One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Christopher will be happy to arrange your first English speaking lesson.
Christopher
One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Christopher will be happy to arrange your first English speaking lesson.
- Hourly rate £70
- Response Time 4h
- Number of students 50+
£70/hr
Contact
- English speaking
- Business English
- American English
- Accent Reduction-English
- British English
Certified Knight Thompson Speechwork Accent Modification and Dialect Coach. Teach voice at world leading drama schools like LAMDA and Mountview. Dialect Coach on Amazon and Netflix shows
Lesson location
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At Christopher's house: Brentford
- Online
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at your home or in a public place : will travel up to 20 km from Brentford
-
Ambassador
One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Christopher will be happy to arrange your first English speaking lesson.
About Christopher
Hello, my name is Christopher Lakewood. I am a certified Knight Thompson Speechwork coach and I work as a speech and performance coach and actor. I serve as a voice, text, and accent teacher at world leading drama schools such as LAMDA, Mountview, and Rose Bruford. I also production coach for companies like Netflix and Amazon.
Subjects I Teach:
- Dialect Coaching for Actors
- Accent Modification (also known as Accent Reduction or Accent Softening)
- Public Speaking and Vocal Coaching
- Drama School Audition Preparation and Acting Tuition
Experience and Training:
Experience:
I am a Knight Thompson Speechwork certified accent coach and I teach/have taught accents and production coach across BA, MA and MFA acting courses at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA North and South), at Empower School of Acting, at Millennium Performing Arts and at Rose Bruford College.
TV Credits include:
Wheel of Time III (AMAZON – 4 episodes), Toxic Town (NETFLIX - dialect prep) Untitled Film with Lennie James (dialect prep) Andor II (DISNEY – shadowing dialect coach Naomi Todd)
Theatre and Audio Credits include:
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Chance Theater, California), Paddington Lo-Commotion (BLENHEIM PALACE), Bad Seed (AUDIBLE), Miss Julie, King Charles III, A Monster Calls, Three Sisters, The Dog in the Manger, The Erpingham Camp, The Courage to Right a Woman's Wrongs (LAMDA) Everlasting Lily (ASSOCIATED STUDIOS)
As an actor, I have worked for BBC1, BBC3, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and at the Trafalgar Studios. I have won 3 best actor awards at film festivals and am a recurring part in 'Masters of the Air' produced by Spielberg and Tom Hanks coming out Jan 2024
Training:
- Certified KT Speechwork coach. Completed KTS courses such as 'Experiencing Speech', 'Experiencing Accents', 'Phonetics Intensive', 'Pronunciation Intensive', ‘Posture Intensive’, and the KTS Certification. I currently serve as co-curator of the KTS webinars.
- "SCEP" Summer Course in English Phonetics at University College London (UCL)
- BA Hons Professional Acting - London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA)
- BTEC National Diploma - Performing Arts- Acting - Triple Distinction
- National Youth Theatre
Other:
- Member of the International Phonetic Association
- Interviewed for industry paper ‘The Stage’ about accent training and accent biases in the industry.
- Mental Health First Aider
- Hold an Enhanced DBS Certificate
Pricing:
Drama School Audition Preparation, Audition Preparation, and Acting Tuition:
- £50 an hour or £70 for an hour and a half
Public Speaking and Vocal Coaching:
- £70 an hour or £95 for an hour and a half
Dialect Coaching for Actors:
- £70 an hour or £95 for an hour and a half
Accent Modification (also known as Accent Reduction or Accent Softening):
- £70 an hour or £95 for an hour and a half
Availability:
My availability is flexible. Please inquire for more details.
Ages and Levels:
I teach individuals of all ages. I have ten years experience working with clients aged 6 to 68 from CEOs to lawyers to established actors to young school children. Additionally, I hold an Enhanced DBS Certificate and am trained as a Mental Health First Aider.
Teaching Location:
I primarily conduct sessions through Skype or Zoom. These platforms provide convenience for screen sharing and resource sharing. For voice and speechwork, I utilize programs that allow for recording and slowing down speech, as well as observing intonation and stress patterns. This enables us to analyze and observe in great detail together.
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About the lesson
- GCSE
- AS Level
- A Level
- +17
levels :
GCSE
AS Level
A Level
BTEC
Adult
Undergraduate
Masters
Diploma
Doctorate
A1
A2
B1
B2
C1
C2
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Professional
MBA
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
Coaching offered:
Dialect Coaching for Actors
Accent Modification (also known as Accent Reduction or Accent Softening)
Public Speaking and Vocal Coaching
Drama School Audition Preparation and Acting Tuition
Accent Modification
Improve your speaking skills with accent modification coaching. Boost your confidence and clear any communication confusion. Check out our testimonials!
Also known as Accent Reduction or Accent Softening I prefer the term 'Accent Modification' as it is not really possible to reduce or soften an accent - only to change it into another accent. How do you 'reduce' or 'soften' a speech sound - by iterating that speech sound more quietly? No, we have to adjust it. All voices and accents are of equal value and to 'soften' or 'reduce' also implies that there is a prestige accent - a best way of speaking - which I think we can all agree is a little problematic. Having said that we do want to aim for clear, intelligible speech with as little cause for confusion as possible.
Before our first session I will ask you a little about your language background, where you have spent considerable time and I will ask you to record a couple of passages of text for me – this will allow me to gain a detailed understanding about your current vowel and consonant targets and their distribution.
We will talk about the phonology of your native language vs the English language and see how they differ. Many European languages don't include the 'th' sounds that we get in words like 'this' and 'thistle'. Therefore, lacking this sound, speakers of different languages will probably use the sound that feels closest to it that exists within their native language phonology when speaking English and so a speaker may substitute the 'th' sound for a 'd' and say 'this, though' and we hear 'Diss, Dough' This may cause some confusion and so these are sounds it is worth prioritizing so that we can eliminate any homophones - sounds with different spellings that are pronounced the same.
If a speaker doesn't have 'th' sounds in the phonology of their native language and they instead substitute this 'th' sound for a 'd' sound then the below words would become homophones of one another which would cause confusion.
Than, Dan
These, D's
This, Diss
There, Dare
Then, Den
Though, Dough
They, Day
They've, Dave
Those, Doze
Heather, Header,
Other, Udder
Worthy, Wordy
The same thing can happen with vowels. Some European languages don't have the /I/ sound which is the sound we have in words like Kit, Bit, Hid etc. and so when they come to speak English and come across a word that belongs to that lexical set then they will probably use the closest sound that they have to that from their phonology - quite often this is the /i/ sound which sounds like 'ee' so this means we can run into similar intelligibility issues in the below words
Ship, Sheep
Hid, Heed
Bin, Bean
Pill, Peel
Sin, Seen
Will, Wheel,
Hill, Heel,
Ill, Eel
Phill, Feel
Live, Leave
Grid, Greed
Grin, Green
Bit, Beat
- (in fact, for the actors out there, the Bit, Beat confusion is exactly why there is some confusion over acting practitioner Staislavski's term for beats)
We’ll work through key sounds and I’ll help you to hear and create the difference between the vowel and consonants you habitually make and those of the accent we are ‘softening’ towards. I’ll teach you how to make any new sounds and give you exercises for incorporating them into your everyday speech. Once we are happy with that depending on your priorities for the work we will either work to integrate all of these changes or if you would actually prefer to fully change your accent to for example Standard Southern British English or General American we will continue our work and even more narrowly look at the exact targets of vowels and consonants from the sample that we are working towards and try to get you as close to them as possible - this work would not be as much about intelligibility but would be going into the realms of accent acquisition. This work will necessitate a deep look into the vocal tract posture of our target accent as well as your idiosyncratic vocal tract posture.
I usually work through skype or zoom and find these platforms very convenient for screen sharing and sending resources, I also have programs for recording and slowing down speech as well as programs for observing intonation and stress patterns - this allows us to listen and observe together in a lot of detail.
My rate is £70 per hour and I offer a discounted rate of £95 for an hour and a half. I find that especially for the first few sessions this extra time is very valuable as there is usually a huge amount of content to get through in the first few sessions before we able to start integrating the work into your everyday speech and drilling vowel contrasts etc.
This isn't necessarily easy work and it doesn't all fall into place overnight, but with determination and diligent practice I can help you eliminate any clarity issues from your speech.
Dialect Coaching for Actors
We will examine the four 'P's' of our target accent:
Posture (as in Oral Posture or Vocal Tract Posture) - this is the resting place and physical tendencies of the accent
Prosody - this is the rhythm and pitch patterns of the accent
Pronunciation - these are the sounds that are used in this accent and how the lexical sets are distributed – we will compare these to your accent and I will give you tools for developing your skill and specificity in targeting any new sounds.
People - This is the cultural context of the accent.
I have worked extensively with established actors, drama students and accent modification clients from all over the world. So far I have worked with Standard Southern British English, Modern RP, South East London, Cockney, Estuary, Essex, Traditional Received Pronunciation, Heightened RP, Multicultural London English, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Mancunian, Birmingham, Geordie, Liverpool, Bristol, Sussex, Suffolk, Cornwall, General American, New York, Alabamian, AAVE, Bostonian, Virginian, Georgian, Dublin, Belfast, South Wales, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glaswegian, Jamaican, Thai, Polish, Romanian, Hebrew, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, German, Greek, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Yoruba, Nigerian and Zimbabwean.
I teach actors accents at leading drama schools and professional actors in preparation for projects. I have also dialect coached on productions for Netflix and Amazon.
My rates are £70 per hour or I offer a reduced rate of £95 for an hour and a half.
Public Speaking and Vocal Coaching:
Everyone can benefit from Public Speaking tuition, I have worked with CEOs, politicians, TED speakers, doctors, lawyers, small business owners developing business pitches, beauty contestants and extensively with younger students in preparation for their public speaking LAMDA Examinations.
We work to develop more clarity, connection and confidence in your voice and speech. We talk about what the blocks and fears may be for you in your public speaking and communication, what might happen to your voice and body when you are under pressure and how we can prepare for and minimize that vocal and physical stress allowing for a greater sense of flow and economy in your speaking. We will cover strategies for building rapport, for engaging authentically and meaningfully with different audiences and contexts.
I can help you structure your public speaking for prepared speeches as well as impromptu ones and give you the tools to ensure your voice is warmed up and you are ready to engage with your audience in a variety of contexts.
My rate is £70 an hour or I offer a reduced rate of £95 per hour and a half.
Drama School Audition Preparation and Acting Tuition
I have been part of the audition panel for recalls at LAMDA and facilitated voice and text workshops for the auditionees. I have also been on the interview panel at LAMDA. I currently work at LAMDA, Mountview and Rose Bruford as a voice, accent and text coach. I've previously worked at other drama schools too, so I have a good understanding of them. I regularly work alongside screen tutors at the Met Film School (based at Ealing Studios) and at London Film School to help student directors find a language to work with actors.
I tailor my approach to each client’s needs and strengths but we will typically seek to understand and personalise each character that we look at and utilise an acting process that works for them borrowing from the works of Uta Hagan, Laban, Stanislavski, Mesiner and Grotowski.
Previous students of mine have gained places at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, LAMDA and the National Youth Theatre. I have also worked extensively with professional actors – previous clients have booked parts in big budget series including a regular in Ridley Scott’s ‘Raised by Wolves’.
As an actor I trained at National Youth Theatre and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and have worked for BBC1, BBC3, Netflix, Amazon, Apple and at the Trafalgar Studios.
My rate is £50 an hour or I offer a reduced rate of £70 per hour and a half.
- Do you have a personal message for students?
I am committed to tailoring my approach to your learning needs. I aim to make our sessions an interesting and enjoyable experience but I expect a level of concentration and effort from your part too.
I look forward to working with you!
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Review
All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by the students of Christopher.
5 (24 reviews)
Perfect! Christopher is a wonderful teacher, classes were literally a mind-blowing experience since he drew my attention to something I had never noticed before. Definitely going to have a couple of classes every time when my work schedule allows. Highly recommend to all non-native speakers or actors/performers!
Perfect! very flexible tutor, willing to adapt to the needs of the student. Thanks a lot!
Perfect! Chris is just the best teacher, pleasure to interact with and just a lovely person to get to know. I cannot recommend him enough as an accent tutor. He is incredibly patient with how tone deaf I am and always so kind and understanding. I have learned so much thanks to him and his knowledge is incredible. Thank you Chris!
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Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
21
Christopher is very flexible and accommodating, tailoring his classes to his students' needs.
I really benefitted from his help with presentations and received excellent feedback from my boss after his tutoring!Christopher is a real patient, and supportive tutor who will guide you in the best way to get you the best outcome that you want out of his lessons. Whether you are looking to study a new accent, you need help in building your actor tools for character analysis and text analysis or strategies to help you overcome audition or performance nerves, he will help you unlock all that work at the best standard possible so you can use all those tools in the industry.
Amazing teacher . Really helped me to develop my public speaking by allowing to level up my public speaking skills. My diction wasn't always the best but Chris helped me through this by going through different articulation exercises to help me through this problem. He also emphasised the importance of being concise which made my speeches feel more refined. Chris is very organised and for my grade 8 exam has never missed a lesson and in the rare event he would like to reschedule he allays tells me well in advance.
Christopher was insightful and patient throughout our lesson together. He offered practical advice to sharpen my performance and left me feeling confident and prepared for my auditions.
Absolutely brilliant accent coach. Chris helped me for 2 hours nail the General American accent and helped me with my self tape. I couldn’t recommend highly enough, he was able to pick out what I was doing wrong and fix the issue straight away. Thanks Chris, will be booking again!
Christopher is truly an expert in his field who pays attention to every detail and aspect of accent training. It feels comfortable taking lessons with him because you know and can feel that he truly knows what he's doing. He also gives exercises and resources to continue your practice on your own in between classes, which I really appreciate. Most of all, Christopher knows how to make the lessons really fun and not stressful at all, whilst managing to still cover lots of material every week. I would recommend him to anyone!
I have had three sessions with Chris and I am really enjoying it. He is very professional and has a lot of knowledge and patience. I definitely enjoy working with him and I recommend Chris 100%.
Having done several session for accent reduction with Chris, I can confidently recommend him as a great tutor. Not only is he knowledgeable about the subject overall, but he is also familiar with the issues facing speakers from different language background. Together with an approachable and engaging manner of teaching, I can highly recommend Chris to anyone wishing to reduce their accent.
Chris is brilliant! He probably knows everything about accents in general, not just RP. That makes him a perfect tutor, as he knows exactly how to explain mistakes and correct them with right exercises.
Chris is incredibly warm and relaxing to be around, as well as being knowledgeable in all things voice. His approach to vocal training make him a pleasure to learn with and he will always go the extra mile to help and finds way and tips to improve your voice. I’ve appreciated his ability to bring out the best of my voice and the correct pronunciation of words. I absolutely recommend Chris! You’ll find a great teacher and a friend.
Chris is an amazing teacher, always punctual, always prepared, but most importantly he is very professional and very knowledgeable. My accent improved tremendously with Chris!
Christopher helped me tremendously to improve my accent. He is a very professional accent couch with a deep knowledge on pronunciation of different languages, and, on top of that, he knows linguistics and phonetics too. I really enjoyed the lessons and I hope to continue in the near future.
I have worked with Chris on RP, General American, New York and Southern American accents for acting jobs and have found him to be a terrific tutor - helpful, encouraging, clear and friendly. I'd highly recommend getting in touch with him for accent work.
Seylan Baxter, actress (Dr Who, Macbeth, Outlander etc)Chris has a great understanding of phonetics. He also has loads of experience in working with students of various backgrounds. I've only had several classes with him but I can already see I've significantly improved my understanding of vowels and consonants and am also more conscious of various sounds of the English language. I wholeheartedly recommend Chris as an excellent accent tutor.
Chris has been absolutely great with my son. We initially started with Chris while trying to complete skills section of DofE but went further to complete Grade 5 Public Speaking certification through LAMDA.
We found Chris to be a very patient, articulate, open-minded, experienced, and intelligent person. His critique is always constructive which has benefited my son very much. I am hoping that he will be helping my son through the future levels of Public Speaking.Chris is great tutor , my son found his confidence in public speaking after he met Chris, he passed his Grade 5 level after 2 months tutoring, that’s really amazing! Now he wants to challenge to grade 7, he feels he can do it under Chris’ helps, I really want to say thank you and recommended Chris to everyone!
Christopher is a great tutor, his knowledge and approach were really well tailored to the premise of what I want to deliver publicly, and his critique was honest and constructive. His communication was swift and he offered flexible appointment choices. Very highly recommended.
Christopher's expert help really made the difference with my audition pieces. He helped me access characters in ways that made them very human and real. He has a deep knowledge about acting and how the drama school audition process works and he was incredibly supportive. Having these sessions made me feel a lot more confident, relaxed and open to direction in the audition room. I came out of the process a much better actor and I would highly recommend Christopher to all ages. I wish I'd found him sooner.
I found Chris' advice and endless support a massive help! He has a great approach to teaching – we worked together to achieve what I wanted from the speech. Chris has a great eye for Shakespearean language and helped me find honesty behind the text, as well as giving me exercises to bring the words off the page. I've recently been offered a place at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama for three years, without Chris's help this wouldn't have been possible! Thanks for everything Chris!
Fantastic, professional, astute to various factors which can affect the performance and able to provide tools to oversome these barriers in addition to providing necessary acting skills. Great at time management and reaching client's objective - also in a very creative lateral way - i.e. creating a video pitch at a moments notice - within the session. Highly skilled, professional, non-plussed re working with any age.
My lessons with Chris were filled with new way to hear English pronuciation. It was very fun and challenging at the same time.
I am now able to hear the difference of voices which I was not able to do before and someone in office recognized my change. Thank you.View more recommendations
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Rates
Hourly rate
- £70
Pack prices
- 5h: £350
- 10h: £700
online
- £70/h
Details
£70 per hour or £95 per hour and a half
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