DHS alumnus leaves college to pursue lifelong dream

While other recent DHS graduates are getting back into the swing of lectures and long walks to class, one 2013 graduate, Alexander Glantz, is pursuing a dream career in the music industry. Glantz, a member of the band The Heydaze, met the three other members, Jesse Fink, Andrew Spelman and Andrew Underberg, during his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I actually went to school with two of the members, Jesse and Andrew, at UPenn last year,” Glantz said. “They were already doing something together and I thought it was really cool, so I started jamming with them.”

The Heydaze consists of four members, with Glantz at drums, Fink at lead vocals, Spelman at lead guitar and Underberg leading production and keyboards. They came together in September of 2013, and Glantz joined this fall.

“[Jesse, Andrew, and Andrew] were just, like, why don’t you learn to play the drums and join the band,” Glantz said. “I learned and played with them for a week out in New York City and got an offer to join the band and took it.”

In order to pursue a career with the band, Glantz made a difficult decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from school–a decision not always backed by his parents and at odds with a community that aggressively promotes the necessity of a college education.

His father, Rob Glantz, was not initially sure if the risks of a year off outweighed the potential benefits, especially from such a prestigious university.

“It had to be a very real opportunity for us to support him dropping out of an Ivy League school,” Rob Glantz said. “As a parent, if you don’t want your kid to be a rockstar, or try to be a rockstar, then don’t tell him he’s a rockstar his whole life and then not give him his opportunity.”

The University of Pennsylvania’s stance on leaves of absence is supportive of student pursuits outside of school and recognizes the importance of experiences one may not be able to receive within the boundaries of an uninterrupted four-year education.

“There is a clear distinction between education and schooling: the former need not take place in a classroom and sometimes includes learning experiences as valuable to the student as any available at the University,” reads a policy statement on the website for Student Registration and Financial Services at the University of Pennsylvania. “The traditional approach to college education (four consecutive years of study directly following high school and interrupted only by summer vacations) is by no means best for every student.”

Taking his first major step towards a dream career, Glantz ventured on his first tour with Heydaze this August, supporting Jesse McCartney across the East Coast. His first show was on a Friday night in a small town in Maryland.

“I’ll remember it forever. It was in Silver Spring, Maryland–we really have no idea what to expect. We get there and we have our own dressing room, our own bathroom in the dressing room, they’re catering a dinner, we’re just like ‘What’s going on? This is awesome!’” Glantz said. “We walk on stage, and before we even play a note or sit down they just went wild. One thousand people strong showed up on time for us, went wild and we just knew it would be a great show.”

The Heydaze, whose musical style is described on their Facebook profile as “Windows Down, Stereo Up,” is the latest link in the chain of Glantz’s ongoing musical career, which began at DHS. During high school, Glantz often performed in yearly charity events such as STUNTS and Deerfield Idol.

“I played with a few groups in high school, did some solo stuff; in the beginning of high school I played with a group called Classified, which was my first real band. Later in high school I played with a group called Mellowship, which was this awesome acoustic-funk-fusion group,” Glantz said. “We just had a ton of fun, played a ton of shows, won battle of the bands — definitely different than what I’m doing now but so, so, so fun. That really helped me grow as a musician into what I’m doing now — I couldn’t have done it without that.”

Now based of out New York City, Glantz aspires to follow the paths of some of his own musical heroes and, ultimately, make music people can feel good listening to. The Heydaze will go on tour with Timeflies this November in cities across the U.S.

“It sounds cheesy,” Glantz said, “But do what you love to do and hopefully people will love you doing it.”