The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track professorial position as Director of Athletic Bands in the Department of Music.
As UCLA prepares to move into the Big Ten in 2024, we seek an artist-teacher with an active college marching band career to direct the UCLA Bruin Marching Band and other athletic bands; sustain the band’s active participation in film, television, and recording projects; conduct the Symphonic Band; teach courses in conducting, music education and/or graduate seminars in their areas of expertise; and contribute to departmental/university service, including recruiting marching and athletic band members. Candidates should demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of and experience conducting high-level concert repertoire. Salary and rank are commensurate with qualifications. Anticipated start date is July 1, 2023.
The University of California seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning. UCLA has programs to assist in partner employment, childcare, schooling, and other family concerns. Please visit www.ucla.edu/faculty for information about Family Resources.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required: Master’s degree in music education, conducting, or performance. Demonstrated record of excellence in at least three of the following: drum corps/winter guard teaching and/or design; drill design and/or music arranging; preparing bands for film, television, or recording projects; guest adjudication, guest conducting; conference presentations. Strong administrative, collaborative, and interpersonal skills, as well as a proven commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and community outreach.
Preferred: Doctoral degree in music education, conducting, or performance; at least five years of college-level concert band and/or marching band teaching experience; public school teaching experience or equivalent professional experience.
The Director of Athletic Bands will collaborate with the Director of Bands to advance the band program as a whole, strengthening relationships within the School of Music and with professional associations, music educators at all levels, and band alumni. They will develop and implement effective strategies for recruitment and retention of diverse marching and athletic band students; coordinate show selection, drill design, music arrangements, and licensing; and supervise professional and student staff responsible for the logistical operation of the marching and athletic bands.
We welcome candidates whose experience in teaching, research, and/or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence, including mentoring students from underrepresented communities and backgrounds. We encourage applications from early career professionals with the potential to oversee a major university athletic band program, as well as highly experienced leaders in the field who are interested in writing the next chapter in the distinguished history of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band.
The UCLA Bruin Marching Band dates back nearly 100 years, and its illustrious history includes the 1993 Sudler Trophy. In addition to regular football games at the Rose Bowl, basketball games at Pauley Pavilion, and performances in support of UCLA’s acclaimed Olympic sports teams, the band travels regularly, with recent international trips to Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. Highlights from the past several years include a Hollywood Bowl centennial performance with Gustavo Dudamel and Gwen Stefani, participation on hit recordings by BTS and Muse, opening for the Rolling Stones “50 and Counting” tour at Staples Center, and dozens of film and television appearances.
Located in a global cultural capital, the UCLA Department of Music boasts conservatory-level training within the context of a world-class research university. Enrollment is limited, providing students with a comprehensive music school experience, abundant performance opportunities, and extensive individual attention from faculty. Allied with the Musicology and Ethnomusicology departments and Global Jazz Studies and Music Industry interdepartmental programs in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the Department of Music values both specialization and integration between fields.
APPLICATION: