"Assistant Professor of the Practice, Double Bass"

The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure track Assistant Professor of the Practice, Double Bass, to begin August 15, 2026. We seek a superlative performer and passionate teacher who will bring expertise to a broad range of repertoire and demonstrate a keen interest in the development of undergraduate students. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits include retirement, college tuition benefit for children, and health/dental/life insurance options.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities will include teaching private applied lessons to Blair majors, minors, and elective students; coordinating weekly Bass Studio Class; teaching courses in bass pedagogy and bass orchestral repertoire; and coaching chamber music ensembles as needed. Additional responsibilities include recruiting, teaching within the Blair Academy as needed, engaging with other Blair faculty in public performances, student advising, serving on committees as assigned, and participating in service to the university and profession.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Double Bass Performance and/or commensurate professional experience preferred. Master’s degree in Double Bass Performance and/or commensurate professional experience required
• Evidence of excellent teaching at the collegiate level
• Commitment to and potential for recruiting and maintaining a successful bass studio
• The candidate should demonstrate world-class musicianship and performance skills, as well as in-depth knowledge of historical and contemporary repertoire.
• The candidate should bring an interest in cross-disciplinary initiatives and a commitment to working effectively with faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds.

Required Materials

Applications should include a cover letter, CV, teaching statement (ca. 500 words), contact information for 3-5 references (letters not required at this time), and links to recent video recordings of solo and/or chamber music performances.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Vanderbilt University shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.

About the Blair School of Music and Vanderbilt University

The Blair School of Music educates musicians who demonstrate exceptional artistic capacity and a motivation to help shape the world. It likewise serves as a home for anyone seeking engagement with music as a fundamental human enterprise. The Blair School offers a unique, undergraduate-only experience that yields a community of the highest creative and intellectual caliber. Degree programs are grounded in pedagogies and repertoires shared by the most competitive conservatories and schools of music—while still exploring new pathways in music beyond established norms. Blair graduates are recognized as distinguished artists and scholars committed to performance, composition, education, advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

The school has 106 full and part-time faculty members and industry professionals who teach approximately 255 undergraduate music majors, 830 Blair Academy students (comprised of pre-college and adult students) and 1500 non-music Vanderbilt majors.

Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. It offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and a full range of graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, all on a beautiful campus—an accredited arboretum—complete with athletic facilities and state-of-the-art laboratories. Vanderbilt is optimized to inspire and nurture cross-disciplinary research that fosters discoveries that have global impact.