Are you struggling with your singing?

Hello everyone! It's been—I honestly don't even know when the last time I uploaded a video was. My tongue tie journey was, I think, back in the summer, and now it's January 2024. I've been waiting until I had concrete stuff to share, and I've been learning absolutely loads about tongues, tongue ties, how they affect singing, who treats them, and what the current research says. I've been learning loads over the last six months or so, and I wanted to update you.

My aim here is always for people to be able to learn from me and my journey, paving the way for anyone who might go through a similar experience. I've started myofunctional therapy—I've had an assessment and my first session, and I've been doing exercises three times a day for less than a week. I'm really feeling great and excited, finding the whole process interesting, and looking forward to improvements and changes in my singing and health.

To give you all an update: since finding out about this, I've spoken to four different practitioners who specialize in tongue ties. One was just a phone call, and three of them looked at my tongue—two online and one in person. They all described my tongue the same way. There's a grading system for tongue ties, from 1 to 4, with 1 being the most mobile and 4 the least. All the specialists agreed on my tongue being a grade 3/4, which is quite severe.

I've also faced some skepticism. Two non-specialists in the field told me my tongue looked fine, while all the tongue tie specialists said otherwise. I applied for funding to help with treatment, but I didn't receive it, likely due to the newness of research in this area. There's some skepticism, possibly due to articles suggesting overdiagnosis for profit, but I'm in the UK, where our health system works differently.

My focus on this is primarily to solve long-standing issues and insecurities with my voice. Since my full myofunctional assessment with Breathe First Speech and Myo in Manchester, I've learned a lot. Emily, the specialist, did a thorough assessment of my tongue, jaw, and body, including posture and chewing/swallowing patterns. She noted that I use compensatory muscles for swallowing, which impacts my singing flexibility. I've also learned about my narrow palate and restricted jaw motion, which could affect my ability to have tongue tie release surgery.

I've discovered I can't lift the back of my tongue, which is crucial for certain singing techniques. This journey has been eye-opening, and I'm excited to see how these exercises and treatments will help. If you suspect you have a tongue tie, find a specialist. I've learned so much and believe there's nothing to lose.

If you're experiencing any of this, feel free to reach out. I'm not an expert, but I love chatting about it. For an assessment, I highly recommend Emily at Breathe First Speech and Myo in Manchester. There's a lot more to this, and I'm hopeful it will improve not just my singing, but also my sleep, focus, and overall health.

I'll do more videos soon with more scientific details. If you have questions or info, feel free to reach out. See you soon. Bye, folks!

You can watch the rest of this series here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

Part 5