Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies, Department of Music

Job title: Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies, Department of Music
Position code: 24-R-MUSI-O 
Date posted: November 27, 2024
Application deadline: January 20, 2025
Advertised until: Position is filled

Position description

Concordia University’s Department of Music invites applications to fill a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor to teach jazz courses at the undergraduate level and coordinate the Jazz Studies program, starting August 1, 2025.  We are seeking applicants of exceptional caliber, with a national or international profile, who have made significant contributions to jazz both as a practitioner and educator. Feminist approaches to jazz and jazz pedagogy are especially welcome.

The successful candidate must provide evidence of effective teaching, service, and research, whether scholarly or practice based. The ideal candidate will demonstrate an authentic commitment to the development and integration of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility principles within all aspects of their duties and responsibilities. The position also involves administrative duties including service in the role of Coordinator of Jazz Studies, which may entail overseeing student recruitment, admissions, academic advising, curriculum management, student performance organization, and the prestigious Oscar Peterson Jazz Scholarship competition. As such, preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate evidence of potential to meet the collaborative leadership goals of the program and the department. 

Qualifications and assets 

Candidates for this position must have a completed doctoral or master’s degree in music, or for senior performers, an extensive body of professional work. Special consideration will be given to candidates with expertise in saxophone or guitar. Other required qualifications include a minimum of two years of university-level teaching experience or equivalent experience at the pre-professional or professional levels and proven evidence of leadership in promoting gender equality in the field of jazz performance and practice. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong potential for outstanding teaching contributions in a variety of courses including theory/harmony, ear-training, improvisation, ensembles, jazz history and/or instrumental lessons. The ability to work productively in a collegial environment and contribute to program operations is also required. Capacity to develop productive relations with the Montreal jazz community is an asset. 

Candidates are encouraged to share any career interruptions or personal circumstances that may have had an impact on their career goals in their letter of application. These will be carefully considered in the assessment process. The Department values diversity among its faculty and strongly encourages applications from those who will contribute to that profile. Concordia University is an English-language institution of higher learning at which the primary language of instruction and research is English. Since this position supports academic functions of the university, proficiency in English is required. Working knowledge of French, including reading and grading student work in French, is an asset.    

How to Apply 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. While applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship, all applicants must include one of the following statements: 

Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

or 

No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada

Applications should be submitted electronically to music@concordia.ca on or before January 20, 2025, but will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. For video files, please submit links to a professional website, a YouTube or Vimeo channel. If the link is private, please provide the password. Submissions should consist of a single PDF file and include the following items in the order specified below: 

• A cover letter clearly identifying the job title and position code (24-R-MUSI-O) 
• A complete updated curriculum vitae 
• A teaching statement that includes the applicant’s teaching philosophy and interest as well as approaches to mentorship
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness—e.g., teaching evaluations (statistical information only) and syllabi of courses taught
• Links to any relevant research including articles, publications, reviews, recordings, etc. 
• Links to musical examples and performances  
• The names and contact information of three professional referees
• Declaration: “Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada” or “No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada” 

All inquiries regarding this position may be directed to Joshua Rager, Chair, Department of Music at chair.music@concordia.ca. 

Concordia University is strongly committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, and recognizes the importance of inclusion in achieving excellence in teaching and research. As part of this commitment to providing our students with the dynamic, innovative, and inclusive educational environment of a Next‐Generation University, we require all applicants to articulate in their cover letter how their background, as well as lived and professional experiences and expertise have prepared them to teach in ways that are relevant for a diverse, multicultural contemporary Canadian society. 

Possible examples to demonstrate a diverse experience may include, but are not limited to: 

• teaching about underrepresented populations 
• mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds 
• committee work 
• offering or organizing educational programming 
• participation in training and workshops 

All applicants will receive an email invitation to complete a short equity survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifying information about candidates will be shared with hiring committees. Candidates who wish to self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group to the hiring committee may do so in their cover letter or by writing directly to the contact person indicated in this posting.