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Sound of Identity
Master the American-accent essentials to further extend your speaking identity and develop a new, informed confidence!
You're an expat and/or an English teacher who is looking for an ultimate upgrade to their pronunciation skills
You've explored, you've mimicked the best of them American-accent users and maybe even taken an accent course (or two?)
But you're not sensing the freedom one can't help but hope for,
and so you're still looking for someone to guide you into a place of informed-hence-confident delivery.
You might be feeling frustrated because
- You've taken self-study courses, you've shadowed them youtubers, you've drilled the sounds - but something just ain't clicking.
- You're probably seeing your colleagues accent-ing away, and wondering what you're missing.
- You're struggling with consistency in your production as you can't figure out how to better regulate your English-speaking voice, phonetically
- You feel like you're doing all the right things but you can't seem to find your groove yet
I get it..
This course is a love-letter
to my ever-talented voice-and-pronunciation students
as well as my younger self,
an awkward Russian 15-year-old who was desperately looking to fit into the ‘merican social fabric;
yes, my love of sounds and music made me pay real-close attention to the quality of American production, but I somehow continued to struggle to connect, to be understood, to be one of my peers..
and so, years later, in retrospect, I can now see how I really needed someone to guide me then, someone to help me see and understand the WHYs and the HOWs behind my English-speaking voice,
behind what consititues quality North-American expression, i.e. its phonetics and the many adjacent social AND psychological bits to it.
The longing-for-belonging sentiment
has been ever-present with each and every one of my students. Which brings us to the less technical concept to my course,- Identity.
What do you make of yourself as a speaker? What is it that you’re after, in terms of voice image, and what’ll get you there, beyond articulatory practice?
Are you looking to “sound like a native”? Is that premise going to get you to a place of genuine confidence? If not, what’s the alternative?
The course helps me (and y’all!) answer all those questions, slowly but surely.
Practicing a dialectic approach
that looks at the body, the mind, the feelings we try and express through words - has been at the center of my work for five years now. And let me tell ya - it’s a game-changer.
I invite you to build a multi-faceted and ‘multi-informed’, if you will, understanding
of your US-leaning English-speaking identity,
which will help you develop a voice that you can love and rely on, which’ll allow you to connect with whoever it is you choose to use it with.
Because sounds aren't just sounds
and words aren’t just words - they take on a character, a quality - let’s learn all there is to learn about the technical elements and build coherence between yourself and what you produce, i.e. build an identity.
Imagine what it would feel like to..
get a sense of ease and alignment in speaking American
feel confidence and peace of mind when speaking - whoever's listening
arrive in super-informed speaking practices: informed sounds, informed stress, informed rhythms
all without drilling them sounds to death:
because the technical isn't of substance when tackled in isolation from all the other good stuff: the tone and emotion, the resonance, the fun of it all!
INTRODUCING:
Sound of Identity
is a 10-week online course for teachers and expats who want to implement a strategic approach to sounding (and feeling!) good when speaking in American English so they can develop a full-on bilingual identity that feels (and sounds!) genuine
Polina
So Keri here is not your regular accent coach. She is a voice coach, a body-and-mind coach, identity coach if you will. All of the above and more while nailing the pronunciation work. I think her holistic approach is partly to blame for the fact that now I routinely exercise - no kidding here! I fully realize now how our voice is dependent on so many things apart from, well, the voice itself. It's all about self-awareness and conscious effort, breathing, physical state, mindset... All of these things are necessary to take into account when working with your voice and pron - and we sure did them all. I genuinely think that this approach accounts for the fact that Keri sounds so natural: there's not a single forced sound, not a single slip - everything is so light and organic and these qualities flow into our practice sessions and assignments. There's you as a person at the center of the process and the goal is to find your unique voice, not to mimic and reproduce somebody else's. So for those who value this very much individual approach and want to really own their voice - I can't recommend this course enough!
Luba
It has been a journey where I felt taken care of and had lots of fun on the way. I would recommend the course to others and reassure it’s more than an accent or pronunciation course. On the identity piece, I am now at a place where I do want to sound good, natural and “correct” but I still want to sound like ME.
Tala
Was happy to join this fantastic Identity Course. It boosted my confidence when speaking English. It made me feel more comfortable and assertive in both casual and formal conversations. Also it enhanced my listening skills and reduced my accent. Keri is a professional who was really supportive, found an individual approach to me and gave a lot of practice and feedback! Literally, homework has become my everyday routine. I give my highest recommendation!
Natalia
Literally everything was useful, exciting, inspiring, supportive. All the lectures were nice, but my favorite was about the body and how it's connected with our way to speak. I pay attention to it now and do sound more confident. I didn't know that pronunciation is not only the right position of the tongue, but all our body, the way we feel it, the way we can relax. I would definitely recommend this course to others.
At the end of our 10 weeks together, you'll walk away with:
An all-around clear, comprehensive understanding of how them American speech sounds are articulated and how they inform each other
Cohesive American-English speech that flows and musically punctuates your delivery, rhythm and stress constantly rediscovering themselves
A satisfying sense of being understood, followed, heard and listened to when sharing your feelings, ideas, and insights
A well-developed bilingual identity that's reflective of your preferences and personality
An informed body that allows you to produce and resonate with ease and grace - and have fun in the process
A relaxed mind that creates space for expressing a variety of feelings and emotions in your American-speaking identity
Here's what you'll be learning:
WEEK ONE
Rhythm-ing it up with the game-changing /ə/-vowel and stirring it up with the juicy /r/-consonants; working towards alignment between the body and the mind.
WEEK TWO
Tackling the S-Z-TH triad and landing into the /a:/-vs-/o:/ dichotomy as we begin to explore the vowel landscape and the many emotional qualities it cultures.
WEEK THREE
Looking into the shades of L (light and dark..and dark again) as well as the most outrageous vowel of all, the infamous /æ/-sound, as in the Big APPLE; building up your American swag.
WEEK FOUR
Spilling the T: tasting the most versatile consonant in existence whilst putting to /bed/ the /e/-vs-/æ/ contrast, once and for all; studying your physicality in accent-work.
WEEK FIVE
Getting acquainted with the so-called (ex)plosive sounds and establishing better tongue control: from /i:/ to /ɪ/ and back; letting go of tension and other unhelpful habits in voice and accent-work.
WEEK SIX
Delving into sounds’ personalities and 'phonetic neighborhoods' they build: a bunch of sound-changing patterns (nasal plosions, lateral plosions and more) paired up with new vowel contrasts (fun-fan-fawn, tick-tack-talk etc.); starting to find our groove through diversified production.
WEEK SEVEN
Exploring the concept of vowel length and the impact it has on the final product; attempting a good amount of phonetic 'singin' in the rain' to better establish our nasal-sound options; digging deeper into our own identities as we study them from a personal and academic standpoint.
WEEK EIGHT
Slipping our back-vowel boots on as we walk into a whole new territory, comprised of /cOOkie/ and /bOOgie/-vowels, to explore various combos as intriguing as a sunflower in a red wellington, i.e. connected speech and the essential principles behind it; exploring our emotions and personalities in speaking American.
WEEK NINE
Proceeding with more patterns: from much-nuanced diphthong work and on to the key rhythm figures driving your delivery into a place of eloquence and clarity; trying out some poetry and acting-oriented assignments to better connect with your updated identity settings.
WEEK TEN
Putting it all together: speech sounds, stress, intonation, emotion; going over life-changing exceptions; identity wrap-up: not holding back the Real You.
What you get when you join Sound of Identity:
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a drip online course featuring two weekly lectures and two to three practical assignments, also published on a weekly
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a weekly group coaching session - with its recording available for later use
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identity worksheets, various warm-ups, and mind-provoking reading materials
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a buzzing Telegram chat - for support, demos, and accountability
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personalized video feedback for the weekly final assignment
Join Sound of Identity now!
Jane
Wanna write some feedback on my work with Keri! First off, I'd like to point out that Keri is a really great person. Keri, thank you sooo much for your support, for the well-structured presentations, and for your feedback that made me understand my strong points and things to work on🫶 I can tell you, Keri, that you became an influential person in my life (I've already told it, haven't I? haha) I got a more profound understanding of my accent, of my English-speaking identity, and actually, my personality overall. Thanks for setting challenging tasks, seeing my potential and the potential of us as a group, for giving clear instructions and for sharing your experience. Our chat on telegram is a place I come back to when I wanna refresh things and just improve my mood! I really appreciate your work!! This retreat has exceeded my expectations and I can recommend enrolling in your courses without any hesitation... to everyone! Speaking about my results, I became more confident not only when speaking English but Russian as well! all the techniques of relaxation that you gave us are of great help for me (I use them on everyday basis, actually). Sooo, thanks a million times! looking forward to some new projects from you, my dear coach!❤️❤️❤️
Is this program right for me?
This program is a fab fit for you if:
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You are an expat and/or teacher who is ready to hop on an exciting accent-and-identity journey
- You're not yet experiencing the freedom you're after in speaking American and you're looking for guidance into a place of definitively informed delivery
- You're ready to commit to exploring new ways and habits in developing a more extensive identity
This program isn't the best fit for you if:
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You're an A1-B1 student with little to no experience in receiving extensive instruction/training in English
-
You're not willing to put in the time and effort into completing the accent-and-identity practical assignments
Maybe you're thinking..
I don't have enough time..
My goal is to speed up the accent-modifying process for you so you can see your technical progress and emotional alignment with it pretty much off the bat.
That means you'll be getting detailed guidance that you can start relying on outside of our sessions in no time.
The structure to this accent course will save you hundreds of hours, which means you'll have more time to enjoy the reasons one engages in conversation in the first place.
What if it doesn't work for me?
I totally get it! This is such a common fear that holds us back from taking action, and it almost stopped me from reaching out to my own first speech coach. But I'm so glad I pushed through the fear and did it anyway!
After taking the time to figure out the many intricacies behind voice and accent work, from body onto mind and onto production, I've figured out the strategies that work best and I'm looking to share with you.
What if, by the end of the course, I won't be where I thought I'd be?
This is where I jump in to add the word "yet". What I can reassure you on is that your accent-and-identity destination will be fully determined by the amount of time and effort invested. That is to say, the end of the course is not supposed to be the end of your phonetic journey - or your progress for that matter. If anything, I'd invite you to think of this program as a steady foundation composed of numerous blocks that you'll continue to rely on long after we've finished: whether it be on the technical level, pragmatic level, physical level, or, not least of all, psychological level, the one that's, sadly, overlooked by so many programs out there.
Here's what happens when you join
1. You'll receive an excited email from me welcoming you to the course - in it, you'll find your login info as well as a link to join the Telegram Chat. The sooner you join, the better!
2. You'll be getting access to WEEK ONE's materials on January 15th. Ah yeah.
FAQs
Here are a few answers to our most common questions
Can I really do this?
When does the course start and finish?
How is the course delivered?
How long do I have access to the course?
What if I'm unhappy with the course?
Still have questions?
Before you go:
If there's one thing I want you to remember, it's this:
Trust your gut!
If you've read this far, I have a feeling this program could be exactly what you need. So don't second-guess yourself.
If you're worried you're not ready yet, or aren't 100% convinced Sound of Identity is the perfect fit - reach out to [email protected]
I'll be candid about whether I think this program will help you with your next phase of voice and accent-work.
You've got nothing to lose.
So whatcha waiting for?