University of Connecticut, Music

Position ID:UConn-Music-496940 [#23430, 496940]
Position Title: Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Athletic Bands/Assistant Director of Wind Bands
Position Type:Tenured/Tenure-track faculty
Position Location:Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States [map] sort by distance
Subject Area: Music
Appl Deadline: finished (2022/10/24, finished 2023/04/25)
Position Description:    

*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Music at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a full-time (11-month) Director of Athletic Bands/Assistant Director of Wind Bands at the rank of Assistant Professor of Music (tenure-track) to join a collaborative team of faculty, staff, and students within our Athletic Band program and Department of Music. 

The University of Connecticut Athletic Band program enrolls over 300 students annually and is integrated with the Department of Music. Athletic Band ensembles include “The Pride of Connecticut!” Marching Band and Varsity Pep Bands (basketball and hockey). Through performances spanning local marching exhibitions to nationally televised sporting events, the Athletic Band program’s ensembles have captivated audiences throughout the United States and abroad. The program has achieved a position of distinction among its peers and a reputation for excellence.

In addition to serving as Director of Athletic Bands/Assistant Director of Wind Bands, the position may include teaching opportunities such as conducting a concert ensemble or other courses according to the candidate’s expertise. Additional duties will include participation in the graduate conducting seminar and shared responsibility in the recruitment and program growth of the Department of Music. 

The University of Connecticut Athletic Bands are part of the Department of Music. The Athletic Band Program aims to: 

  • Represent, symbolize, and advance the public image of the University of Connecticut. 
  • Create an environment that is inclusive, diverse, and accessible to all University students, and that recognizes and reflects the wide range of talent, experience, and ability in the UConn student body.
  • Provide opportunities for students to exercise and improve their musical, organizational, and leadership skills.
  • Participate in outreach and engagement through service to the Music Department, public school music classrooms, and communities at large.
  • Provide appropriate ceremonial music and backdrop for important University events.

We seek a colleague who is capable not only of collaboratively carrying these proud traditions forward, but whose interdisciplinary outlook will provide vision and leadership for a twenty-first-century collegiate athletic band program for students across our University. 

We also seek a supportive colleague with strong interpersonal, communication, collaborative, and organizational skills who is committed to the recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds and experiences and to the growth of our Department and the Athletic Band program. The successful candidate will also understand and be able to articulate the mission of higher education in diverse musical fields within the context of a school of fine arts at a major research university.

The successful candidate will engage in research and creative activity through high-quality performances, publications, guest conducting appearances, conference presentations, intramural and extramural funding, and national recognition through awards. 

In the area of teaching, the successful candidate will share a deep commitment to effective instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the development of innovative courses or teaching techniques, and mentoring of students in research, outreach, and professional development. Successful candidates will be strong recruiters capable of broadening participation among members of under-represented groups; will demonstrate through their research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience; will integrate multicultural experiences into instructional methods and research tools; and will provide leadership in developing pedagogical techniques designed to meet the needs of diverse learning styles and intellectual interests.

The Department of Music at the University of Connecticut is a fully accredited, institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, with 20 full-time faculty members, 25 part-time faculty members, 165 undergraduate students, and 30 graduate students. The Department provides a wide range of opportunities for music and intellectual growth with degrees offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Its faculty takes an interdisciplinary and wide-ranging approach to music teaching and learning, engaging in collaborations across the University. Additional information about the Department and its programs can be seen at http://www.music.uconn.edu.      

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES                                     

  • Serve as Director of Athletic Bands/Assistant Director of Wind Bands.
  • Plan and lead instruction of movement and music rehearsals, guiding students through proficient use of the Ultimate Drill Book.
  • Direct and support a robust student leadership cohort in the organization of student data, alumni engagement, equipment and logistics coordination, and fundraising, by meeting regularly with student leaders across the instructional and organizational arms of the Athletic Band Program. 
  • Support UConn chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma as a chapter sponsor. 
  • Provide administrative leadership to the Athletic Band Program by delegating administrative tasks over an 11-month calendar focused on student recruiting, hiring of instructional support staff, creative show development, selecting musical repertoire, coordinating early housing arrival, and developing performance schedules.
  • Work directly with UConn Athletics, Marketing, and Operations to coordinate game-day logistics, stadium access, and event planning as it relates to alumni and prospective student programs.
  • Develop and engage in systematic recruitment activities that include but are not limited to off-campus high school visitations, on-campus clinics and workshops for area high school directors and students, and conducting at honors and all-state festivals.
  • Work directly with University offices (Centers for Students with Disabilities, Community Standards, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Dean of Students) to advance initiatives around diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.  
  • Develop and maintain a national research profile through performances, publications, conference presentations, guest conducting appearances, intramural and extramural funding, and national recognition through awards.
  • Serve on Department, School, and University committees and advise undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Other duties as assigned. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Earned doctorate in a relevant field of music by the start date of the appointment (August 23, 2023).
  2. Documented experience and accomplishments with collegiate athletic bands.
  3. Demonstrated success in college-level teaching. 
  4. The ability to contribute through research, teaching, and/or public engagement to the diversity and excellence of the learning experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Experience with directing and supporting student leaders across the instructional and organizational arms of an Athletic Band Program. 
  2. Experience with providing year-round administrative leadership to an athletic band program that includes student recruiting, hiring of instructional support staff, creative show development, selecting musical repertoire, coordinating early housing arrival, and developing performance schedules.
  3. Experience with creating drill designs, and/or musical arrangements. 
  4. Experience as a collaborator with athletic, marketing, and operation departments to coordinate game-day logistics, stadium/arena access, and event planning. 
  5. Experience in working directly with university offices to advance initiatives around diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.  
  6. Experience with developing and implementing systematic recruitment activities that include but are not limited to off-campus high school visitations, on-campus clinics and workshops for area high school directors and students, and conducting at honors and all-state festivals. 
  7. Demonstrated success in wind band conducting.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a full-time, 11-month, tenure-track position with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2023. The successful candidate’s academic appointment will be at the Storrs campus, though faculty members may also be asked to teach at one of UConn’s regional campuses as part of their ordinary workload. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.   

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/23430 and submit the following application materials:

  • A cover letter,
  • Curriculum vitae,
  • Research and scholarship statement (innovative concepts that will form the basis of academic career, experience in proposal development, mentorship of graduate students, etc.);
  • Teaching statement (including teaching philosophy, teaching experience, commitment to effective learning, concepts for new course development, etc.);
  • Commitment to diversity statement (including broadening participation, integrating multicultural experiences in instruction and research and pedagogical techniques to meet the needs of diverse learning styles, etc.);
  • Video of teaching and/or conducting marching and concert ensembles should be submitted via live YouTube links on a .pdf with your Application Materials (private YouTube links are acceptable).
  • Contact information for at least three (3) references.       

Evaluation of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; however, to ensure full consideration, please apply by November 28, 2022. Please contact Louis Hanzlik (louis.hanzlik@uconn.edu), Search Chair, with any questions about the position. For more information regarding the Department of Music please visit the Department's website at music.uconn.edu.

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

This position will be filled subject the budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.


Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
And anything else requested in the position description.

Further Info:
www.music.uconn.edu
email address
 
University of Connecticut
Department of Music
1295 Storrs Road, Unit 1012
Storrs, CT 06269-1012