Contact: donglanden@gmail.com / 302 528 2159
Don Glanden is a widely respected Philadelphia-based pianist, composer, and educator with over thirty-five years of university teaching experience. He joined the faculty at University of the Arts in 1996 and served there as Director of Graduate Jazz Studies and Piano Department Chair until 2024. Prior to joining the faculty at UArts he was a full-time faculty member at Temple University. Numerous universities–including Rowan University, Lincoln University, New England Conservatory, University of California at Los Angeles, Thelonious Monk Institute, and the Lamont School of Music at Denver University–have hosted his masterclasses, lectures and workshops in the areas of performance, composition, improvisation, and jazz history. He has had numerous educational articles published in such jazz magazines as DOWNBEAT, Jazz Improv, and All About Jazz.
Don’s success as an educator includes countless former students currently touring with celebrated jazz groups, winning Grammy awards, producing and performing for major artists, and writing for music publications. As educators they are a significant presence at major universities around the world, where they have served as faculty members, program directors, and deans.
In addition to teaching at his private studio in Wilmington, Delaware, Don teaches individual lessons and classes online through various platforms. To schedule Don for an online class or lesson, contact him at donglanden@gmail.com / 302 528 2159.
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Adam Blackstone – Bass
Emmy Award winning music director and Grammy Award winning composer
Musical mastermind behind the live shows of many of today’s biggest artists
Music director for Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Eminem and multiple Super Bowl halftime shows
“Don Glanden, the master, the innovator…Thank you for teaching me not only about the sonics of music, but composition, orchestration, the arranging process, musicianship, and how to listen! I recommend that anybody go see Don to elevate their musicianship and creative process in totality. Thank you, Don, for all you’ve done for me!”
Chien Chien Lu – Vibraphone
Recording and touring artist, member of Jeremy Pelt Quintet
Vibraphone Rising Star in Downbeat Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll 2022
“I studied with Don for two years in graduate school. He taught me many useful methods and helped give me the mindset to become a better musician. The things he taught me were not just technique and theory, it was also lifelong knowledge. Now when I’m preparing for a show or even on the stage, I think about the things he taught me and I’m trying to stick to it. That always has the best outcome!”
Jamar Jones – Piano
Producer, music director, songwriter, arranger, and session musician for Patti LaBelle, Boyz II Men, Jill Scott, Fantasia, Jamie Foxx, Kanyé West, Janet Jackson, and many more. Faculty member, University of Texas at Arlington
“Back in 2004, I taught at University of the Arts in Philly as a senior lecturer in jazz piano. It was a time I really enjoyed because I got to teach under one of the greatest music geniuses I had met to date, Don Glanden. Don and I had a special relationship because he was my first collegiate study professor in piano at Temple University. I spent a few semesters under his carefully guided instruction, which I quickly assumed as a foundation for who I have now become.”
Jaron Olevsky – Piano
Keyboardist and music director for Blue Note recording artist Amos Lee
“Don Glanden was a very pivotal teacher in my musical education. We had great times playing together, many interesting conversations, and he really influenced not only how I think about learning piano, but music in general. One thing that always stuck with me was the way that he spoke about bridging the intellectual and non-intellectual approaches to music; that too often people disregard or even hold disdain for one approach or the other. I’ve noticed this myself, but I think Don articulated it best. When studying with him, there was always a balance of focusing on things like feel, intuition, and letting go, as there was on technique, routine, and theory. I still reflect back to our lessons together in my own practicing and teaching today.”
Matthew Shipp – Piano
Celebrated avant-garde jazz pianist and bandleader
“I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, which was a culturally rich city with a lot of wisdom from a group of great teachers and older musicians. Don Glanden was a big part of this. At Wilmington Music School I was blessed with getting knowledge and wisdom from him!”
Mike Dawson – Drums
Managing Editor, Modern Drummer Magazine
Lecturer in Jazz Journalism, University of the Arts
“The curriculum seemed much more creative and focused than other universities–every class offered something very valuable for a developing musician. Transcription/Analysis was one of the most beneficial classes I’ve ever taken.”
Dr. Sean McGowan – Guitar
DMA in Guitar Performance, University of Southern California
Assistant Professor of Music Performance, University of Colorado, Denver
“The program prepared me for doctoral study, particularly the Transcription/Analysis and Improvisation classes, which were really great.”
Dimitris Angelakis – Vibraphone
Recording artist and faculty member at University of Ioannina, Greece
“Don doesn’t just teach; he inspires a real love for music and a passion for creativity. With his guidance I learned to perform jazz at a higher level. His unique style really pushes students to create something personal and original, encouraging us to be ourselves and express our individuality. Thanks to him, I’ve found my own style and achieved a deeper level of artistic expression.”
Chaim Burstein – Guitar
Contributing Writer, JAZZed Magazine
Faculty member, Concord Conservatory, Concord, MA
“The Transcription/Analysis and Advanced Improvisation classes completely changed the way that I play, the way that I practice, and how I think about music.”
Mike Frank – Piano
Faculty member, Temple University
“My private lessons were so valuable to me… It certainly pushed me into musical territory that was interesting to me but where I might not have forced myself to go… it pushed my creative output. Enormously valuable!”
Yungon Kim – Piano
Recording artist and faculty member at Myongji University, Chung-Ang University, Seoul Theological University, and Seoul Jangsin University
“Whenever I got a lesson with Don, I learned how to love jazz deeply. His approach to jazz theory includes classical music, and I studied pieces by Ravel, Debussy and Bartok. It remains my goal to find new sounds, and I still get great inspiration from his lessons and classes.”
Joe Holt – Piano
Recording and concert artist
Faculty member, Washington College
“When looking for a teacher, the advice is often to find a musician who does what you want to learn. After hearing Don in Atlantic City in the 1980s, I knew I found the guy. Don has high expectations for himself and his students, challenging us with a solid methodical approach for learning the detail of jazz language and discipline, along with broader conceptual advice to support his exhortation to overlay intellect and intuition in practice and performance. I learned much about jazz, and about myself, during my three years of private study. Don has remained a friend and encourager to this day. Grateful for all of it.”
Ricky Hess – Keyboards
Pianist, composer, recording and touring artist
Keyboardist for eight-time Grammy Award winning artist, Ms. Lauryn Hill
Recent performances in Miami, New Orleans, São Paulo, Johannesburg and throughout Canada
“I accredit so much of how I play and how I think about music to the absolute brilliance of Don Glanden and his teachings. Every lesson and every class I’ve ever had with him has presented me with new inspiration and joy toward the world of music. He never runs out of ways to revolutionize how I think about music and how I approach playing my instrument.”
Dave Hanson
Instructor of Jazz Composition and Arranging
Lamont School of Music, University of Denver
“Don was great with my students during his Lamont School residency. During one of my arranging classes, he demonstrated (at the piano) the gold mine of harmonic vocabulary to be extracted from one of Bartok’s Mikrokosmos. My students were enraptured, and so was I. Don brings an inclusive viewpoint about music to everything he does, and this is just one example. It was an inspiring residency!”
Dr. Hankus Netsky
Co-chair, Contemporary Improvisation, New England Conservatory
“Not only did Don Glanden present a well-informed and comprehensive survey of the much-neglected work of this important musical figure (Bernard Peiffer), drawing liberally on unreleased recordings and first-hand interactions, but he also ably showed us how the artist’s legacy lives on in his own performing and teaching.”
Don Glanden 