Amy has been formally coaching dialects, speeches and sonnets since 2004, when she was chosen by the Voice & Speech faculty at The Boston Conservatory to serve as a Teaching Assistant. During that time, she taught a number of freshmen through junior level classes, primarily focusing on Shakespeare, and assisted her fellow students with accents for classes and shows. Since then, she has worked with many pupils privately in addition to being hired as the dialect consultant/coach on several productions.

A number of actors are spooked by the thought of working on Shakespeare, and give up on themselves far too easily. If you know what to look for, the text will tell you how to speak it. Amy will provide you with tools that will give you a road map through the language, and turn something potentially daunting into a freeing, delicious experience.

Even a basic knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet is incredibly helpful with regards to learning dialects, as it facilitates consistency. This is also useful if you want to refer to your notes months or years later, as the symbols will always refer to the same sound. Some students prefer to have sessions devoted entirely to IPA, while others like to spend half an hour with the phonetics, and the second half with a particular accent. It’s your session, and can be constructed however you wish!

Amy Jo is now also offering various small group dialect and monologue classes. For more information on current class schedule, please visit Amy Jo's official Coaching Website!

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