Part 4- My Favourite Myofunctional Therapy exercises (so far) as a tongue tied singer.
🎤 How I Now Help Singers with Tongue Tie
Since sharing my own experience, I’ve connected with so many singers who’ve realised they might be affected by tongue tie too — whether they’re preparing for a release, recovering afterwards, or just trying to make sense of the changes they feel in their voice.
As a contemporary vocal coach and Vocal Habilitation Professional, I now specialise in supporting adult singers who want to sing with more ease, freedom and confidence after dealing with tongue tie–related challenges.
You can find info about the Tongue Tie aware vocal coaching service that I offer here.
In our online sessions, we work gently and holistically — combining proven vocal technique, Buteyko breathing, and tongue-awareness exercises to help your voice rebalance and feel more effortless again. Every singer’s journey is unique, but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
🎶 If this resonates with you, you can book a free Discovery Call Below.
Hi everyone! I’m Gemma Milburn- a contemporary vocal coach, Vocal Habilitation Professional, and someone who discovered her own tongue tie at 38.
Going through assessment, therapy, and preparing for release completely changed both my voice and my understanding of how tongue tie affects singing. Since sharing my experience, I now work with singers all over the world who want to rebuild ease, flexibility and confidence in their voice after discovering they might be tongue tied.
Before I share a few of the exercises I’ve been assigned, I need to be clear:
I’m not a myofunctional therapist and I don’t teach these exercises. They were prescribed specifically to me based on my assessment, and may not be appropriate for you.
If you’re looking for medical or treatment guidance, please speak with a qualified provider — my role is helping singers understand how tongue tie affects the voice and how to rebalance the vocal system.
👉 If you'd like to explore whether tongue-tie-aware vocal coaching could help your singing, you can book a Discovery Call here.
When I went for my tongue tie assessment, my myofunctional therapist did a thorough evaluation of my needs and the issues my tongue tie has caused. She then put together a personalised exercise program for me. These exercises might not be appropriate for you and your situation, so I’m just showing them for fun. If you want to see some interesting exercises, you’ve come to the right place.
One thing I’ve learned is that myofunctional therapy is not just about the tongue. Some exercises are for the lips, face, and jaw. For example, many tongue-tied people mouth breathe because their tongues rest on the bottom of the mouth rather than the roof, leading to a weak mouth seal. This means some exercises target strengthening the lip and face muscles. My jaw was also quite restricted from compensating for my tongue, but it has improved. Now, let’s get into the exercises.
Button Pops
For this exercise, you put a button in your mouth, create resistance by tugging it gently with your lips, and pull it out to make a popping noise. When I first started, I couldn’t always make the pop sound, but now I can. It’s a fun and surprisingly tiring exercise that strengthens the facial muscles.
Tongue Weightlifting
For this, I use a piece of string with a weight tied to the end. I gather the string in the middle of my tongue and lift the weight. This strengthens my tongue and also engages the face and jaw muscles. It’s challenging but effective.
Tongue Side-to-Side
This exercise involves sticking your tongue out horizontally and moving it side to side and then up without letting the jaw follow. It has been impactful for me, making my tongue stronger and more flexible, which is great for singing.
Many singers I work with notice similar patterns in their tongue or jaw after discovering their tongue tie. In our Initial Fit session, we explore how these patterns show up in your singing and what gentle, structured exercises will help.
The Cave
The cave exercise involves lifting the tongue tip behind the front teeth and then suctioning the body of the tongue up to create two caves down the sides. It strengthens the tongue and has progressed each week with more complexity. It’s a crucial part of my therapy.
Wafer Slide
This exercise is about improving jaw range of motion. I slide a wafer between my teeth to move my jaw forwards and back. It was essential for my restricted jaw and has shown significant improvement over time.
Myo Munchie
The Myo Munchie is a silicone tool that helps position the tongue on the roof of the mouth and strengthens chewing muscles. I use it to practice static holds and chewing, which has been surprisingly difficult and rewarding.
These are just some of my top fun myo exercises. My program progresses each week, and I’m now focusing on swallowing and chewing, which I’ve done incorrectly my whole life. This therapy has not only helped my singing by allowing me to open my mouth more but also improved my sleep significantly.
I recommend myofunctional therapy for anyone considering it, but be aware that it’s a big commitment.
If you’d like help understanding how these kinds of patterns relate to singing, you can learn more about my approach to tongue-tie-aware vocal coaching here.
You can access the rest of this series here:
Curious how tongue tie affects your singing? Let’s chat about it in a free discovery call. Book yours today to explore how I can help.
Please note: I don’t offer medical or surgical guidance- my work focuses on supporting your voice, technique and vocal recovery.
