Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education; Tenure-track Appointment

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education (Tenure-track Appointment) at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Wayne State University is seeking a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education in the Department of Music, beginning in August 2027. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

The successful candidate will excel in research, teaching, and service. In the area of research, the candidate will produce a significant level of peer-reviewed scholarly activity. In the area of teaching, the candidate will teach instrumental music education and instrumental techniques courses, and place and supervise student teachers and coordinate other fieldwork experiences. In the area of service, the candidate will steward relationships with local and state music teachers, participate in department committees, participate in audition and recruiting activities, and perform other service assignments as appropriate.

The university is investing heavily in the Department of Music and the performing arts, having recently completed a $65 million complex that houses the Hilberry Gateway, the Gretchen

C. Valade Jazz Center, and our own underground jazz club, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s. The university has a long-standing relationship with the Detroit Jazz Festival (300,000+ in-person attendees) with students and faculty on full display for the annual Labor Day weekend festivity, while our various student and professional concert series attract diverse audience members from around the region. The Department of Music also participates in innovative community programming such as workshops for K-12 students and educators.

In recent years, the university has bestowed honorary doctorates to Detroit music luminaries such as Neeme Järvi, Stevie Wonder, Sixto Rodriguez, Jack White, and Don Was. When compared to other higher education institutions, Wayne State has a distinct competitive advantage:
There is no other public research university in the country positioned in the middle of a city, serving the city, creating and continuing to shape American culture as its core identity.

Through our everyday activities and interactions, creative and scholarly practices, curricular design and teaching, and service and community engagement, the university seeks to create an inclusive institutional atmosphere that recognizes and celebrates the inherent value of a diverse campus community. We are a university of access and opportunity, and we have a responsibility to demonstrate a commitment to our mission of providing access to an excellent and affordable college education.

Financial aid avenues that help support this commitment are the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Wayne State Guarantee (a tuition-free program open to all Pell Grant-eligible Michigan residents, as well as most families that earn less than $80,000) for first time students, and Michigan Reconnect for transfer pathways. In addition, the Detroit Promise award ensures that any eligible Detroit-resident student graduating from a high school in the city will have a tuition-free path to a bachelor's degree.

The Department of Music is one of four departments in the College of Fine, Performing…