Husband and wife bring joy to hospital patients through their music

By Jenna Leslie 

BELLEVILLE – “If you can make somebody smile, you’ve done something worthwhile,” says Bruce Glenn, a musician and volunteer at Belleville General Hospital.

Glenn and his wife, Wilma, are both singers, and she plays guitar. For the past 15 years, the Belleville residents have been volunteering with the music programs the hospital runs for patients and their families.

The Glenns head out four times a month to perform at hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities in the area. They use their passion for music to bring joy to patients’ lives and make their day a little brighter.

“Music is the universal language,” Wilma Glenn said. “It speaks to the heart.”

The Glenns have been together for 30 years; they met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend. Wilma was studying social work at Loyalist College at the time and Bruce was living in Campbellford. The couple hit it off and haven’t looked back, bringing together Wilma’s son and Bruce’s two daughters.

They began playing music together around 20 years ago. Wilma Glenn had been singing since she was a little girl, and later in life decided to teach herself to play the guitar. She rented one, and dived right in.

“I practised so hard that I put bandages on my fingers because I didn’t want to quit. I loved it,” she said.

Bruce Glenn began singing in a church choir when he was a boy. He later joined a barbershop quartet and eventually a chorus based in Trenton.

The couple plays anything, ranging from old hymns to country classics to a few more modern pieces. Their favourite song to perform is Could I Have This Dance by Anne Murray. They try to stick to songs that they think hospital patients and nursing-home residents will recognize and enjoy.

But the Glenns’ show isn’t just about music; their act also includes stories and even a few jokes. They say they do their best just to bring a smile to people’s faces. Patients and their family members can gather to simply enjoy the music and a few laughs as they work on their recovery.

Wilma Glenn said she sees the music as a way of healing and giving peace to the patients she performs for.

“We get as much out of it, if not more than, they do,” she said.