An SLP is someone who professionally diagnoses and treats communication disorders and differences, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice.

I have a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, which includes over 4 years of in-depth linguistic, scientific, and medical-based education and training to help individuals with accents, and individuals with speech/language disorders to communicate more effectively.

Therefore in our lessons I go far beyond having you simply “listen to a nice clear voice and imitate what you hear”, with vague or minimal feedback. My knowledge of the anatomy and physiology behind producing speech sounds and my understanding of the English speech sound system (including every individual speech sound used in the English language, and how some sounds change when speaking fluently) allows me to guide you very clearly through improving your pronunciation one baby step at a time.

Although I am able to modify any accent, I have special expertise working with the Spanish accent and know the precise differences between the English and Spanish speech sound systems.  Here are a few interesting facts!

Consonants:

• Only 8 of English’s 25 consonant sounds are pronounced exactly the same in Spanish
• The remaining 17 either don’t exist in Spanish or are pronounced slightly differently

• English has 6 additional individual vowel sounds beyond the 5 vowels it shares with Spanish

I taught myself Spanish, French, American Sign Language, and some German as an adult, so I sympathize with my clients regarding the joys and challenges of learning a foreign language. 

My knowledge of the science and anatomy behind pronouncing sounds helped me learn these languages at an accelerated pace, and I enjoy sharing this skill with others!

You’ll receive a an online file that you can access at any time, including:

• A professional report including your test results and specific, measurable personal goals
• A personalized agenda, letting you know exactly what to expect in each upcoming lesson
• A personalized list of grammar corrections to practice with me or on your own
• A personalized list of functional words (from your job or that you use frequently) for you to improve on
• A personalized practice page for each of your target sounds (with how-to diagrams, audio clips, lists of common words with that sound, sentences and paragraphs to practice, etc)
• A grade/percentage at the end of each lesson to keep track of your progress
• Which skill level you’re at for each sound and each of the levels that remain between your current level and mastery
• Comprehensive progress reports at regular intervals, on request
• Personalized homework activities
• Personalized notes and tips
• And more!

Learning pronunciation differs from learning grammar and vocabulary.

Grammar rules and vocabulary words can be learned through self-study and online videos, but identifying and correcting pronunciation errors beyond the very basics requires professional, live, and individualized feedback from an expert in speech sound awareness and articulation.

My clients live all over, including Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, France, Belgium, China, Turkey, Iran, Belgium, and India.

Having an understanding of the science behind how your personal consonant/vowel target sounds should be pronounced is the key to making faster and more accurate progress on your pronunciation.

I teach you exactly what you need to know to correct your own personal speech errors, which may include:

1. How your airflow is used along with your vocal folds to produce sound
2. The 9 different places in the mouth where we shape that sound into speech, and
3. The 8 different ways we manipulate our airflow during speech to produce different consonant sounds

Having the ability to separate a word into its individual sounds is a foundational skill for improving your pronunciation.

This allows you to be aware of which words contain the speech sound that you’re mispronouncing so that once you master that sound, you can apply it to every other English word containing that sound, in effect improving your pronunciation of numerous words at once.

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is an alphabet in which each symbol/letter is associated with only one particular English speech sound.

Knowing the IPA isn’t necessary for my clients but can be an extra helpful tool for those interested in learning it, because:

• Knowing the phonetic letters and their corresponding sounds allows you to know how to pronounce English words on your own without having to first listen to a native speaker.
• Knowing the phonetic symbols for the 11 English vowels makes them easier to differentiate between and discuss without confusion when learning.

Your mental state and overall feelings about learning English are important to me. It’s common to experience some embarrassment and/or anxiety when speaking a new language with others, and I can help you overcome this.

I’m trained in two different techniques to overcome these types of feelings, so if anything related to your language learning is ever harming your self-confidence or causing you frustration, anxiety, shame, or depression, we can use these tools to get you back to feeling confident, comfortable, proud, and hopeful, as you deserve to feel!