Teaching Assistant Professor in Bluegrass and Musicianship

Department: Music - 310300

Posting Open Date: 09/28/2026

Final date to receive applications: 11/18/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Position Type: Permanent Faculty

Working Title: Teaching Assistant Professor in Bluegrass and Musicianship

Appointment Type: Fixed Term Faculty

Vacancy : FAC
0006126

Full-time/Part-time: Full Time

Hours per week: 40

FTE: 1

Position Location: North Carolina, US

Hiring Range: Dependent on Experience and/or Qualifications

Proposed

Start Date:

07/01/2027

We wish to hire a pedagogically innovative colleague to serve a wide range of students studying bluegrass and old-time music within a broad liberal arts education ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).), as well as music majors and minors developing their musicianship skills across the full range of art music, jazz, musical theater, and popular music. We especially seek candidates who can engage creatively with a broad population of students and build connections between different modes of music-making.

Our department’s bluegrass program began in 2016 and has grown to include two bands, individual applied lessons, and courses on bluegrass history and culture, along with related courses on songwriting, audio production, and country music. Our musicianship courses focus on aural skills, improvisation, and embodied practice. The successful candidate will teach a combination of those courses, including lessons and ensembles, that align with the candidate’s expertise and our departmental mission as outlined on our website ().

The Department of Music at UNC-Chapel Hill offers a BMus and BA in Music for undergraduate students and an MA and Ph.D. in Musicology for graduate students. Our educational mission is to teach music majors and non-majors, to connect the study of music to a broader understanding of the world, and to guide graduate students as researchers and teachers. We serve the public by presenting performances and academic lectures by students, faculty, and guest artists and scholars.

We offer over one hundred concerts and recitals each year, and our facilities include a state-of-the-art auditorium with recording capabilities (audio and video) as well as lighting and sound systems. Our 60 full-time and part-time faculty teach approximately 2500 students during the academic year and another 200 during summer school. Through our teaching, research, and creative activities, we share music’s multiplicity of forms and meanings, connecting the study of music to a broader understanding of societies and affirming music’s importance as an expression of humanity.

This is a full-time, teaching-track (non-tenure-track) position with an initial 3-year appointment, eligible for renewal and promotion. Teaching load will be three courses (3 credit-hours each) per semester or the equivalent and may include a combination of individual lessons, ensemble direction, and classroom teaching of both music majors and non-majors. Responsibilities begin on July 1, 2027.

The successful candidate will have a master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field.

Preference will be given to candidates who have at least three years of experience teaching both individual lessons and courses at the university level, and nationally recognized accomplishments as a performer and/or band leader in bluegrass, old-time, or string-band music.

Not Applicable.