The short answer: Place your hands on your lower ribs, inhale comfortably and notice gentle expansion. Then try a small shoulder lift and a side stretch to explore how the sensation changes. Return to a short song phrase without holding your ribs rigidly open.
Expert source: This article is adapted from a School of Roar guest masterclass with opera singer and breathing educator Barbara Tanze, hosted by Beth and Tom. It is an editorial adaptation, not a verbatim transcript or individual medical advice.
When people think about breathing, they often focus on their stomach. But your rib cage has an important job too: it moves to make more room for your lungs during inhalation.
In a practical Beth Roars session, Barbara Tanze guided singers through a short sequence designed to help them notice movement around the sides of the ribs. You can explore a gentle version without specialist equipment.
How Barbara explored rib-cage movement
This sequence adapts Barbara’s follow-along masterclass: she used raised shoulders, side-to-side stretching and hands on the rib cage to help singers feel movements that are easy to overlook.
First, notice your usual breath
Sit comfortably with both feet supported, or stand in a balanced position. Rest your hands lightly on the lower sides of your ribs.
Take two or three ordinary breaths. Notice which parts of your chest move. You might feel a little expansion beneath your hands, or you might barely notice anything. Neither response needs fixing straight away.
Step 1: explore a shoulder lift
Raise your shoulders towards your ears as far as is comfortable. Keep breathing easily for a couple of breaths. Then release them and notice whether the sensations around your ribs change.
Barbara used this contrast to help participants become more aware of how the body shares breathing work between different muscle groups. It is an experiment in sensation, not a recommendation to keep your shoulders raised while singing.
Step 2: open up one side
If you are sitting, keep both sitting bones grounded. Lift one arm overhead and gently lengthen through that side of your body, without forcing the shoulder or twisting sharply.
Take an easy breath. You may notice a stretch along the ribs that becomes a little more pronounced on the inhale. Breathe out and repeat once or twice before lowering the arm.
Pause and compare the two sides of your rib cage. Does one feel different? Switch arms and explore the other side.
Step 3: return to your singing breath
Rest your hands on your lower ribs again. Inhale normally and feel for a small outward movement beneath your hands. Then sing a comfortable, short phrase.
Do not hold your ribs rigidly open. The point is to bring a little more awareness into the inhale, then let your body coordinate the phrase.
What if you do not feel anything?
That is fine. Barbara stressed that no single exercise works for everyone, and people have different ranges of movement and different sensations on each side.
Stay within a comfortable range. Skip movements that hurt and adapt them for your body. The aim is curiosity, not extreme stretching or a “correct” shape.
Sometimes a few minutes of paying attention to your ribs can change how you approach the next phrase—even if the movement itself is subtle.
Questions singers often ask
Should my ribs expand when I breathe in?
The rib cage typically moves during inhalation to help create space in the chest. The amount and location of movement you notice will vary, so aim for comfortable awareness rather than an exaggerated movement.
What if one side of my rib cage feels different?
Some asymmetry in sensation or mobility is common. Barbara encouraged exploring both sides gently. Pain or persistent restriction deserves an individual assessment rather than harder stretching.
Keep learning with School of Roar
Once you notice the ribs moving, try carrying that awareness into a line of music. School of Roar brings that experiment-first approach into singing lessons, warm-ups, masterclasses and community practice.
