Poems I Use as a Dialect Coach to Teach a General American Accent

Hello there,

I’ve finally succumbed to opening a dialect coach blog!

It’s not that I don’t like a chat, so I’m wondering now why I’ve left it so long!

Well, it’s March 2025 and accent and dialect coaching enquiries are coming in all shapes and sizes! For actors, attaining a Glasgow accent and a Yorkshire accent are currently at top of the list and, as always, General American coaching and RP coaching continue to be essential for actors of all ages and experience.

I’ve recently been accent coaching a General American accent to a delightful young actress aged 12 - with someone of this age the sessions are best kept at 30 mins so as to provide just enough accent information, to have some fun, maintain interest and encourage some regular homework!

We started with a poem, Today is Very Boring by Jack Prelutsky:

Today Is Very Boring by Jack Prelutsky

Today is very boring,
it’s a very boring day
there’s nothing much to look at,
there’s nothing much to say,
there’s a peacock on my sneakers,
there’s a penguin on my head,
there’s a dormouse on my doorstep,
I’m going back to bed.

Today is very boring,
it’s boring through and through,
there is absolutely nothing
that I think I want to do,
I see giants riding rhinos,
and an ogre with a sword,
there’s a dragon blowing smoke rings,
I’m positively bored.

Today is very boring,
I can hardly help but yawn,
there’s a flying saucer landing in the middle of my lawn,
a volcano just erupted,
less than half a mile away,
and I think I feel an earthquake,
it’s a very boring day.

We also used this poem:

maggie and milly and molly and may, e. e. cummings - 1894-1962

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea

I love using poetry to encourage any new accent sounds to take hold and something light and humorous builds rhythm and tune and encourages a freedom to play and take on a new character!

*An accent note for learning any new accent is, on a scale of 1-10, where the 10 is the most of the accent you can muster, then go for that! Never mind if it feels uncomfortable or ‘over the top’ - please, go over the top at this stage, taste these new sounds, let your muscle memory adjust to these new habits and have fun! You can always come down from the 10 when, and if, necessary and yet you’ll be sure and confident to be really using the desired accent sounds consistently and not losing them in an effort to sound ‘natural’.

For those who are beginning their General American accent journey try working on these two lovely poems and drive through them with muscularity and intention!

Remember to use the rhotic /r/ sound [each time you see an /r/ on the page, sound it...] and as a starter, to access the accent, try for a ‘witch’ laugh to find the appropriate vocal placement.

Enjoy!

Till next time,

Ros