Education: Accent Reduction

Ellen Taft (ADVS)

(206) 323-6983

Website: www.AccentReductionInstruction.com

Ellen Taft, works with actors whose first language is not American English. She has experience working with the following nationalities: Chinese, Japanese, East Indian, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish & South American, Polish, British and natives of the Bronx area of New York. She uses both listening exercises and specific kinesthetic tongue and lip placement exercises so that non-natives can be more easily understood at work and on the telephone.

In addition, she also has experience working with the high-tech/ scientific community and is conversant with American English as well as British English; therefore, she can work with students who did not learn American English prior to coming to the US. At students’ request, Taft teaches the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), painlessly. Taft has an Advanced Diploma of Voice Studies (ADVS) from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and a Certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language from International House, also in London.

For 6 years, Taft taught ESL and German in the United Kingdom, Germany and the University of Minnesota, where she directed two plays in German using American actors. She has been teaching accents and accent reduction for over 30 years. She speaks German, French and has learnt Spanish.( See Speaking Voice, Accents & Dialects and Public Speaking)

Gin Hammond (MFA)

(646) 283-8033

Website: www.Ginhammond.com

Gin Hammond teaches voice and has an MFA in acting from The American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre where she studied voice with Catherine Fitzmaurice. She
was certified as an associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework in 2006.
(See Speaking Voice, Accents & Dialects and Public Speaking)

Judith Shahn

(206) 650-6270

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.vibrantspeaking.com

Judy Shahn is a designated Linklater teacher (certified in 1991) Ms. Shahn taught at the University of Washington’s PATP program, Cornish College of the Arts and at most of Seattle’s theatres as well as for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She has worked with many foreigners and Americans on accent reduction and communication skills. ( see Speaking Voice, Accents & Dialects and Public Speaking)