"Assistant Professor of Practice or Assistant Teaching Professor - Guitar and Jazz"

Assistant Professor of Practice or Assistant Teaching Professor - Guitar and Jazz

Northern Arizona University

Special Information

• This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.

About the Department/College

The Kitt School of Music at Northern Arizona University continues a proud tradition of training the next generation of music teachers, performers, and scholars for the State of Arizona and the Southwest. Kitt School of Music is a vibrant community within Northern Arizona University serving approximately 250 music majors and hundreds of music minors and non-music majors. The School offers three undergraduate degrees in music (Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, Bachelor of Arts) and the Master of Music (seven concentrations including Instrumental Performance). Studio faculty frequently model artistic excellence through performances in solo, chamber, and ensemble settings. Committed to a civil working and learning environment, NAU has earned a reputation as a university with all the features of a large institution but with a personal touch, with a faculty and staff dedicated to each student's success. All faculty members are expected to promote student learning and help students achieve academic outcomes.

About the Position

The Kitt School of Music at Northern Arizona University seeks a versatile and accomplished guitarist to join its faculty as an Assistant Professor of Practice or Assistant Teaching Professor. This non-tenure-track position emphasizes excellence in applied guitar instruction, ensemble leadership, and contributions to jazz and classical programs. The successful candidate will direct the guitar studio, training students in both classical and jazz idioms. Secondary teaching assignments will be based on faculty expertise and departmental needs, such as jazz combos, jazz ensemble, chamber music, world music, music theory, ear training, or introductory general studies in jazz or popular music genres.

Responsibilities Include

• Teach applied lessons in classical and jazz/commercial styles.
• Teach courses in guitar-related areas such as guitar ensemble, chamber music, literature, pedagogy, and guitar methods for music education students.
• Teach courses in jazz-related areas such as jazz combo, jazz ensemble, or improvisation.
• Teach in a secondary area, according to expertise and department needs, such as music theory, ear training, world music, or introductory general studies in popular music genres.
• Recruit and retain high-quality guitar students.
• Maintain an active professional performance career.
• Participate in service activities within the School of Music and the university.
• Mentor students in academic, professional, and career development.

Minimum Qualifications

Assistant Professor of Practice:

• Master's degree in performance or equivalent professional experience.
• Five years of experience performing guitar in jazz and classical idioms.

Assistant Teaching Professor:

• Doctorate in performance.
• Experience performing guitar in jazz and classical idioms.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.*

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to perform and teach guitar in a multiple styles, such as classical, jazz, and commercial.
• Doctorate in guitar or related field.
• Track record of successful teaching at the university/collegiate level.
• Evidence of potential for continued scholarly/creative contributions to the profession.
• Demonstrated success or potential for recruiting at the collegiate level.
• Experience teaching in one or more secondary areas.
• Experience mentoring students toward professional careers in jazz, classical, and contemporary music.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge:

• Jazz guitar repertoire, pedagogy, and performance practices.
• Classical guitar repertoire and techniques.
• Jazz theory, improvisation, and ensemble literature.

Skills:

• Exceptional jazz and classical guitar performance and teaching ability.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Effective recruitment and student engagement strategies.
• Direct or coach small and large ensembles

Abilities:

• Mentor and advise students from a variety of backgrounds and ability levels.
• Inspire students toward professional success in jazz, classical, and contemporary music.
• Work collegially with faculty from studio, ensemble, and academic areas.

Compensation

Budgeted salary is $60,000.

Submit your Application

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page.

Application must include (saved as PDF and/or Word documents):

1. a cover letter highlighting your particular qualifications for this position;
2. a curriculum vitae;
   As a part of your CV please include links to sample video recordings of recent solo and/or collaborative performances representing jazz/commercial and classical styles.
   Please share video recordings as unrestricted links on platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, or similar. If possible, include all videos in a playlist that can be accessed with a single link.
3. names and contact information for three references.

Please do not include any other documents as they will not be considered.

To apply, please visit: https://careers.nau.edu/jobs/assistant-professor-of-practice-or-assistant-teaching-professor-guitar-and-jazz-flagstaff-arizona-united-states