How much do you really know about your tongue? Could a simple touch or stretch transform your vocal performance? In this episode, we reconnect with manual therapist Walt Fritz to explore the fascinating world of tongue awareness, self-stretching techniques, and how understanding sensation and shared decision making in the studio can reshape singing.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
2:45 – Are humans just wonky?
4:02 – What is the power of shared decision making?
7:24 – How do singers describe pain, fatigue and tension?
11:30 – How do we know when awareness has improved?
23:14 – How do we know when the tongue is functioning well?
26:15 – What does the size and shape of a tongue imply?
35:32 – What materials do we need for stretching the tongue?
42:35 – A guiding in tongue exercise and stretch
About the presenter click HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.74 Understanding Manual Therapy with Walt Fritz
NATs Chat Oct 2024 – Discovering Your Voice: Stretching Tips to Expand Your Range (and Mind)
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.59 Top Tongue Tips for Boosting High Frequency Energy with Kerrie Obert
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.40 Integrated Skills: Teaching Singing to Dancers with Jennie Morton
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.97 Elevate Your Performance Through Anatomical Efficiency with Jennie Morton
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.149 Part One: Finding the Best Posture and Alignment for Singing with Jennie Morton
Singing Teacher Talk – Ep.150 Part Two: Finding the Best Posture and Alignment for Singing with Jennie Morton
Newcastle Voice Conference
Tommaso Geri
WALT’S DISCOUNT CODE: BAST2025
ABOUT THE GUEST
Walt Fritz, PT, has worked as an educator in the manual therapy field since the mid-1990s and expanded into voice, swallowing, oral motor, and airway issues in 2013. He is considered a content expert and teaches his Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders internationally. Though manual therapy is typically described as a passive modality that remediates local tissue-based problems, Walt has evolved manual therapy explanations to be seen as another form of communication. His workshops challenge learners to look beyond what they were taught and know the potential of multifactorial impacts and drivers throughout the therapeutic process. Walt’s approach leans strongly on shared decision-making instead of one-sided clinician perspectives, with the principles embodied in his approach applicable across the spectrum of therapeutic models.
In addition to teaching, Walt maintains a private practice in Upstate New York.
Walt is the author of the book, “Manual Therapy in Voice and Swallowing: A Person-Centered Approach,” and is a contributing author to the forthcoming book, “The Oxford Handbook of Voice Pedagogy” and “The Vocal Athlete.” Walt recently published the paper “The mechanism of action for laryngeal manual therapies: the need for an update.”
Website: waltfritz.com
Instagram: @waltfritzpt
YouTube:@WaltFritzPT
