This troper once did this with a plastic goblet in acting class monologuing as
Edmond Dantes in the 2002 film. Because the character wasn't noted for heavy expression at the time (and he was giving a toast), this was the best way to relay emotion (and yes, this troper was called out on it). I later started doing it while singing on RockBand because I find it helps (mentally) for hitting certain notes.