Matthew Floyd Miller
LEARN AN ACCENT WITH MATTHEW FLOYD MILLER...
What I Do Best
The best part about being an actor is the opportunity to transform into someone else. To slip into the life story of another human being. The acting coach Larry Moss, quoting Stella Adler, says that an accent is part of a character's 'blood memory'. When we learn the native accent of a character we aren't simply making different sounds with our mouths, we are tapping into that character's personal history and culture. It's fascinating and exciting. Acting with an accent is one of my favorite things to do.
​
Ever since I was a kid I have had an ear for languages and accents. I started acting with accents when I was in a special high school program for the performing arts. Since then, some thirty years later, I have played numerous roles of varying nationalities and regions on stage and screen, from New York City to Los Angeles and a lot of states in between: British RP, Cockney, Scottish, German, Russian, Czech, Spanish, Israeli, Norwegian, New York, New England (Boston and New Hampshire), Alabama and Arkansas to name a handful.
​
In addition to learning some of the fundamentals of the International Phonetic Alphabet, consonant and vowel changes, I encourage students to 'develop their ears'. To listen intently to, and play with imitating the sounds of, native speakers. We do the fine tuning in class. I also have students get physical with an accent so it drops into their bodies, starts to seep into their blood and begins to transform them.
​
ACCENT MODIFICATION...
Also called 'Accent Reduction' has become the term for helping non-English speakers find the pronunciation, placement, intonation, and rhythm of spoken English and particularly the General American Accent. I ultimately prefer the phrase 'Accent Modification' that has been embraced by other accent and dialect teachers as it doesn't imply minimizing someone's cultural identity and individuality. I offer accent modification coaching with the idea that you are adding a new way of communicating.... American Communication, if you like.
Accent Coaching Videos
My Services
20 min
Free1 hr
151 US dollars30 min
75.50 US dollarsLoading days...
497 US dollarsLoading days...
497 US dollarsLoading days...
497 US dollars22 hr
2,164 US dollars22 hr
2,164 US dollars15 min
35 US dollars
James Morrison ('24', 'Twin Peaks')
As an actor, the thing I loved most about studying a dialect with Matthew is that it is as much about intent, context and serving the story as it is about the nuts and bolts of sound, phonetics, linguistics, tonal placement and vowels and consonants. Honoring the elements we love so much about the craft of acting; playing pretend, storytelling and freeing the imagination are just as much a part of his considerable teaching skills as all the things we love about learning to speak in different accents. The fun he has teaching these “new languages” is infectious, and like all the best teachers, so is the pleasure he derives from helping and seeing a student make a breakthrough. I can’t see going anywhere else for dialect coaching.
George Gallagher ('1923','Call of the Wild')
I’ve always struggled with the British Dialect in particular, I had massive insecurities when I’d run it past a real Brit. After working with Matthew I got great feedback from my US reps and UK producers on my auditions and was even likened to Hugh Grant for my RP work. Thanks Matt!!
Avery Kellington - Atlanta actor ('Calf Rope', 'A Love Like Mine')
Matthew's dialect coaching will help expand your career options as an actor, voice artist and linguist. And you'll have a fun time in the process! Using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a variety of useful warm-ups and exercises, as well as scene work, his classes are informed by his over two decades of experience as a successful, working actor. With Matthew as your coach, you not only speak the accent, you understand the mechanics of the accent. For me, working with him has been a worthwhile investment.
Issac Bright ('House', 'Law & Order')
I came to Matthew with more than almost half a dozen different accents that I needed for a slew of characters for video game voice over job that had me booked in a weeks time. Matthew nailed every accent to a tee and had me prepared and set up for a win in just a single session. The producers were so impressed by my work that they said they intended to call me back whenever they needed a bunch of characters voiced again. Matthew gets my highest recommendation.
Are you an Australian or British actor dreaming of playing American roles? THE ACCENT PASSPORT self study video course makes learning the General American accent easier!
Click here for more details and to purchase!