How To Master (Or Reduce) Any Accent with Dialect Coach Will Van Moss
Growing up speaking Swiss German and only learning English starting in 7th grade, I always had an accent when speaking English. But due to my good ear from music, I never had a thick accent - just a couple small things that still made it obvious that I didn’t grow up in the USA. As I was attending acting school in New York I had 2 sessions with a dialect coach who was able to tell me what exactly I was doing “wrong” and what I needed to do to sound more American. Now most people have no idea that English isn’t my first language and my accent isn’t really there anymore.
But even though I was able to get rid of my accent, I am terrible at doing any kind of accent now. I can tell where someone is from, but I can’t imitate that accent myself. That’s because I have no idea how to dissect an accent to know what exactly needs to be changed and how to apply it to do said accent.
That is why I invited my dear friend and language expert Will Van Moss - who I met at school in New York - to help us all better understand accents and how to go about learning - or reducing! - them. Will grew up moving across countries and shifting between languages—Dutch, Italian, English, French—and those transitions deeply shaped how he approaches coaching today. His work is rooted in empathy and thoroughly analyzing accents, not surface-level mimicry.
So if you’ve always been curious to know what you need to do to learn a new accent - or to get rid of one - this is for you!
What Singers Get Wrong About Dialect
Here’s the common trap: singers think they need to “nail” the accent before they’re allowed to explore emotionally. But Will flips that.
Start with the emotion, and let the sound follow.
“This is how the consonants sound—just go, okay?”
Instead of obsessing over technical detail, Will encourages students to internalize vocal shapes, rhythmic patterns, and musicality. Dialect isn’t rigid. It’s responsive.
The Science of Sounding Natural
Accents live in more than your tongue—they live in your resonance, rhythm, and breath. Will breaks this down like an engineer of the voice:
Think of pitch like melody. Every dialect has a “music” to it.
Consonants are choreography—practice them physically.
Vowels carry emotion. Get those wrong, and the whole message shifts.
These small shifts can change how trustworthy, casual, or emotional your voice feels to a listener.
How to Learn an Accent Without Freezing
Will sees it all the time: a singer or actor gets a dialect note—and panics.
His fix? Build familiarity first, then expression.
Start by:
Listening actively (not passively) to native speakers
Practicing one shift at a time
Speaking nonsense phrases in the accent so your body can play without stakes
This lowers pressure and raises awareness.
When you actually know what makes this accent or dialect different from others it’s much easier to learn it (or reduce it). For example in the German accent, I know that the “th” sound can sometimes sound more like an “f” or “s” (depending on the context) and the the “w” sounds more like “v”. That’s a good start, but definitely not all there is to sounding more German.
This is why Will breaks down an accent into small building blocks so that you know exactly what you have to pay attention to when doing said accent. Will said that he can pick apart a new accent and teach it to someone in just a couple of hours. That’s because he knows exactly what to listen for and he wants you to be able to do the same.
The One Requirement
Will said that most of his clients can learn a new accent in just 4-6 weeks. Some even only have a couple hours to prepare for an audition and Will helps them pull it off. But there is one thing that Will said is a non-negotiable when it comes to learning a new accent (or getting rid of one)… Even if you know all the building blocks of the accent you’re trying to learn/reduce, if you don’t practice regularly, it’ll take you a really long time to get it right. Your body needs to get used to this new way of speaking and that just takes a little bit of time! But the more you practice, that faster you’ll get right (as long as you’re practicing the right things of course!). It’s very much like singing - and any new skill you want to master - it takes practice.
What This Means For Your Craft
Whether you’re prepping for a role, trying to sound more local, or simply exploring new textures in your voice, dialect work has the potential to expand your artistry—not box it in.
A lot of singers assume dialect coaching is just about getting notes on how to pronounce a word. But what Will Moss shows us is that it’s really about how we listen, how we embody a voice, and how we tell a story through sound. Dialect isn’t a layer you put on—it’s a way of being present in your performance.
If you’ve ever struggled with your voice feeling “inauthentic” when doing an accent, or if you’ve been told to “neutralize” your sound and felt like you had to erase something important, this is the antidote. Will’s approach isn’t about flattening your expression—it’s about deepening it.
Dialect coaching can help you:
Tap into new emotional tones
Expand your vocal flexibility
Adapt to different musical or theatrical styles
Authentically present different roles
Feel more at home in your own voice—even when it sounds different
The real power of this work is not in the polish—it’s in the permission. To try. To play. To fail forward. To sound more like you—even when the accent changes.
I was blown away when he said that most of his clients can master a new accent or dialect in just 4 weeks… 4 weeks!! That’s insanely fast. But that’s what’s possible when you truly understand what makes this accent unique instead of just guessing and mimicking.
If you’re looking to lean a new accent for a role (or just for your own enjoyment) or if you’re trying to get rid of an accent book a session with Will now and watch your accents transform within just 1 month!
🎧 Want to hear Will’s story and approach to dialect work?
Prefer Listening To The Podcast On Your Favorite Platform? Listen Below.
