A Place to Play
- Irene Feher
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
When I am improvising, co-creating music with others and facilitating, I feel so alive. There is something about the quality of the sound that emerges: It is full of a certain energy and excitement with a bit of an edge. It is essentially the human experience in sound.
For many, playing music is all about becoming a phenomenal technician, one who is able to play or sing at incredible speed and heights. Playing music is only for those with talent. Music is a polished, packaged product, something to be consumed and admired. Music is indeed an art form and yes, we can all appreciate the wonder it brings.
But does everyone else have to remain on the sidelines watching those few gifted individuals perform?
Why are amateur musicians, those who do it for pleasure, sometimes embarrassed to admit that they dare tread in the hallowed halls of music?
The Have-Nots of Music
Have you ever experienced a profound longing to play music but never dared to try?
Have you longed to play music without worry about being judged?
Did you ever feel like giving up because you found yourself wondering why you bother at all?
Have you told yourself it’s too late to start or that you don’t have the talent?
Were you ever told to stop singing or that you lacked musicality?
Ouch!
What about those who grew up not having the privilege of music lessons or the time to practice because there were other things that took precedence?
Do you have a piano at home that sits majestically in silence, untouched for months, even years? Do you have a guitar or saxophone that you bought when you were in high school that is stored away in a closet? Do you dare not sing because you feel like you have a frog in your throat?
Ouch!
No one blinks an eye if you say you participate in sports, take painting classes or write poetry. So what is with all the stigma around playing music for fun?
We need to drop this all or nothing, black and white thinking.
Putting "Play" Back Into Music
Playing music is good for us! It reduces stress and energizes us. It can help us relax and let go. It makes us feel youthful. It lets us release pent up energy. It is good for the brain! It's a healthy. It's fun.
So where do you begin?
IMPROVISE!
Start with ONE sound
Trust
Let the next sound come
You may surprise yourself
Circles of Sound
I just completed a project in which I facilitated 8 drum circles at McGill’s Schulich School of Music. It was for a colleague’s doctoral research on resilience and drumming. I would show up on Thursday afternoons after a day of teaching and administration work, and within 15-minutes, I would feel my mood change and my energy increase. I also witnessed similar changes in others. Tired and stiff bodies became more animated, smiles emerged, and we all connected in sound.
On April 12, I directed a concert of improvised music. It was the final project for a course I created called “Musical Creation - A Course on Improvisation”. Over 6 classes, I introduced players to the art of improvisation. We laughed and we played a lot. There is no time to stop and worry, instead you have to trust, listen, and join in. The participants had varied levels of experience from novice to seasoned amateur to professional level. My main goal was to provide a space where people could come together and play.
This was a concert about the creative process, not the product. It is music from scratch, made without a score or lead sheet it emerges from impulse. Like the unfolding of a conversation, we never know where it leads. It is a concert about taking risks, being vulnerable, daring to say something and allowing music to reveal what language cannot. Music reminds us that we have a soul, that we feel, that we are beautiful shapeshifters, that is multifaceted feeling breathing human beings in an ever-changing environment. As we improvise, we learn to surf on the ever changing constant moving waves of life. It was about coming together in sound. We made it work.
As I sat down to prepare the concert program, I had a flash of inspiration: Instead of offering formal introductions to each improvised form, I wrote poems.
Below is the first poem I wrote for the show. It was inspired by a wonderful young guitarist by the name of Fabrice. Fabrice started coming to my improvisation jams in January 2024. He began learning guitar on his own during the pandemic. It is wonderful to play music alone, but it's even more rewarding when we can play with others.
From Silence…
I sit in my living room
Silence is peaceful
But it can feel like a tomb
Something calls me
I feel restless
What is it?
What do I want?
I want to make sound
I want to feel free
To talk about me
My desires, my fears
My passions, my tears
From my center core
Imagination longs to soar
I pick up a guitar
I don’t have to go far
From silence comes music
My music
My desires, my fears
My passions my tears
Here is a video of some of the concert highlights. I hope you enjoy it!
Circle of Sound - April 12, 2025
