University of Arizona is hiring: Assistant Professor of Music, Choral Conductor

Assistant Professor of Music, Choral Conductor (T/TE))

The University of Arizona School of Music invites applications for Assistant Professor of Music-Choral Conducting/Director of Choral Activities. The position is full-time, 9-month, tenure track. The successful candidate will be an artist with a growing record of sustained excellence in choral performance, teaching, and scholarship, and will provide leadership and administrative oversight within the choral program. The candidate will recruit and teach outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, create and maintain an active national profile as a choral conductor, scholar, and pedagogue, teach graduate choral conducting, choral literature, weekly lessons and seminar for MM and DMA students, and perform related duties as assigned by the Director of the School of Music.

The School of Music is accredited by NASM and is one of the country’s top comprehensive music programs. It is an all‑Steinway School with multiple performance spaces, a recording studio and a Yamaha digital keyboard lab.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct Symphonic Choir, the premier choral ensemble of the School of Music.
• Teach graduate choral conducting, choral literature seminar, and related courses, including weekly lessons for MM and DMA students and a weekly seminar with the full conducting studio.
• Supervise the graduate degree program in choral conducting, including qualification, comprehensive, and dissertation examinations, and mentor students through degree completion and professional placement.
• Provide artistic and administrative leadership for the choral program and collaborate closely with other choral faculty in program planning, recruitment, outreach, experiential learning, research, scholarship and creative opportunities that benefit student learning outcomes and success.
• Maintain an active national profile as a choral conductor, scholar, and pedagogue.
• Work collaboratively with faculty and staff across the School of Music and the College of Fine Arts to advance performance, research, and service initiatives.
• Duties as assigned by the Director of the School of Music.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs)

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with students, faculty, and community members from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to foster and maintain positive professional relationships within an academic and artistic environment.
• Knowledge of the needs that impact the arc of success and thriving for choral students.
• Skills to create teaching environments that are welcoming and responsive to the varying needs, interests, and strengths of all students.
• Skills to encourage critical thinking and respectful dialogue.
• Ability to use new pedagogies and classroom strategies to advance comprehensive learning opportunities.
• Ability to foster a sense of belonging and opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Ability to create public engagement, partnership or outreach with a wide range of communities.
• Ability to show leadership or service within professional associations that work to remove barriers to access, opportunity, and belonging.
• Knowledge of how to address barriers in access, belonging, and success in the music professions and choral education.
• Ability to support the university's efforts to build and sustain a vibrant respectful workplace.

Minimum Qualifications

• DMA or PhD in Choral Conducting or a closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education, or commensurate professional experience.
• Evidence of effective choral conducting and teaching at the university or professional level.
• Minimum of three years of teaching experience with graduate students.
• Evidence of, or demonstrated potential for, scholarly, creative, and/or research activity appropriate to rank.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of successful collegiate-level experience as an artist, teacher, and scholar (required for appointment at Associate rank).
• Record of sustained excellence in choral performance, teaching, and scholarship.
• Evidence of leadership or administrative oversight within a choral program at the university, professional, or festival level.
• Demonstrated success attracting, retaining, and working with undergraduate and graduate students.
• Active engagement within professional organizations such as ACDA, NCCO, NAfME.
• Experience with community-based ensembles, festivals, or outreach initiative.

To Apply

Letter of Application describing why you are interested in the position, experience, artistic and pedagogical vision for leading a comprehensive university choral program, how you meet some or all the qualifications for the position; and any prior experience you believe is relevant to the School of Music and university mission and values.

• Curriculum Vitae detailing teaching, conducting, scholarly and professional experience and record of service.
• Philosophy of Teaching statement (one to two pages) describing your goals as an educator; relevant pedagogical training, and overall approach to mentoring and educating students with varying backgrounds, interest, abilities, and prior experiences.
• One Representative Syllabus from a recent course taught.
• Three Letters of Recommendation; names and contact information to enter into the application system.
• Contact Information for Five References who may be contacted later in the search process.
• Video Portfolio (one-page PDF with active, private links) containing recent, live, unedited footage, including:
  • Approximately 20 minutes of rehearsal,
  • 15 minutes of performance, and
  • 10 minutes of a choral literature lecture.

Dr. M. Nicole Davis
davismn@arizona.edu