Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor of Music

JOB TITLE

Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor of Music

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Humanities & Arts

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Department of Humanities and Arts (HUA) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor in Music beginning August 2026.

We seek a music scholar-practitioner whose work engages the diversity of American musical cultures through interdisciplinary perspectives such as musicology, ethnomusicology, history, sociology, cultural studies, and performance practice. The successful candidate will help students examine not only the mechanics of music, but also music as a site of social, racial, gendered, and political meaning. We welcome applicants who can connect scholarship and creative practice, and who are eager to explore musical traditions through courses, research projects, performance, and other innovative pedagogical approaches.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellence in teaching, intellectual versatility, and active engagement in art-making or scholarly practice, which may include musicology, historical research, composition, production, or performance.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job responsibilities:

To teach eight 7-week courses (two courses per term), including offerings such as:

• MU 1000: Music and Its Makers
  An introduction to interdisciplinary music studies centered on the individuals who create musical meaning-composers, performers, listeners, patrons, critics, and communities. The course situates musical works within their broader cultural and historical contexts and foregrounds contributions often marginalized in traditional music histories.
• MU 2020: History of American Popular Music
  A study of the origins and development of American popular music, with particular attention to African diasporic traditions, European folk influences, blues, early popular music, and the emergence of rock 'n' roll and its cultural impact.
• MU 3202: Music, Gender, and Power
  An exploration of how gender functions as a vector of political and social power across musical traditions. The course engages feminist, queer, and trans theoretical frameworks and includes research-based student projects.
• HU 3900: Inquiry Seminar (Writing About Music / Music and Society)
  Advanced seminars that serve as the capstone of WPI's Humanities and Arts requirement. These courses emphasize sustained critical inquiry, research, writing, and engagement with diverse perspectives.

Participate in initiatives conducted by the Humanities and Arts Department and the University

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or D.M.A. in Music is preferred; terminal degree in a relevant field considered
• Successful classroom teaching at the university level
• History of professional accomplishments in the form of publications and / or creative work

To Apply:

As part of your application, please submit:

• A cover letter that describes your interests, values, and practices as a scholar and teacher
• C.V. that contains academic and professional experience and includes names and contact information for three professional references
• Examples of scholarly and / or creative work (no more than two), which could include audio or video recordings

We will ask for letters of reference and a teaching portfolio for short-listed candidates only. Review of applications will begin March 15, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.

Compensation:

$70,000 - $78,000 per year. Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity.

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)