Music Theory/Composition 2019-20

For Music Theory and Composition jobs that begin in 2020.

Last year's page, for jobs that started in 2019: Music Theory/Composition 2018-19

Music Theory/Composition 2017-18 (2 years ago)

Music Theory/Composition 2016–2017 (3 years ago)

Music Theory/Composition 2016-17 (4 years ago)

See also: Musicology/Ethnomusicology 2019-20

RECENT ACTIVITY on the Music Theory/Composition Wiki
Recent Edits

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Theory Only
Brandeis University (review begins immediately, posted 9/10) Lecturer in Music (Spring 2020)
 * "The Brandeis University Department of Music seeks to hire a Lecturer to teach Mus10b: What to Listen for in Music: An Ears-on Approach in Spring 2020, meeting Monday/Wednesday 2 :00 pm – 3:30 pm plus office hours TBD. We seek an excellent teacher with experience instructing undergraduate music theory fundamentals and ear-training/musicianship who meets departmental needs for this elective offering. "

Durham University (deadline 10/1, 12PM UK time) Assistant Professor in Music Analysis

Eastman School of Music(deadline 10/1) Assistant Professor of Music Theory


 * Submit materials to theorysearch@esm.rochester.edu

Grambling State University (deadline not listed) Assistant Professor of Music Theory

Hope College (deadline 9/3) Music - Faculty (Emphasis in Theory)


 * see school-specific discussion below

Indiana University (deadline 10/7) Assistant Professor of Music Theory

Peabody Conservatory (deadline 10/15) Assistant Professor of Music Theory/Ear Training

Peabody Conservatory (deadline 10/15) Assistant Professor of Music Theory

Princeton University (deadline 10/1) Assistant Professor of Music

University of Massachusetts - Amherst (deadline 10/15) Assistant Professor of Music Theory
 * "We seek a scholar of music with a specialization in theory, broadly defined. Strengths in vernacular and/or non-Western music will be an asset"

University of Tampa (deadline not listed, posted 9/5/19) Assistant Professor of Music (History and/or Theory)
 * Also posted at Musicology/Ethnomusicology 2019-20

Theory/Performance, etc.
Reed College (deadline 12/20) Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Music (Choral/Music Theory)

St. Mary's College (deadline 9/30) Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, Music
 * "The person hired for this position will be responsible for developing and growing a well-established jazz band and sports band."
 * "Depending on expertise and interest, they could teach Jazz and Blues in America and a selection of music history, theory, and skill-development courses, such as music fundamentals, harmony, ear-training, form and analysis, sight singing, keyboard harmony..."
 * Also posted at Musicology/Ethnomusicology 2019-20

Stony Brook University (deadline 9/23) Assistant Professor of Music
 * "Required Qualifications: Doctorate or ABD in music history, music theory, or ethnomusicology. Preferred Qualifications: Research specialty in one or more of the following: music before 1600; gender, sexuality, and queer theory; critical race studies; or popular music studies."
 * Also posted at Musicology/Ethnomusicology 2019-20

Theory/Composition, etc.
Loyola Marymount University (until filled) Assistant or Associate Professor - Music Theory/Composition

Brigham Young University (deadline: October 25) Full-time Faculty in Composition/Theory

Composition Only
Amherst College (deadline 12/6) Valentine Visiting Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Music (2 years)

Berklee College of Music (deadline 10/15) Assistant Chair in Composition

Hong Kong Baptist University (deadline 7/27) Assistant Professor in Music Composition University of California, San Diego (deadline 10/1) Associate or Full Professor of Composition
 * Direct link to the job here: https://pers.hkbu.edu.hk/job_details.php?page_id=6&job_id=4941 (note the deadline is 7/27/2019, not 7/29 as previously listed)

University of California, Santa Barbara (deadline 9/27) Temporary Lecturer in Music Composition
 * For Winter and/or Spring 2020

University of Colorado - Boulder (deadline 11/1) Assistant Professor of Composition

University of Pennsylvania (deadline 9/15) Assistant Professor in Music Composition

UT Austin (deadline 11/1) Artist-Teacher of Composition

Composition/Music Technology
Auburn University (deadline 10/1) Assistant/Associate/Full Professor - Music (Music Composition and Technology)

Dartmouth College (deadline 11/1) Assistant Professor of Sonic Arts, Tenure-Track


 * "We seek a vibrant artist with a singular approach to creative and pedagogical practice. Makers who demonstrate convergent practices across the arts and/or sciences will be prioritized."


 * Qualifications: completed PhD, DMA, or MFA in Music Composition, Sonic Arts, Creative Media Arts, or a related-field, or equivalent professional achievement required by the start date.

Eastman School of Music (deadline 10/7) Composer/Director of the Eastman Audio Research Studio

Georgetown (deadline 12/1) Assistant Teaching Professor in Recording Arts Technology

Peabody Institute (until filled) Full-time Faculty in Music for New Media


 * "teach music and sound design for Film, TV, Games and VR and provide technical support for the New Media studio"

Simon Fraser University (deadline 9/20) Tenure Track Position in Experimental Composition
 * "We are seeking an experimental composer with a hybrid practice in two or more of the following: instrumental music, live electronics, improvisation, interactivity, maker culture, sound art, popular music, within an established interdisciplinary and collaborative practice."
 * "Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority."

SUNY Oneonta (no deadline listed) Assistant Professor of Audio Arts

University of Redlands (deadline 10/15) Assistant Professor in Music Composition
 * " We are seeking an outstanding composer and teacher to offer courses in composition, electronic and computer music..."

University of Sydney (deadline 8/21) Associate Lecturer/Lecturer in Audio and Acoustics

UT Austin (deadline 11/1) Artist-Teacher of Composition and Electronic Music/Director of Electronic Music Studios

General Discussion
(8/1a): At the risk of starting a war, could I humbly suggest that the composers start their own wiki, separate from the theory one? Nothing would stop one group from checking the other's wiki page--it's working fine with musicology--and the theory page could likely avoid some of the MRA-related dumpster fire that we've seen in the last month. Just an idea...
 * (8/1b): I enthusiastically second this idea. The idea of separate Composition and Theory wikis makes practical sense. As a theory PhD, "Theory Only" jobs are usually the only jobs on the wiki I'm qualified for. Likewise, most composition DMAs are focusing their energy on Composition, Comp/Theory, and Music Technology jobs, and not applying to "Theory Only" positions. I also think that separating the two fields' wikis makes the "General Discussion" section more useful. On last year's wiki, I'm seeing a lot of conflation of the two fields, where a theorist will respond to a complaint on hiring practices from a composer, and vice versa. In my opinion, this is unhelpful at best, and harmful at worst.
 * (8/2) Agreed! Signed, another theorist.
 * (8/2b): At the risk of increasing the risk of starting a war, may I offer a respectful disagreement? Yes, there are many jobs in the "Theory Only" section that ask for someone with a terminal degree in Theory; however, there are also many jobs in the "Theory Only" section that ask for someone with the degree in Theory OR Composition. I'm a composer, yet my first job out of the doctorate was a Theory position. While I don't want to speak for anyone else, I think most people out of their doctorate in Composition are going to be firing at any application that will allow them to apply, which includes a lot of Theory jobs. Also, the assumption that theorists don't apply for Theory/Comp, Comp, and Comp/Tech jobs, as well as the assumption that composers don't apply for Theory Only jobs, might be a little off. Finally, I don't think the solution to these dumpster fires is to leave the page and start a new one; you're almost inviting Karma to send you your own dumpster fire (and wasn't the most recent explosion set off by a theory job?). I think the solution is to take the high road; if someone posts a rant/diatribe on the page, either 1. Ignore it or 2. If you must reply, be calm and well-thought-out and then move on. We can't control the insecurities of others, but we can control what we ourselves say in response to the anger and vitriol of others. My two cents, but there you go.
 * (8/2c): I agree with 8/2b.  It's difficult to pigeonhole many jobs/candidates as one or the other, and it's easy to imagine such jobs falling through the cracks.  So I don't think it's as simple as just checking both pages.  The musicology/ethnomusicology divide is brought up as an example, but this is different; jobs don't seek someone to teach 18th century history and gamelan, whereas many jobs bundle together different elements of theory, performance, composition, and technology.  I also propose that, if a general discussion thread goes off on a long diatribe, we circumscribe that discussion to its own thread and move it to the bottom of the page.  That we separate generally helpful information from the "Comments Section."
 * (8/1a again): Well, I'm not a mod, so I'm not going to kick all the composers out (not that I would have done anyway). Just thought if the composers themselves liked the idea, they could make a break-off page.
 * (8/7a): I also respectfully disagree.  I'm a composer, but I apply to the Theory only positions at small colleges in addition to all of the "composition" stuff.
 * (8/19) (bunch of b.s. deleted) people? can you behave? You are acting like musicologists?
 * There was a conversation here. Please act respectfully and put it back on for people to see. Just because you hate other people's opinions, and possibly what they are doesn't give you the right to delete other people's comments.
 * (9/26) Actually, the deleted conversation could be construed to contain a form of doxing, which is generally considered to be cyber-bullying or harassment. So it would probably be more respectful to leave the posts removed than to reinstate them.
 * (9/26) Gotcha. Makes sense. I didn't really see anything like that in the conversation above, so I will humbly admit that I was wrong. Doxing is bad. This definitely deserves to be a safe place. Unfortunately, I don't think above was the greatest approach though. I saw "can you behave," and the like. To be honest, I saw the person above as doing something very questionable given the right for everyone to make a comment. Apologies. If you are offended by a comment, maybe the best course of action is to calmly, respectfully tell us how you feel and exactly what offended you. Maybe not. People make honest mistakes and not everyone thinks the same way. I believe this should be a place where people can safely express themselves and what they think in a respectful way. If I offended anyone by suggesting they put the conversation back, my apologies.
 * By the way: not all the comments deleted were doxing, harassment or the like, so whatever the reason this person deleted the amount of comments they did is somewhat unknown. We can't make a blanket statement in that regard.
 * (9/27) I read "can you behave" to be tongue-in-cheek, with the poster trying to use humor to diffuse some of the tension. Similarly, the doxing happened in response to something that I think was meant to also be tongue-in-cheek. Unfortunately, humor and sarcasm do not translate that well into the written word, particularly in anonymous online forums. I think the bulk deletion was the result of someone acting like a decent person, since most of the deleted posts were consequences of the initial doxing.
 * (9/27) I definitely see/understand your point of view. Possibly, and I surely suspect it to be the case, all this argument we do on here is really misunderstanding. The inital poster probably should have been much more careful, all things considered, and myself as well. Issue resolved? Do you want to keep this on here, or do you want to delete this whole thread. I'm fine either way.
 * (8/19b) I'm a composer who got a "theory" job, so the notion of separating these things out just does not hold water.
 * (9/3): Let's get some positivity in here! Best of luck to all applying to theory/composition jobs for the next academic year! :)
 * (9/29): Will this year's job market be as horrifying as in recent years? I can already see that there are twice as many composers trying to get a job as "theorists."  Based on what was said in the previous wiki, it seems there are a lot of issues like discrimination, sexism, inside candidates, spousal hires, anti-credentialism, and fake searches, to name just a few.  It's hard to stay positive when you know the reality of the situation.

School-Specific Discussion
Berklee College of Music:
 * This position was open just two years ago, and Berklee has posted at least two additional positions in Composition over the past two years. Does anyone know what's up with the department?
 * I live on the East Coast (not Boston though) but - this is my wild guess/speculation - Berklee is known for 1) being a bit on the heavy side when it comes to workload for faculty, because they have no TA and grading and teaching is all on faculty members, and 2) having a quite enormous faculty (I know this because I applied for a job a few years ago and got the chance to notice that). So, 2 is really a consequence of 1 - if there's no TA given the size of the school, I imagine  it would make sense to have a lot of faculty members, and that statistically means more frequent changes. So, it could just be very normal? As far as this position, I don't know much but I assume it's more admin?
 * There is also no tenure, from what I understand, which will inherently increase turnover.
 * Yep, I also heard everybody is by untenured contract there, not sure about the details though.
 * Hi, comp fac member here. Our pay and teaching load public here: https://www.berkleefacultyunion.org/documents turnover-- last few years we had a few deaths and retirements. One PT fac got a FT gig elsewhere, but FT members tend to stay put. Yes, it's a high teaching load, though Berklee community offers lots of networking/ collaboration opps, plus lots of new music happening in Boston. This is mostly an admin position, but if you're a smart, kind, organized composer person, go for it! I've found that comp opps come my way just having this fac title, so maybe it will hold true for new hire as well. Peace, all.
 * Hello, another faculty here - just +1 what my colleague said. If you like numbers, it's not a bad job, and Berklee is quite a nice environment. Just figured I would share my understanding of the job (but I'll ask my colleague to correct me if I am wrong) - basically you teach 1-2 classes per semester, and the rest is basically admin: scheduling for faculty, organizing visiting artists, meeting with students (a lot) and pretty much work with the chair. I believe this is also a M-F 9-5 job, including summer, with some flexibility (you can probably take some days off). Hope this helps!

Hope College:
 * Holland Sentinel: An Open Letter to Hope College Administration
 * Inside Higher Ed: 17 Professors Gone or Reassigned
 * Holland Sentinel: An Open Letter to Hope College
 * Holland Sentinel: Hope College on a Disastrous Path of its own Making
 * Holland Sentinel: Hope's Troubles Include Lack of Diversity and Inclusion
 * Wow.  What a hot mess.

Peabody
 * NB: There is also a keyboard skills job at the rank of "assistant professor of music theory." Unsure whether that belongs here or not.
 * If one were interested in/qualified for both the theory and the theory/skills position, would it look bad to apply to both, tailoring a separate cover letter for each? (Would it look even worse to send the same cover letter for both?)
 * It looks like they might be almost the same job, but advertised in different venues, which is confusing.  A short email query to search chair(s) is justified.
 * The jobs were posted on Facebook (by Peabody faculty) as three separate positions
 * Hi All, I’m the Chair of Theory, Ear Training, and Keyboard Skills here at Peabody. We have three separate positions open: One teaching the UG theory core and graduate seminars, one teaching ear training and related courses, and one teaching Keyboard Skills within the larger context of our theory curriculum. We welcome applications for all three from any and all interested and qualified parties.
 * Sorry--I meant the theory/ear training position. I imagine most of us are qualified for that as well as the theory-only position.

SUNY Oneonta:
 * (8/22) This is the fourth time in the past five years that this Composition/Audio job has been posted. Does anyone know what's up?
 * (8/25) From what I understand, the department is a complete mess and the administration is dyfunctional.

Wiki Counter

 * Check all that apply

I am a theorist: 10

I am a composer: 19

I am a little of both (theorist/composer): 5

I am a musicologist with strong theoretical leanings:

I am a computer music scientist: 2

I am currently in a TT position: 9

I am currently in a renewable-track non-tenure-track position: 1

I am currently in a VAP/Lecturer position: 6

I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow and on the market:

I am currently adjuncting and on the market: 10

I am a recent (3 years or less) PhD and on the market: 2

I am a recent (3 years or less) DMA and on the market: 4

I am a no-longer-so-recent PhD and on the market: 7

I am a no-longer-so-recent DMA and on the market: 4

I was denied tenure and am back on the market:

I am a senior tenured scholar looking for a better position:

I am a tenured or tenure-track professor whose position has been cut:

I am an adjunct professor whose position has been cut: 1

I am working outside of the academy: 2

I am ABD and on the market: 5

I am ABD and no longer on the market: 1

I am not on the market but am an interested observer: 6

I am a member of a search committee: 3