desiring to reduce their accent. Thanks to Marianna’s pin-pointed analysis of what I had to work on more, I was able to improve my pronunciation. ”