Assistant Professor in Bands

Job Description

Classification Title: AST PROF

Classification Minimum Requirements

Candidates for this rank shall hold the highest degree appropriate to their field or possess equivalent qualifications based on professional experience. A candidate shall be expected to demonstrate successful experience pertinent to the position they are being recommended and have demonstrated qualities relevant to the goals of the academic unit in which they will be employed.

Job Description:

The University of Florida School of Music in the College of the Arts invites applications for a full-time, 9-month Assistant Professor in the Bands area with an appointment starting August 16, 2027. We seek an accomplished pedagogue who will contribute to the continued success and growth of a comprehensive band program. The successful candidate will instruct concert and athletic ensembles, bringing a dynamic personality and enthusiasm for teaching to our existing community of outstanding scholars and musicians.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for justice on local and global levels.

This position is covered by the United Faculty of Florida Contract. You can view this employment union contract here https://admin.hr.ufl.edu/compliance/employee-relations-and-ethics/union-negotiations/united-faculty-of-florida-contract/.

Responsibilities:

Tenure Accruing Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director of Bands and Associate Director of Bands in the day-to-day operations of the band program, ensuring effective rehearsals, performances, and administrative coordination.
• Assist with the planning, preparation, and execution of performances, including concerts, athletic events, tours, and special programs.
• Conduct and rehearse assigned concert bands, athletic bands, and related ensembles in support of the artistic and educational mission of the band program.
• Teach undergraduate conducting courses.
• Collaborate with band faculty and staff on scheduling, equipment coordination, and ensemble logistics.
• Support recruitment, retention, and outreach activities for the band program and School of Music.
• Participate in service activities appropriate to a tenure-accruing faculty appointment, including faculty meetings and School of Music events.
• Perform additional duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the band program and School of Music.

Summer Faculty Appointment Responsibilities

• Beginning on the first day of each Summer B session and continuing through the start of Fall classes, assist with planning and preparations for the band program.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Organized within the College of the Arts, the School of Music plays an important role in the academic and cultural life of the University, the College's Creative Campus initiative and the community. The School has 40 full-time and nine adjunct faculty, serving some 200 graduate and 200 undergraduate music majors. Degree programs include B.S., B.A., B.M., M.M., D.M.A., and the Ph.D. in music education, composition, ethnomusicology, and historical musicology. Program emphases include performance, music education, theory, composition, music history and literature, ethnomusicology, conducting, and sacred music. The School of Music is also home to the UF Bands program, which includes “The Pride of the Sunshine” Gator Marching Band. School of Music facilities include the School of Music Building and Steinbrenner Band Hall, among others. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/music.

THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS: The College of the Arts is an engine of transformation that generates paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond, while nurturing adaptability, innovation, and excellence. We foster an environment where novel creative practice, leading research, and experiential learning thrive. Our students, faculty, and staff interrogate and respond to the ever-changing relationship between technology and the human spirit. We prepare future leaders in artistic professions and creative industries, while developing student capacity for interdisciplinary scholarship that serves and engages local and global communities. The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,600 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 150 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, and the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the college comprises the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami.

The University of Florida: The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world. Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. UF is a graduate research institution with more than 50,000 students and membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Gainesville, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation's most livable cities, is located midway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the University and the community comprise the educational, medical and cultural center of North Central Florida.

In addition to salary, the University of Florida (UF) offers low cost State Health plans, a number of Dental plans to fit you and your family's needs, and Vision. Domestic partner coverage through GatorCare is also available. Optional plans such as life, disability, legal and accident insurance are also available.

UF provides a variety of leave programs including vacation, sick leave, 11 paid holidays, personal leave days, and family medical leave. Nine-month faculty employees accrue approximately 13 sick days annually, and 4 personal leave days, typically used during the holiday closing period (accruals based on full-time employment). UF also provides you the flexibility to deal with life's challenges by offering paid family leave, eight full weeks of leave over a 24-month period.

Build a retirement roadmap with competitive pension plans, investment accounts and a host of voluntary add-ons, such as 457 deferred compensation and 403(b) plans.

UF Employees are also eligible for the GatorPerks discount program, which provides big savings at various business and retailers!

Explore UF's plethora of benefit options here: FACULTY Benefits

Expected Salary:

Assistant Professor: $61,000-$63,000 based on qualifications and experience with a comprehensive and highly competitive leave and benefits package

Summer Faculty appointment: $5,000-$6,000

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate must meet all the following

• Doctorate or ABD in music (Instrumental Conducting or Music Education)
• Evidence of successful music teaching experience in instrumental music (concert and athletic bands) at the collegiate and/or high school level
• Evidence of success in marching band drill design and/or music arranging
• Evidence of successful collaboration and collegiality with faculty, students, and staff
• Evidence of skill in designing and facilitating academic work that advances curiosity, respect, open intellectual discourse, and the welcome incorporation and well-being of all in an environment of complex differences.

Preferred

The successful candidate will meet some of the following

• Teaching experience of 3 to 5 years beyond graduate assistantship at the university level
• Expertise in marching band drill design and/or music arranging
• Demonstrated capacity for effective engagement in recruiting
• Organizational, management, and communication experience within higher education

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin November 16, 2026, and continue until an applicant pool is established. To ensure full consideration, all application documents must be submitted by November 16, 2026. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the University of Florida's online application system. Online applications must include the following:

(1) A detailed letter of application that explains how you match the particular qualifications of this position and how your work and perspective will contribute to and enhance our transformative community;

(2) A curriculum vitae;

(3) A document containing links to 20-30 minutes of conducting footage that shows both rehearsal and performance

(4) Names and contact information for three professional references.

(5) Submit name and contact information for a staff or administrative member that we may contact for a phone conversation.

The UF system will give you the option to upload letters of reference. We are not requiring letters of reference with initial application materials. Please ignore that option. The Search Committee may request additional materials at a later time.

Inquiries may be sent to:
Chip Birkner
Chair, Ast Prof in Bands Search
chipbirk@ufl.edu

Applications will only be removed from consideration after being reviewed by the humans on the search committee.

The selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an educational institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call +1 (352) 392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at +1 (800) 955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

Health Assessment Required: No

Our Commitment:
The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Hiring is contingent on eligibility to work in the U.S. The University of Florida is a public institution and is subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.