Training & Certification
Supplementing our publications on accents and dialects, we offer one-on-one Skype/phone-coaching and online workshops to both actors and instructors/coaches, helping them compete more successfully in the marketplace. Whether you are in the entertainment industry or the accent-modification field, training and certification from Paul Meier will be certain to enhance your capabilities and credentials.
For Actors
A Paul Meier Certificate of Proficiency in the dialect(s) you list on your résumé is a persuasive credential. To earn it, you must demonstrate your ability to apply the given dialect to an unfamiliar text, "scoring" it with the right signature sound numbers (IPA transcription not required), and speaking it accurately and convincingly. Here, step by step, is your path to that goal:
Step One: Technical Requirements
- a computer equipped for sound with speakers or headphones, microphone, and Webcam; and that can play mp3 sound files
- a broadband Internet connection
- your ability to create, edit, save, and e-mail sound files of your recorded voice in mp3 format (download guide)
- Acrobat Reader (free download)
- a subscription to Skype (also free)
Can you comply? Then take the next step.
Step Two: Self-Assessment
We have created a free test for each dialect and accent we publish. Assess your own current skill level by clicking one of the following links:
BRITISH
AND IRISH DIALECTS OTHER ENGLISH LANGUAGE DIALECTS |
DIALECTS
OF THE USA FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACCENTS
|
Step Three: Screening Test
How did you do on your self-assessment? If you scored 80% or better, you may be ready for the formal examination. If you're still not sure, you may wish to take a "screening test" to learn what further study (if any) you need. For this, you will create an mp3 recording of yourself speaking a short text, provided by us, and e-mail it back to us together with the text appropriately notated. You will receive our evaluation by e-mail within seven days. You may then elect to study further on your own, purchase a phone-coaching session for some intensive one-on-one training, or proceed directly to the formal exam.
Screening test, $35 for a single dialect; $15 for each additional dialect in the same test. Tell us which dialect(s) you have chosen in the "notes to seller" space during check-out, and we will e-mail you the test and the instructions immediately.
Step Four: Formal Examination
The exam will be administered in real time in a recorded video Skype session with Paul or one of his associates. You will be given an unfamiliar text and asked to notate it with the required signature sounds using Paul's numbering system (again, IPA transcription not required), and to speak it in the target dialect. While the exam is “open book,” allowing you to use resources from the book you've been studying, you will still need to carefully study Paul’s numbering system for each dialect in order to accurately notate the text and speak it aloud within the time allowed. To take the exam, you will need to subscribe to Skype, and have a broadband Internet connection and a Webcam (your computer may already be equipped). To pass the exam and earn your Certificate of Proficiency, you must score 80% or better in both the written and oral parts of the exam.
Formal examination, $95 for a single dialect; $45 for each additional dialect in the same exam. Tell us which dialect(s) you have chosen in the "notes to seller" space during check-out. We will e-mail you to arrange an exam appointment, and the exam materials will be e-mailed to you at the beginning of the examination itself.
For Instructors & Coaches
Our plans to develop a formal curriculum for instructors and coaches, leading to certification in both dialect/accent teaching/coaching and accent modification, are on hold, under the pressure of other commitments. But meanwhile, Paul continues to informally mentor clients in these fields; if you are interested in training under his mentorship, please e-mail Paul with your details.