Marilyn Bulger

For Marilyn Bulger, playing the harp is all about how the music makes people feel. “I love playing at weddings, funerals, and for people in care. The music is good for people. It’s always been a positive experience, without a doubt.” 

 

In the rich landscape of the arts, some individuals use their gifts not merely for expression but as a pathway to healing, comfort, and empathy with others. Marilyn, a harpist with deep roots in music therapy, exemplifies this approach, blending her musical talents with a purpose to soothe and connect. We got a glimpse into Marilyn’s musical world, where each pluck of the harp’s strings resonates with the very essence of human emotion and healing.

 

Marilyn’s musical journey started with the piano in the tender stages of childhood at age five. “I started to learn the piano and loved it immediately. I was one of those kids that never had to be told to practice because I loved it,” Marilyn said. This internal motivation carried her through her teenage years, where she taught herself guitar, showing a versatility and a thirst for musical exploration. However, it was the harp that ultimately captured her soul. “When I was about 10 years old, I saw a harpist for the first time at our church and decided that someday, I needed to play the harp.”

 

Yet, the journey toward the harp simmered for many years. “I thought it might end up being a retirement project.” Marilyn worked as a piano teacher for 40 years, most of them in Hinton, where she and her husband Bill raised four children. “But then I went to a women’s retreat, where I actually got to play a harp and that was it. I couldn’t wait.” And so she started to play around the year 2000. Her vision materialized through Bill’s craftsmanship as he built her first harp. Now this instrument is a special treasure to her. A symbol of love, this harp would soon become a conduit through which Marilyn’s healing music flowed.

 

Marilyn’s formal training was a mosaic of experiences, from lessons in Edmonton to immersive summer courses in the artistic enclave of Wells, BC. It was there, among the vibrant artistic community and under the guidance of international harp teachers, that Marilyn honed her skill. However, her evolution as a musician took a pivotal turn with her introduction to harp therapy, culminating in 2008. Harp therapy, as Marilyn articulates, harnesses the harp's unique resonance, which mirrors the human body’s natural vibrations to facilitate health and healing. 

 

This practice, rooted in scientific studies and ancient wisdom, allows Marilyn to help those with various medical issues, such as anxiety or dementia, and to provide palliative care through her music. “Palliative care is one of my strengths, I think. Also harp therapy for people with dementia, which is close to home for me. The music brings back memories and unlocks other memories. It triggers improvements in other cognitive processes.”

 

Marilyn’s approach to music therapy transcends performance; it is an empathetic and intuitive practice. She emphasizes the importance of improvisation and starting from the person’s emotional and physical state, mirroring their rhythms and energies. “You match your music to where they’re at emotionally. So if they’re agitated, you play agitated music and you try to imitate their rhythms, like their breathing, their heartbeat. If they’re making sounds you try to imitate the sounds. It's a way of saying with your music that you understand. You're not just saying, “I can make you feel better by playing a happy tune.” That doesn’t work.” Gradually, she guides them to a place of peace and calm by changing the tempo or mode. “It’s like magic. It's transformational”.

 

The comfort she brings to those in need and her ability to adapt her repertoire seems to be core to her artistic expression. Marilyn’s one-on-one engagement with her audience, particularly those undergoing cancer treatment, highlights the profound impact of her music. “I was encouraged to record by the cancer patients in town. I used to play at the cancer clinic all the time and they would say, "I need you at my bedside at 10 o’clock tonight so that I can get to sleep.” It was with this encouragement that she recorded her album of Celtic harp music entitled Starblanket, named after one of her original compositions. 

 

Beyond the realm of harp therapy, Marilyn’s musical preferences lie in the expressive and mood-reflective realm of Celtic music, a genre that resonates with her spirit and complements the harp’s ethereal tones. 

 

On Starblanket, Marilyn’s prowess as a musical composer emerges quite poignantly in the original composition of a song entitled Seek Me in Dreams inspired by a dream of her late father. “It starts with this minor melody, and then it moves into more of a waltz. It was from memories of waltzing around the living room standing on my dad’s feet. At the end of the dream he just pixelated, that’s how he disappeared. The end of the song kind of fades away like that.”

 

That Marilyn would be inspired by a dream of her late father seems entirely fitting as the thread of musical expression was woven through her parents too. Her mother played the piano, both parents sang, and her dad whistled. “They said that he could whistle before he could walk.” She has a twinkle in her eye as she tells the story and it’s not too hard to imagine her as that five year old girl, enamored with the piano. When Marilyn talks about her music, she captivates. But when she plays, the music enthralls. 

 

One of the most captivating stories Marilyn shared is of her experience playing for a wedding that took place between an Indigenous couple on Spirit Island at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park. The ceremony occurred with the permission of Parks Canada and Indigenous nations, as it is a protected and sacred place for Indigenous peoples. She played from the causeway to the island, in a setting that resonated with the transcendent nature of her music. 

 

“It's a sacred place. It felt so beautiful, the music drifted across the lake.” As she says this, her fingers dance like ripples across the water, the same way they do across the strings of her instrument. The experience is mystical, spiritual, healing. It's meant to be felt. It would seem that more than anyone, Marilyn knows this.

 

As Marilyn’s story unfolds we are reminded of the transformative power of music and the unique role artists like Marilyn play in our lives and in the community of Hinton. Her journey, embodying the spirit of empathy and an unwavering passion for healing through music, stands as a beacon to us all in those life moments marked by big feelings. 

 

“The nicest thing anyone ever said to me about my music was by a lady who came to stay with us when we were running our BnB. She said,“I usually experience music as something outside of myself, but when you played your harp, it went straight to my soul and I experienced it from within.”

 

End Notes

 

Marilyn plays regularly at Hinton Continuing Care Center and Jasper’s Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge.

 

Marilyn’s album of Celtic harp music entitled Starblanket will soon be uploaded to Spotify for interested listeners.

 

Marilyn’s Website: https://hintonjasperharp.ca/ 

 

Marilyn Bulger is an International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP) Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner.