Self - Massage for Singers

By Cari Cole

Cari Cole

Practicing self-massage is a way to release the muscles of the voice before and after singing.

Cheek
- pretend you are cleaning your teeth with the tip of your tongue. All the way around from top to bottom and then reverse the direction.
- put your finger where the gum and the cheek meet. Follow the gum line all the way around. Reverse the direction pulling the cheek away from the gum. Go slowly around the sensitive or painful spots, work them out.

Jaw Tendons
- Index fingers press back inside the jaw tendons
- push back and close the teeth. You should feel pressure. Work the spots that feel tight.

Sphenoid (Roof of the mouth)
- thumbs press up on hard palate and move them out away from the center. Up and out all the way back to the ridge between the hard and soft palate. Work that ridge the most.

Jaw
- press fingers at the temples, open and close the jaw slowly while keeping pressure at the temples.
- press index fingers on both sides of the face where the top of the ear meets the face. Press into the groove as you open and close the jaw very slowly applying pressure.
- press index fingers on both sides of the face where the ear closure meets the face. Press into the groove as you open and close the jaw very slowly applying pressure.
- press index fingers on both sides of the face where the ear lobe meets the face. Press into the groove as you open and close the jaw very slowly applying pressure.
- press index fingers into the ear firmly as you open and close the jaw very slowly applying pressure
- especially as you close the teeth all the way.

The Magic Pressure Point under the ear lobe...
This point release the jaw, neck and throat muscles and the base of the tongue. It is a major point to release tension.
- press with one thumb under the ear lobe and search for a little knob under the ear that is sensitive. Press into it with your thumb and let your head fall into your thumb. Go across the knob and try to break it up a bit
- use your instincts.

Base of the Tongue
Hook your thumb under the jaw bone in the groove between the bone and the base of the tongue. Start back by the ear and slowly work your way to the chin and around to the other ear. Stop and work the points that feel sore. Try an up and out motion with the thumb.

Larynx Massage
Find the hyoid bone
- the floating bone at the top of the thyroid cartilidge. If you press on one side it pokes out the other. Gently massage it back and forth. Continue to loosen. Then open the jaw with the mouth closed. Maintaining the same position at the hyoid bone, (it will stiffen temporarily as you open the jaw) massage the area until it loosens keeping the jaw open with the mouth closed. This massage opens the front of the throat muscles.

Jaw
Take the palm of your hand and press on one side of the jaw to the opposite side while slowly opening the jaw. Slowly close applying subtle pressure. Switch sides.
Ribs
Put your hands firmly on the lower ribcage. Slowly inhale sucking the air in through the lips expanding the ribs to the side as far as you can. Exhale and press the ribs in with the hands. As you inhale again, apply pressure from your hands so your ribs have to push against your hands to open. Continue 5 more times.

Neck Muscles
The best way to release the neck muscles on your own is to lie on the floor. Grab your neck muscles from behind your head with your thumb and forefinger. Start at the top of the front neck muscles. Find the front of the muscles under the ear, apply pressure with your thumb and work across the muscle applying pressure. Use your intuition and gauge how hard to press by how it feels. There is a definite right feel that may be painful but is a good pain and a definite wrong feel that creates pain. Work the muscle down to the collarbone slowly and surely across the muscle on each side of the neck. This can restore a hoarse or tired voice if administered correctly.

This article is reprinted with the permission of Cari Cole. Cole is a prominent vocal coach and artist, who is the head of the Cari Cole Vocal Studio in New York City. For more info, please visit her website: www.vocalmag.com.