accent development with maestro overview
TRANSCRIPT
Accent DevelopmentWith Cara Fulton
Maestro, LLC
202 234-7125
Agenda Intro and overview
Cara, Maestro and Accent Development Why we need it and the benefits How it’s done
Main concepts Techniques
Mini lesson Oral compositions – tool
for personal attention Q and A
Taitu, a student
Who is Cara? Experienced, working
instructor Trained in accent
development at Howard University
Active member of the TESOL/WATESOL community
Director/founder of Maestro, LLC
Cara, your teacher
What is Maestro?An innovative English
language institute for adults
What Maestro offers Accent development courses and
tutorials to small groups or individuals Business communication for working
professionals here and abroad Academic English for international
students aspiring to attend US universities
Accent Development
What it is and what it isn’t
It will NOT
Develop an academy award winning accent for the movies like Meryl Steep or Leo DiCaprio
It will
Make speaker impossible to be misunderstood
WHY?Success in American society depends greatly upon one’s ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
Certain sounds may still be pronounced incorrectly but not on key words (e.g. Carbon Finance Unit).
Idiomatic expressions may still trip up the speaker.
Listeners will be reassured that speaker communicates well.
What is mastery/success?
Mastery/Success Frustration and
embarrassment disappear
Path to leadership opens up
Company image improves
HOW?
1. Assessment of strengths and weaknesses
2. Introduce the concepts3. Apply the techniques4. Practice, practice,
practice5. Improvement!
Learning and applyingthe techniques is a
juggling act.
Main concepts The basics – moving the jaw, lips, tongue
and lips properly Sounds – consonants and vowels Word Stress Sentence Stress Emphasis – super stress Thought groups and pausing Intonation Linking
Techniques Muscle building
exercises Follow along CDs
and other models Tongue twisters Songs Stories Dialogues
Personal recordings
Games, games, games
Kazoos Rubberbands Videotaping And more!
