St,. William on his porch [photo: Darren Lum, Echo] — St,. William on his porch *[photo: Darren Lum, Echo]*

By Darren Lum

An easy smile washes over Bill Gliddon’s face as he sits on his porch, talking about the musical interludes he offers over the phone to residents at long-term care facilities in Haliburton.

Bringing happiness and joy through music is something he’s been doing for decades, through his church, as a teacher and as a volunteer. During this health crisis, which has gripped the world and the community he loves, the 80-year-old has been bringing happiness and joy to residents isolated at Highland Wood and Extendicare-Haliburton.

The past ‘Highlander of the Year’ says playing his keyboard and singing songs such as ‘Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da’ from the 1940s and ‘Let Me Call You Sweetheart’ from the 1930s on the phone has as much benefit for him as it does for those he sings to.

“They’re just so cheered up. Of course it cheers me up too. I love it. Just do a couple. I don’t go too long. This is something I look forward to now,” he said.

He performs every other day, calling residents in their rooms. Before visitation was suspended due to COVID-19, [Bill] said he visited the senior homes with a small group of people once a month. He said he got the idea to perform on the phone to residents at Extendicare-Haliburton and to Highland Wood from his friend Fred Shuttleworth, who he knows from choir. His friend, he said, is a concert pianist and was performing classical music for the people he phoned.

“What a great idea. I’m going to do that with the songs,” [Bill] decided.

It’s been close to [three] weeks since he started and through word-of-mouth, his list of song recipients has grown.

“It’s probably ten to a dozen and it keeps getting [to be] more,” he said. “They tell their friends and then they phone me and say, ‘Can you sing to so-and-so?’”

He hopes his connection with long-term care residents inspires others to share their musical talents with people who are in isolation at their residence.

“Music, I tell you, it does something that words alone cannot do and especially for older people if it’s the songs they knew when they were younger. It just brings back all those happy memories,” he said.

________________
Even during the crisis, you can still hear Bill playing the organ for our (now online) church services, as well as on his Sunday evening Canoe FM Concert Hall.

[Original article in The Haliburton Echo]