Have you ever wondered what a tongue thrust is? Well, we are here to shed some light on it.  Basically it is an infantile or reverse swallow pattern. In the adult swallow pattern the tip of the tongue goes to the roof of your mouth and the body of your tongue carries the food or saliva to the back of …

Many people who have learned English as their second language ask if they should eliminate or reduce their accent. The important questions to consider are: How intelligible are you?  How proficient do you want to become in pronouncing Standard American English? Actors with regional or foreign accents come to us to eliminate their accents so they can play roles that …

Your voice reflects who you are. Are you happy with what your voice says about you? Do you feel like you need a slight change to your voice? The following are some of the voice clients we’ve met over the years. Here’s Miss Mouse – Her voice is low in volume. Nobody ever seems to hear what she has to …

We noticed that most accent reduction programs do not stress stress.  Having the proper intonation and stress patterns is as important to being understood as learning how to pronounce the sounds of American English. Many foreign speakers learn English but speak it with the intonation and stress patterns of their native language. The rhythm of a language is its music. …

For those of you who do a lot of speaking all day, teachers, salespeople, actors, medical personnel etc., you need to have a good strong speaking voice. It’s important to be able to keep your listeners’ attention. This means that you need to have good vocal variety, a voice that’s pleasing to listen to, and enough breath support so you …

If you didn’t have a speech sound corrected when you were a child, you’re never too old to correct an articulation problem. It is easier to correct a sound when you’re young. But often a child is not motivated and doesn’t see the importance of correcting the error. While the habit is more ingrained as a teenager or an adult, …

There are many opportunities for children in TV and film. But it’s very important for parents to be aware of the many scam artists all around the country making promises – for a very large fee – that they will get their children auditions or signed by an agent. Read more about it in this L. A. Times article. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-child-stardom-20120217,0,7133094.story …

During allergy and cold season, I’m sure there are many days when you feel that your throat is scratchy and your post nasal drip is getting the better of you. And yet, you still have to go out there and use your voice. We’d like to share some home remedies that others have shared with us. See if they work …

Did you know that many companies will reimburse for continuing education classes? Many of our clients who need to speak well for their job get reimbursed for their elocution lessons whether it’s for accent reduction or voice and diction. Businesses realize how important it is for their employees to be able to speak with confidence and clarity. After all they …

Lisps can be very cute on young children. But when does it stop being cute and become a concern? Children should be able to produce the /s/ sound by the age of 71/2 – so that’s the age we usually start to correct it. If your child is an actor, his/her agent will probably suggest it at this time if …