Hello everyone! 

I’m so excited to begin this program with you. Before we begin Day 1 of RP, here is your introduction to accents class. Don't skip this! It is the most important class of them all, and the foundation of everything we'll be doing in our time together. Without getting your brain and muscles working for you, and without understanding the how and why behind everything, it will be really tough for you to shift your accent. You need to prepare your mouth for the party coming up! Think of this like training for a marathon. If the muscles are ready to go, you'll have a way better time.

Today is going to be FULL of information. It’s a long video, at around 50 mins, but it’s important for us all to get on the same page as we get started. For those of you who have worked with me before, you’ll recognize quite a few things. There’re only so many ways we can work with the muscles of the face, but I’ve tried to keep it entertaining and add a few new bits and bobs in there for you! 

First of all, a quick disclaimer: I am a fan of bad words! By that, I mean that throughout this course, there may be the odd occasion where I use a naughty word. Why? Well, to put it frankly, they are very effective and fun to say! If you’re doing an American accent, you’ll probably nail the line “What an asshole” sooner than you’d nail the line “What a tadpole” even though the vowels in both of the words are the same. One is more common, and more fun to say. (If at any point in your career you find yourself having to say ‘what a tadpole’ please send me a message so I can die laughing. Thank you.) Do I use bad words to describe every sound? Of course not. Will you have to say these words at some point in your career? It’s quite likely. I’ll tell you if I use a bad word in the video so that if you have children around you can grab your headphones or cover little ears accordingly.

Having said that, there is no bad language in today’s video.

Right. Off we go!