Medics with a cockney twang, children whose parents don’t like the Brummie sound, and non-native English speakers are all taking lessons
“I don’t like being a Band Aid on a class system that isn’t working, but that’s what I am,” says Matt Pocock. Pocock is a voice coach based in London, and while many of his clients are non-native English speakers who want to be more easily understood, others, such as a doctor at Great Ormond Street Hospital with a Cockney accent, were born in this country and dislike the assumptions made about them based on how they sound.
Pocock works with up to 20 clients a week, creates bespoke sessions for corporate clients and runs some open courses for the public. Business is thriving: at this time of year, he says, bookings are “massively up”. Many voice coaches find demand peaks each Autumn and New Year. “I think September and January are times of the year where people are looking to improve themselves,” suggests Felicity Goodman, a Manchester-based voice coach.
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Source: Guardian