These techniques are not a substitute for Manual Therapy applied by qualified practitioners and as fairly basic, but are very effective and help a large amount of people maintain better vocal health from a physical perspective, between sessions and at times of very high vocal demand, such as touring and/or recording.
Feel free to check out the videos below - you might find some of the techniques useful.
Any questions, just drop me a line.
The weather was horrendous as we endured yet ANOTHER storm, but the atmosphere at the seminar was amazing! The sold out event saw a mixture of Singers, Vocal Coaches, Speech & Language Therapists, NLP Practitioners, Physiotherapists and Osteopaths gather to listen to presentations and discuss everything related to helping identify, manage and ultimately reduce feelings of tension for voice users.
I presented on 'Manual Assessments of Muscle Tension' and also gave some insight into Vocal Massage and Manual Therapy as one option; but we also looked at 'Voice Therapy Techniques', 'The Vibrant Voice Technique' which involved the use of vibrators (yeah, that's not an auto-correct) and even delved into NLP hypnosis to address some of the more psychological aspects of tension.
Talking with singers over the last couple of weeks, has highlighted the misunderstanding associated with the diaphragm.
The diaphragm contracts (shortens/tightens) when we breathe-in. Breathing out occurs as a result of the diaphragm actually RELAXING . The muscle fibres of the diaphragm recoil to their resting and lengthened state, passively pushing air out. It is not the other way around.
Obviously when we sing, we need that all important ‘support’ to help control the outflow of air for sustaining phonation and reducing the strain on the vocal folds and larynx. So, instead of completely relaxing as it does during rested breathing, the diaphragm maintains tone and recoils in a controlled manner supported by the extended engagement of the internal and external intercostals resisting the recoil and the abdominals remaining relaxed.
#diaphragm #vocalhealth #vocalanatomy #vocalmassage #laryngealmassage #laryngealmanualtherapy #singers #actors
I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to the Godiva Festival this year to offer free 'Vocal Massage' to all artists performing on the main stage of this incredible festival. This festival is one of the largest in the UK and is absolutely FREE to enter. Yep! FREE to enter, and always has a great line-up of music old and new.
It was a busy weekend and an amazing opportunity to spread the word about this therapy and the benefits it has for voice-users, especially those who are gigging and touring. We had some brilliant conversations with the artists, their backing vocalists and management; they tried it, they liked it, and went on stage feeling more relaxed and vocally 'free', and we helped them to wind down after their performance too.
They also liked the free aluminium water bottles we were giving away. We didn't have many left by the end of the festival!! #passonplastic #refillable
I have to give a big 'well done' to everyone involved in the festival, it was amazingly well managed and put together by people with a genuine love of music and a desire to put on a cracking show!
I very much hope to be back next year.