S.A.V.E.

Studio for Accents

and Vocal Enhancement

Classes and Coachings

  • Audition Help

    Have an upcoming audition requiring an accent or dialect and need some help to learn it or bush up? I help you one-on-one to find simple little things you can do vocally so your focus can be on the storytelling rather than the accent! You’ll leave with the confidence to give a full performance you’re proud of!

  • Intro to Phonetics

    Do you think of beer when I say IPA? Did you forget to pay attention in your voice and speech class? Are you just interested in human communication and how to break down the way you and other people speak? This is a comprehensive 4 week introduction to IPA and the science of speech in general.

  • The Actor's Toolbox

    Do you feel embarrassed at how unprepared you are to whip out what others say is an obvious dialect? In this 4 week class we tackle 4 common accents and dialects in the recent/upcoming audition season.

  • Accent Reduction

    Is English not your native language? Do you struggle to communicate because people have a hard time understanding you? Do you just want to speak clearer? I will work with you one on one to help you understand why certain sounds are hard, and how to produce them clearly!

  • SAVEing your Voice

    A dive in to tension relieving exercises to help you free your voice to all of the colors, textures, and emotions you’re capable of!

Book Now!

Actor Carolyn Bacon Headshot for Dialect Coaching Testimonial
Actor Kim Maresca Headshot for Dialect Coaching Testimonial

What are people saying?

Actor Margarat Stall Headshot for Accent Coaching Testimonial
Actor Sara Glancy Headshot for Dialect Coaching Tutorial

  • "Before a client can even finish the statement, "I need a dialect coa.....", I shout "PETRALINA!" She is patient, kind, thorough, and meticulous. Highly, highly, highly recommend."

    Jen Waldman -

    Brodway Acting Coach and Founder of JWS

  • "Petralina truly goes above and beyond for her clients. Not only was our coaching time incredibly productive, she also sent me a treasure trove of additional resources tailored to the very specific regional dialect I needed to prepare. She's an empathetic and extremely knowledgeable coach who will give you all the tools you need to succeed in the audition room and beyond."

    Sara Glancy -

    Actor

  • "Petralina was an amazing resource in helping me prepare for an audition with very quick turnaround. She gave me questions to think about in advance and broke down the very specific dialect instructions I was working with step by step. By demonstrating different accents, Petralina showed me how to make choices for my character, and I found it easy to practice with her, which grew my confidence. We worked with a mix of listening and speaking, and I left our session feeling confident about my audition and full of ideas about accent prep in general."

    Carolyn -

    Actor

  • "Petralina helped me so much in my preparation for an audition with RP! She has just the right tricks and tools to help you find the correct pronunciation. Plus, as a very visual learner, I really appreciated the "cheat sheets" I was able to take with me. She took her time to listen and adjust and I left our session feeling confident!"

    Kim Maresca -

    Actor

  • "I loved getting to work with Petralina! She was thoughtful, kind, and so encouraging. She helped me prepare a Czech accent for an audition and I felt so confident, because of her help. I already know that I'll work with her again and I highly recommend working with her on developing dialects."

    Margaret -

    Actor

Accents & Dialects

Petralina’s Definitions

Accent vs. Dialect

These words are often used interchangeably to mean the particular way a group of people from a specific region of the world speak. For practical purposes I make the distinction that an accent is the particular way that a native language affects your pronunciation of a foreign language (e.g. a native German speaker would speak English with a German Accent), and a dialect is the particular way that one or a group of people from a particular region speak their native language (e.g. a person from Georgia might speak English with a Deep South dialect.

What is/are Phonetics?

Phonetics is 1. the science or study of speech, but the same word is also used to describe 2. symbols used to represent speech sounds. When phonetics (symbols) are discussed in Phonetics (science) you may hear people referring to IPA or the International Phonetic Alphabet which is a series of symbols compiled by the International Phonetic Association (also IPA) in an attempt to allocate a single symbol to every possible sound and variation of sound capable in human speech. Other dictionaries or pronunciation guides will use their own phonetic spelling systems. (I’ve adapted my own, for my own purposes, based on those I’ve encountered)

Speech sounds are not, however, the end of phonetics or accent/dialect work. Whether modifying your speech for acting or business it is helpful to not only study the basic sounds and how they are produced with your mouth, but also the rhythm, stress, intonation, pitch, and resonance of their production in order for it to truly sound second-nature for you, to an audience, or any other individual who may listen to you speak.

Book Me!!!

Book Me!!!

To book me for personal or professional purposes, please send me a quick email or fill in the form below explaining your situation, and accent/dialect/speech needs. I look forward to working with you and helping you achieve your vocal enhancement goals!

Email
save@petralinarae.com