Sammi Grant is a professional dialect/vocal coach and voiceover artist. She has coached over 50 theatrical productions, worked on major television shows, and provided private coaching to countless actors. Sammi brings a unique perspective on listening and focusing on the human voice. Sammi is legally blind and her hearing is more attuned, because it has to be.

Today, we explore how to listen like a dialect coach. We also explore the impact of breathing on how we listen to ourselves and others. Sammi listens deeply to accents from around the world and translates how those accents are spoken to teach her clients the use of those accents. She also provides accent modification to anyone wishing to sound more general American.

Today’s Topics:

• Sammi is legally blind. She still has impaired vision in one eye, but she has degenerative glaucoma.
• She shares a story of Mr. Thompson a great teacher who would really listen to students.
• The last couple of years of high school, Sammi started noticing how people use their voices to tell stories.
• She is hyper aware and even tones who voice down to sound more general American.
• She is aware of what she is doing in a curious non-judgemental way.
• Consciously using breath and avoiding vocal fry which can be limiting and not as pleasing to listen to.
• A lot of people don’t breath before they start talking because of fear of public speaking.
• Sammi helps actors learn how to portray a certain role. She strives for authenticity, comprehension, and acting.
• The accent needs to be tied to the character and the choices that character makes.  
• Placement, oral posture, sound changes, rhythm and intonation are all things she looks at.
• She also has clients who want to tone down their accents.
• Sammi shares how to create an accent from London and Pakistan.
• Noticing the feeling and emotion behind the words without using vision.
• Using pitch and volume to either express or hide your emotions.
• Time periods and the characters circumstances play a role in how their accents sound.
• Be open minded and listen beyond the surface.

Links and Resources:

Sammi Grant

Sammi Grant on Facebook

Sammi Grant on LinkedIn

How To Do 12 Different Accents

This Dialect Coach Can Transport You With Her Perfect Accents

Quotes:

“It’s a natural inclination of mine to listen and take everything in.” Sammi Grant

“I am accustomed to analyzing my voice down to tiny little breaths and pauses.” Sammi Grant

“I’d rather listen to people with different accents than to listen to the same one all day.” Sammi Grant

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