
It is the middle of the University semester, the days grow shorter, the weather is changing, and there is so much to do professionally and personally. I am also supporting my small family with the endless paperwork that follows a death. There is also so much I want to do: spending quality time with friends, playing music, exercising, eating well and taking care of my health. I am sure you can relate. The to-do lists are ever growing.
When I rush or think of everything I have to do, I lose my centeredness. When my thoughts are racing, it is difficult to concentrate. I realize how easy it is to be paralyzed in the face of what my thoughts construe as an insurmountable mountain of tasks and responsibilities.
That’s when I need to tune in and slow down. To stop the hamster wheel in my head, I have to focus, do one thing at a time, and trust that the other stuff will get done.
I write a list and prioritize tasks.
Then my best work gets done because I listen, teach, facilitate, sing, improvise, read, or write with full intention and presence.
I feel that my time is well spent because I listen, converse, see, walk, cook, exercise etc with full intention and presence.
My mind can take off like five runaway trains going in different directions. I have to slow it down! My morning toning, meditation and yoga routine really help - along with the spectacular sunrises, or what Joni Mitchell calls a “sun show” (Chelsea Morning).

There are three slow down exercises I introduce to my students, and that I practice myself. Many find it challenging, I assure them it gets easier if they keep doing it.
Conduct your breath and sound with movement. Stand with a glorious open dynamic stance. Let your legs feel dynamic. Cross your hands just above your chest so your face is between your crossed hands. The arms are slightly outstretched. Inhale through the mouth and open your arms like wings with hands and fingers wide open like suns, as you inhale, follow the pace of your incoming breath with your arms. At the end of the inbreath, the hands meet above the head with the arms beautifully stretched. Without a pause let your inbreath move into an exhalation of sound such as a steady “sss..” or “sh….” and the arms like wings move downwards and then back to the crossed hand position that you began with. The movement happens in time with the sound. Without a pause, the inbreath happens and the arms open again like wings… repeat this sequence at least three to six times.
The goal is fluidity in movement in perfect time with breath and sound. When people struggle with this, I encourage them to do it as a daily centering practice, a way of uniting body, mind, breath and voice.
Slide your voice slowly over a drone. A drone is a sustained pitch (my favorite for some reason is the note D or a drone on the open 5th D and A). I suggest you begin with the vowel “ooh” or “oh”. Sliding the voice is already quite difficult for many, so I suggest you begin by imitating a siren. Then slow down the siren.
This slow motion sliding lets us hear all the amazing frequencies that lie between the notes of diatonic and even chromatic scales. It is also wonderful for the voice. You don’t need to be loud. The goal is slow and smooth. I recommend you move with the sound you make. You can conduct it with your arms or create a beautiful slow dance. So this for 5-7 minutes and notice how you feel afterwards. Many of my students tell me they feel much calmer.
Sing or play SSSLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLLYY. Sing or play a difficult passage or a fast piece slow and steady loving every single note. The goal is to feel comfortable and musical - slow and smooth.
You may need to do this mindfulness exercise many times for certain passages but please do it with curiosity and enjoyment. In this practice I have developed accuracy, flexibility and speed. I have also loved discovering aspects of the music I am learning that I may have otherwise missed. By giving my body and mind the time to digest all the notes, all the words, and all the rhythms, I am investing in ease and mastery of the piece.
It is very easy to give up on these exercises and become impatient with ourselves. I can say that investing the time to slow down goes a long way.
It’s not the quantity of practice but the quality that counts.
This week, I had to remind myself of these practices. I also applied this single-minded focus to the tasks I had to accomplish and my overall stress levels went way down.
I also turn off my notifications on my phone when I am engaging in tasks that require my focus. I feel so good when I complete each task and offer myself a gift of quality downtime.
Slowing down has helped me cope with stress and accomplish many more things. Having low vision, I was always compelled to rush - I rushed because I sometimes felt I had to keep up. During my music studies, I put a lot of pressure on myself because I was a little older than everyone. We all know the pressures of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Comparison is indeed the thief of joy - go at your own pace - and enjoy the journey. In the words of F. M. Alexander, focus on the process rather than end-gaining, which is throwing ourselves in the future without much regard for how we are getting there.
We can choose to enjoy or be in the moment, or worry about the next thing.
…and release!
Dear readers, I will be taking a pause from writing my blog through the month of November as I need to give myself more time to prepare lessons, and take care of paperwork for my family. I look forward to sharing more insights with you in December.
If you haven’t already, please follow my Facebook page Irene Feher Living Your Music and check out my YouTube Channel.
Take care of yourselves and slow down when you can!
This Week in Music
Last Saturday at our weekly Music for People facilitated jam session at the Centre des Musiciens du Monde, I led a vocal improv session with Suzanne. There were 10 of us, and we laughed and amazed ourselves. The voice is the most flexible instrument, and it connects us directly with our music. To be able to give voice to your music is empowering.
Classes have resumed at Concordia and my students are now submitting their performance exam programs. There are so many amazing songs that I am learning, I love what my contemporary singers introduce me to. I continue to teach individual and small group lessons online and in my studio. I just love the range of students I see over the course of a week. I work with recording artists of different genres including indie, folk, country, and progressive rock; classical and musical theater singers; amateur musicians/singers; singer/songwriters; sound artists; improvisers; and actors.
Music for People’s Musicianship and Leadership program started last Sunday with a 2-hour online session. We have people joining us from across Canada and the US, as well as from the UK and India.
I am grateful.