About Glenda Austin
Glenda Austin is a celebrated American composer, arranger, pianist, and educator hailing from Joplin, Missouri, widely recognized for her significant contributions to piano education. Her musical style primarily encompasses engaging and pedagogically sound piano works, often blending classical foundations with accessible jazz influences and appealing melodies. Austin's overall significance lies in her prolific output of student-friendly repertoire and arrangements, which have made learning and performing music enjoyable and rewarding for countless students and teachers across various skill levels.
- Glenda Austin holds impressive academic credentials, having earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri at Columbia.
- She developed a close association and friendship with the renowned children's composer William Gillock, leading to her selection by Willis Music Company to simplify his popular "New Orleans Jazz Styles" series and arrange them for four-hand duets.
- Her compositions are frequently selected for state piano repertoire lists and are consistently placed on the National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival list, highlighting their pedagogical value and appeal.
- Glenda Austin is an active clinician, regularly presenting workshops for teachers and students across the United States, Canada, and Japan, where her music is also published by Zen-On publishers and recorded by Victor Recording.
Playing Glenda Austin's music offers a rewarding experience for pianists ranging from elementary to later intermediate levels, as well as church musicians and anyone seeking beautifully crafted, accessible repertoire. Her sheet music is highly valued by teachers for its pedagogical effectiveness, helping students develop technique, musicality, and expression through pieces that are both instructive and intrinsically motivating. Performers will find her compositions enjoyable due to their catchy melodies, rhythmic vitality, and the satisfying sense of accomplishment gained from mastering her well-structured and engaging works, whether for recital, study, or personal enjoyment.