Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for the Montpelier Bridge
MONTPELIER — If you stroll through downtown Montpelier during the warmer months, chances are you’ll hear music — the gentle notes of a harp, the rhythm of a keyboard or the strum of a guitar.
That familiar soundtrack comes from Gloria “Glo” Alexander, a 60-year-old musician whose bright, patterned clothing is as vibrant as her melodies.
Stationed outside of Naive Melody, an instrument store on State Street, she fills downtown with an angelic, storybook sound. Her calm, grounded voice complements her instrumentals, causing passersby to smile.
For the past 11 years, Alexander has been Montpelier’s unofficial troubadour, taking to the streets at least three days a week and giving the city its own soundtrack.
Other days, she spends her time at Montpelier’s Another Way, a peer-support center in Montpelier for people with psychiatric disabilities.
“The joy of music. It’s never quite the same twice. It’s always changing. It’s like a carousel you can jump on or jump off, and it goes around and around,” Alexander said. “It can also express your emotions and how you’re feeling, you know? I can put my feelings into the music or try to anyway.”
When Alexander performs, it’s common to hear passerbys greet her with, “Hello, Glo!” — a sign of how much her music brightens downtown Montpelier.
“It’s similar to someone playing violin during the dinner hour; it has that relaxing feel to it,” said community member Seth Collins, who met Alexander about nine years ago.
Ironically, Alexander’s passion for music first showed when she was thrown out of a music class in second grade. Instead of drawing staff lines on the chalkboard, she would take the chalkboard staff liner and run around the room in circles — already marching to her own rhythm.
Since the typical teaching methods weren’t working for her, Alexander said she found her own way to make music.
“My brain was not wired for the way that they were teaching music. So I’ve kind of developed my own program or method. Music therapy is what I call what I do,” Alexander said.
That same instinct to connect through sound and emotion now carries into her work at Another Way, where she helps others find harmony in their lives.
Alexander first came to Another Way in 1987 when she was homeless and travelling around the country. Alexander stayed in Vermont briefly but eventually went back on the road. Eleven years ago, she returned to Vermont, inspired by her experience at Another Way.
“Somebody asked me, ‘When were you happy?’” Alexander recalled. “And I said, ‘Wow, when I lived in Vermont in 1987, that seemed really happy,’” Alexander said.
Another Way was first established in 1982 as an alternative to traditional psychiatric medicine. The staff is made up of people who self-identify as psychiatric survivors, people who have experience with mental health struggles, or people in recovery from mental health battles.
“Another Way is greatly helpful because it’s providing a sense of community and family that has been missing in my life,” said Alexander.
As a shift worker at Another Way, Alexander is one of the first faces community members see when they come through the door. She greets visitors, takes donations and contributes to cooking and cleaning.
“I absolutely think of her as the heart of Another Way,” said Dawn Little, a board member for the organization.
Alexander is working on creating a music program at Another Way and plans to run a drum circle this winter.
Her impact on others does not go unnoticed.
At Another Way, Alexander touches people’s lives daily by being “incredibly compassionate,” said Little.
Even on a blustery fall day, Alexander can be seen in downtown Montpelier playing her harp with handwarmers on her hands. With winter around the corner, Alexander’s playing season is coming to an end.
Both locals and tourists pass by as she sits on her knees, amplifier beside her. The bright, full sounds of the harp echoes in the air. Each time someone passes by and says hello, Alexander offers a smile in return.
“It’s just so wonderful being out there,” Alexander said. “I think if I was really rich, I’d still be (doing this]) it’s just so joyous to sit there on the sidewalk and play music.”