MUSIC HISTORY/MUSICOLOGY/ETHNOMUSICOLOGY (2008-09)
(Schools listed once, in alphabetical order - Application due date in parentheses)
Current Wiki Time: 2009-07-04 07:34
Last Page Update: 2009-06-28 17:20

Schools with known acceptances (doctorate-granting institution in CAPS):
Appalachian State: Music History, Ethnomusicology (Reeves Shulstad, FLORIDA STATE)
Bates College (20 March 2009): Musicology, one-year (Jenny Woodruff, ABD/DUKE)
Bowdoin College: Ethnomusicology (Michael Birenbaum Quintero, NYU)
Butler University: Musicology (Sarah Eyerly, UC DAVIS)
Carleton University (Alexis Luko, McGILL)
Carnegie Mellon University: Musicology (Robert Fallon, UC BERKELEY)
Cleveland State U: Music History (general) (Lily Hirsch, DUKE)
Colby College: Non-Western Music Mellon Postdoc (Kariann Goldschmitt, UCLA)
College of Charleston: Musicology (Blake Stevens, STANFORD)
College of Idaho (Paul Moulton, FLORIDA STATE)
College of William and Mary: Ethnomusicology (Max Katz, ABD/UCSB)
Columbia College Chicago (Nathan Bakkum, ABD/U of CHICAGO)
CUNY Queens College: Musicology (Emily Wilbourne, NYU)
Dalhousie University: Musicology, (Estelle Joubert, OXFORD)
Franklin College (Kevin R. Burke, ABD/U of CINCINNATI)
Goldsmiths, University of London: Musicology (Berta Joncus, OXFORD).
Hood College: Musicology (Noel Verzosa, UC BERKELEY)
Illinois Wesleyan: Musicology/World Music: (Adriana Ponce, BRANDEIS)
John Jay College, CUNY (Ben Bierman, CUNY)
Johns Hopkins University: Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship (Michael Birenbaum Quintero, NYU)
Memorial University of Newfoundland: musicology/ethnomusicology 8-month VAP (Ian Sutherland, EXETER)
Mercer University (1 Dec 2008): Musicology: (Christopher Macklin, YORK)
Merton College, University of Oxford (Daniel M. Grimley, CAMBRIDGE)
Michigan State University: Musicology (Marcie Ray, ABD/UCLA)
Muhlenberg College (Karen Hiles, ABD/COLUMBIA)
Occidental College: Ethnomusicology (Shanna Lorenz, U of PITTSBURGH and ABD/NYU)
Oxford University: Ethnomusicology postdoc (Anna Stirr, ABD/COLUMBIA)
Princeton University (Noriko Manabe, CUNY)
Rhode Island College (Samuel Breene, DUKE)
Royal Holloway, University of London (Helen Deeming, CAMBRIDGE)
Santa Clara University (David Pier, CUNY)
Southern Methodist University: (Jesus Ramos-Kittrell, U of TEXAS)
Southern Methodist University: (Hedy Law, U of CHICAGO)
Stanford Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship (Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, UVA)
Texas Christian University (Stuart Cheney, U of MARYLAND)
Tufts University: African-American Music (Stephan Pennington, ABD/UCLA)
U of Arkansas (Martin Nedbal, ABD/U of ROCHESTER)
U of British Columbia: Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellowship, Ethnomusicology (Klisala Harrison, YORK)
U of California, Irvine (Cecilia Sun, UCLA)
U of California, Santa Barbara: Ethnomusicology (David Novak, COLUMBIA)
University of Dayton: Ethnomusicology (Heather MacLachlan, ABD/CORNELL)
U of Houston-Downtown:Western, World music, intro theory (Carrie Allen, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA)
University of Mary Washington: Musicology (Jessie Fillerup, U of KANSAS)
U of Maryland, College Park: Musicology, Americanist (Patrick Warfield, INDIANA)
U of Massachusetts, Boston: Contemporary and World Music (David Pruett, FLORIDA STATE)
University of Nottingham (Nanette Nielsen, ROYAL HOLLOWAY)
U of Oregon: Ethnomusicology, secondary American or 20th/21st century (Loren Kajikawa, ABD/UCLA)
U of Rochester, Eastman School of Music (Lisa Jakelski, UC BERKELEY)
West Chester University: musicology, one-year "temporary full-time instructor": (Jarl Hulbert, U of MARYLAND)
Western Carolina University: musicology (Christina Reitz, University of Florida)-someone keeps moving this, why?
Youngstown State University: Musicology, 19th- and 20th-century music (Ewelina Boczkowska, UCLA)


Schools with acceptances/offers (name unknown)
(Dartmouth College-offered to a composer-additional info moved to discussion page)
George Mason University (23 Mar 2009): Ethnomusicology
Pomona College (Feb 10): Ethnomusicology, one-year replacement Assistant Prof.
St. Olaf
Syracuse University
Texas Christian University (ethno-)
Troy University (no deadline): Musicology/Ethnomusicology (must teach voice)
U of Alabama
U of Texas, Panamerican
Worcester College, U of Oxford (12 March 2009): Junior Research Fellowship, 3 or 4 years, music history and analysis


Schools that have requested campus visits
Buffalo State College: campus visits in March
Dickinson College (1 Mar 2009): Musicology+choir 1 year sabbatical replacement: campus visit scheduled for week of March 23
Indiana University at Bloomington (1 Dec 2008): Musicology, Visiting Assistant Professor and post-doc
Johns Hopkins University (14 Nov 2008): 2-Year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship with "Concepts of Diaspora" theme, accepting musicology, anthropology, and 9 other disciplines; www.krieger.jhu.edu/research/mellon.html 3 finalists notified.
Royal Holloway, University of London (11 May 2009): Musicology or music theory/analysis.
U of California San Diego (21 Nov 2008): Music scholar of "California Cultures" (has selected candidates for on site interviews)
anyone know what's going on with UCSD?
U of East Anglia (10 March 2009): Musicology: Interviews April 29 (per email).
U of Virginia (Dec 1 2008): Ethnomusicology (contacted by phone early 2/7, out of the clear blue sky: thought it was the vacuum repair place)
Youngstown State University (no deadline): Musicology, Renaissance, Baroque or Classical periods: campus interview underway

Schools that are conducting phone and/or video interviews:
U of British Columbia (26 Jan 2009): Ethnomusicology - 1 year sabbatical replacement: contacted by email, 3/2

Schools that have requested more materials


Schools that have sent out rejection letters and/or established a shortlist
Carleton University: as of April 7, shortlist of 3 selected but notifications will not be sent out to other applicants until an offer is accepted (for unlikely event that situation changes)
Griffith University: email rejection sent 17/2/9 for music literature lecturer
Sydney Conservatorium of Music (6 Apr 2009): Musicology, 19th-early 20th century: email rejection sent 5/13
U of Chicago (23 April 2009): 2-year visiting lectureship, music history (18th-20th centuries, w/popular music, contemporary music, and/or performance/performance theory) plus music theory
University of Colorado-Boulder (associate prof): email rejection rec'd 1/13
U of Southampton (5 June 2009) one-year post-doc research fellowships: email rejection received 06/18

Announced jobs with no further information on their status
Bowling Green State University (1 June 2009): Musicology 1-year lecturer
Bowling Green State University (8 June 2009): Ethnomusicology 1 year-lecturer
Oxford Brookes University (12 June 2009): Musicology, post-1750 (esp. opera)
Royal Academy of Music (18 May 2009): Musicology, practice-based (0.8 only)
Royal Holloway, University of London (11 May 2009): Musicology or music theory/analysis. See http://www.rhul.ac.uk/personnel/Ads/X0409-4164.html
Middle Tennessee State University (1 June 2009): 1-Year, general music, world music and music history, 2 positions
New York University, Abu Dhabi (15 Dec 2008): Musicology, esp. Middle Eastern traditions
North Georgia College and State University (until filled): Music History and World Music
U of Auckland (22 Sep 2008): Musicology, music theory and analysis
U of Southampton (5 June 2009): one-year post-doc research fellowships. http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/FK100/Research_Fellowships_-_Humanities_One-year/


Cancelled and failed searches:
Amherst College (12 Jan 2009): jazz/pop - search suspended until next year due to financial crisis (letter received Feb. 12 - snail mail)
Anderson U (31 Dec 2008): Music History and World Music - search suspended until next year (letter received Mar. 11)
Cornell University: Search cancelled (according to music theory wiki) due to financial constraints. Official cancellation announced (2/5).
Roger Williams University (15 Jan 2009): Music history, American popular music, world music Search has been frozen due to financial constraints. (1/1)
Stanford University (14 Nov 2008): Joint position between Dept. of Music and Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Speciality in music, race, and ethnicity including but not limited to jazz, popular, indigenous, and non-Western music.
Stanford University (14 Nov 2008): Musicology, music "since the mid-twentieth-century". Both Stanford searches have been cancelled due to hiring freeze.
Suffolk University: Ethnomusicology cancelled due to budget constraints
SUNY New Paltz: Letter received: "This search has been temporarily suspended with no hire at this time." (snail mail, 12/26/08)
U of Chicago (10 Nov 2008): Post-doc in Ethnomusicology. Position withdrawn due to "economic conditions". (snail mail sent on Dec 12)
U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: Historical Musicology and Ethnomusicology searches cancelled due to "current budgetary uncertainties" (e-mail 1/21)
ry." Don't know if "suspend" should be taken as meaning "canceled" for the other two positions, though, but I wouldn't be surprised.
U of Minnesota Twin Cities (15 Dec 2008): Ethnomusicology: Position withdrawn due to "hiring pause" (12/22/08).
U of Ottawa (15 Oct 2008): History, theory, pedagogy - must teach in FRENCH - search canceled due to budgetary issues, via letter 1/28/09.
U of Pittsburgh (17 Nov 2008): 17thc and 18thc AND Med/Ren jobs
Pitt UPDATE: 6/9/09 Apparently Pitt has done some interviewing for ONE of the two positions, but they do not seem to have made a hire.
"Searches ongoing and inconclusive."
U of Toledo: "This search has been suspended for this academic year."

U of Toronto (7 March 2009): musicology, visiting assistant professor, 20th century plus other prescribed and elective courses: acknowledged receipt of materials and requested on-line application. Search "cancelled due to budget constraints."
Whittier College - Ethnomusicology postdoc

Wiki Counter
(Anyone interested in starting a counter? Add categories as desired... These are adapted from Theory Wiki)
Q: Is it safe to assume that this is a "check all that apply" list? Yes

I am a musicologist: 42
I am an ethnomusicologist: 18
I am a little of both: 12
My degree is in theory/composition but I do musicology: 2

I am looking to leave my current TT position: 6
I am looking to leave my current VAP/Lecturer position: 14
The continuation of my VAP/Lecturer position is in doubt: 2
My VAP/Lecturer position has been cut for next year: 1
My adjunct position has been cut: 1
I am ABD and on the market: 30
I am a recent PhD and on the market: 13
I am a member of a search committee: 6
I was looking to leave my current TT position but now am just extremely thankful to be employed: 6
Not necessarily on the job market but morbidly curious how these searches will turn out considering the economic downturns and stuff: 13
I don't consider 2003 "recent," and I am both unemployed and hideously in debt: 2
In a TT job but interested in the well-being of my friends and grad students: 8
I am planning to leave the field if I don't get an offer this year: 2
I have a one-year position: 1

I am pursuing my doctorate at or have received a doctorate from a Canadian institution: 1

Wiki Counter, Pt. II
Q: Are we including postdoc apps?
A: Sure, why not.

I have mailed zero applications this academic year:
I have mailed 1-2 applications this academic year: 3
I have mailed 3-5 applications this academic year: 3
I have mailed 6-8 applications this academic year: 5
I have mailed 9-11 applications this academic year: 3
I have mailed 12-14 applications this academic year: 5
I have mailed 15+ applications this academic year: 15

General discussion

Q: I would like to propose splitting ethnomusicology and musicology/music history into two separate wikis for next year's search season. I don't see a benefit in keeping them on the same page. What do others think?
A1: One vote against, here. There were a significant number of jobs this year that were loosely defined enough to be of interest to both groups.
And note the 12 folks above who categorize themselves as "a little of both." I'd rather scan through some listings that are not personally relevant to me than
potentially miss something that was.
R: There's no reason jobs couldn't be listed on more than one wiki, just as the combined theory/history jobs have been. Many ethnomusicologists search for jobs outside music departments and schools, especially in area studies and the odd job in anthropology or folklore. An ethno-focused wiki could gather, for example, area studies jobs which specifically name music as a possible field. There are some area studies wikis, but they tend to be run by people in lit or history, and they aren't updated as well as the music wikis. I'm sure that ethnomusicologists will continue to apply for jobs listed as music history/world music, but searches worded like this invariably lead to the hire of a music historian.
R2: I would advocate using the Theory/Comp wiki's divisions as a model, I think there's too much cross-over to split them completely but taking the time to categorize them (at least initially) might be useful.

Michigan State
What happened with this search? It was listed as cancelled for almost two months (I think it was cancelled before campus interviews took place, but I could be wrong), and now someone has the job???
A: As I understand it (not involved myself, but know people who were), the T-T search was indeed cancelled, but they still flew out some (don't know how many) candidates for just a one-year VAP. But then the funding was restored, and the position converted back to tenure track in time to make the hire.

On Our Page's Tone...
I find the wiki as useful as anyone else does, but I think it's sad that the tone here has degenerated to such snippiness... and that
other pages are commenting on what a bunch of snide, bickering misanthropes we are...
- I wish the secondary subjects could be moved. Why not keep the job board itself clean and offer a link to the discussions?

I have moved some of the more inappropriate discussions/venting/name calling to the discussion page in the hopes of keeping this page semi-professional. If someone is deeply offended, simply move it back but let's keep the whining and complaining to a minimum. Believe it or not, we are all on the same team even if some are competitors for the minimal jobs currently available

Note: AMS/general snippiness moved to discussion page

Q: Anyone heard from the CMS Portland program committee? Not as big of a deal as AMS, of course, but still a good place to present research. Those who submitted abstracts were supposed to be notified by April 1.
A1: Received an email on 4/6/09. The program chair noted that they had the largest number of submissions in CMS history.
A2: Also received email on 4/6/09.
A3: For those that are interested, the preliminary program is now on the CMS website.

Q: Another person just deleted this question. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the AMS 50 fellowship?
I believe that in past years winners have been notified during the end of March. Thanks!
A: The award winners have just been notified.
Q: Any idea how winners were notified?
A: via email
Q: Has anyone received a rejection e-mail yet?
A: A: Apparently, there is a bit of controversy this year. At least one of the fellowships was awarded to someone in the early phases of his/her dissertation research and whether this person can accept the award is being debated. Thus, no rejections have been sent out as of 4/3.
A2: Last year, I received a rejection email on 4/7.
A3: Received e-mail rejection at noon eastern on 4/7/09.
A4: Still no rejection at nearly 6 eastern on 4/07/09. Is anyone else still waiting for a reply?
A5: I think A3 and A: A above are making stuff up.
A2: I received a rejection email on 4/7/09 too.


Q: I'm ABD and this is my first year on the market. My question is-around what month do new job openings stop appearing?
Does it change year to year or does the well usually dry up around April, May, whatever? I'm just wondering when I should
break it to my parents that I might be moving home again. :)
A: I'd give them a call this evening.
A2: But seriously, anyone have an answer?
A3: Well, I don't think there is a specific month. By now, almost all jobs have been posted, though,
sometimes there is the odd 1-year replacement position that come up (particularly when faculty take leave for whatever reason). I've seen them posted as late as June, although I think was extremely late.
I would look into some other options (sessional teaching, library fellowships etc.) at this point.
The best thing to do is to talk with your advisor and see if a department needs someone to teach a course here or there. You can always publish along the side as well.
A4: 1-year replacement positions may continue to appear into the summer (sometimes to replace faculty who are moving to new positions) and occasionally jobs with different academic calendars pop up in the next month or two (for example: Australia and Hong Kong). But most jobs are posted by now.

Q: Not a question, but....don't know if anyone here has applied for an ACLS grant, but I got my rejection yesterday by snail mail.
Good luck to everyone still in the running!
Q: Was this the post-doc or the dissertation write-up grant?
A: post-docglib,
Q: One of the more advanced post-docs, or the Recent Diss. recipients one? (the Mellon/ACLS)?
Sorry to be a pain with more questions.
A: No problem; I had applied for one of the more advanced ones.
A2: hope you had better luck than I did. I made the mistake of asking for the feedback, hoping for constructive criticism...and after dumping days of work
into refining the proposal, was disappointed to see the glib one-paragraph summary. Geez, I've written
more developed prose on student recommendations for kids i barely knew.
A3: Winners of the Recent Doctoral Recipients Postdoc have been notified. The deadline to accept the offer is April 21 (in case there are any alternates reading this).

Suggestions for search committees
Note: moved to discussion page


Q: Without revealing the institution or any details about the search, obviously, would any of the search committee lurkers on this page be willing to disclose how many applications they're seeing for their advertised positions this year? I'm curious how the numbers compare to previous years.
A: The University of Maryland rejection letter mentioned that "more than eighty" applications had been received.
A2: One musicology post I know of had over 160 applications.
A3: I was on the committee of a completed search; we had over 80 applicants.
A4: The Texas Christian University rejection letter said they had 40 applicants (for their first posting).
A5: Kutztown U. (PA, tenure-track) in spring 2008 said 65, I think.
A6: The rejection email from Princeton said over 140 applicants

Q: How quickly after the campus visits have been completed do search committees usually let the finalists know of their position?
A: I think it depends on where you are in the campus visit schedule and whether you are their first choice for an offer. If you're the last
visitor and the first choice, you may hear from them as soon as 24 hours after the interview.
Q Does it usually take more than a week?
A: Some schools may not notify the runners-up until their first choice has returned the signed offer letter, which could take a while.
A2: Agreeing with A1: it is completely, completely variable, though 1-3 weeks after the last candidate's interview seems to be pretty typical to me. It depends, as A1 implies, not only on where you are in the interview schedule but also
whether you're the first choice, and then on how lengthy the negotiations of the first candidate are. And some committees are willing to say to you, "we've offered it to someone and it is under negotiation," and some are not willing
to say anything about what's going on until an acceptance has been finalized. Between my own experiences and those of my friends, I know of one person who was offered the job - WITH spousal hire - on the way to the airport after her interview.
At the other extreme, I once interviewed for a job where the search committee NEVER TOLD ME that I hadn't got it. (I found out from this wiki!) Three jobs I have interviewed for (within the last 5 years) let me know within 2 weeks (I was the
final candidate each time: some of those were offers, some rejections.)
A3: I made the finals for a job, found out through the wiki a week after the last candidate that I didn't get it, and received a rejection letter from the university 5 months later, that fall. So, yeah, the timing varies. You can always check with the chair for an update after a reasonable time (2-3 weeks after the final interview seems reasonable). Occasionally, searches run behind for some reason or other, and the decision itself takes a few weeks before the first offer is even made.


Note: Negotation thread moved to discussion page

Q4: Are visiting positions, considering that there is no long-term investment in the candidate, generally more non-negotiable? Or is there also a bit of leeway to be expected here, especially on things like moving, conferences, or-even-continuing health insurance with cobra if necessary upon leaving the position?
A1: I have negotiated salary in moving from one visiting position to another, was able to get my previous salary matched when the offer would otherwise have been lower, but without that lever I would not have expected to have any luck. It seems to be almost a rule that moving expenses will NOT be covered for a visiting position, but at least it's a tax deduction then. Departments or deans' offices often have discretionary funds from which you can request conference money. In short, it's always worth asking, but without framing your wishes as potential deal breakers.
A2: I was able to negotiate moving expenses for a visiting position; no harm in asking (nicely). If you're coming out of grad school (as I was at the time) it makes sense that actually getting to the place might be a financial hardship.
A3: I negotiated for a computer and moving expenses. I was told point blank before I even started negotiating that salary was non-negotiable.
A4: Two of my three temporary positions have paid nothing for me to move (thousands of miles each way each time).
A5: Last year I interviewed (unsuccessfully) for a one-year position that did include a budget for moving.

Q:There is a VAP position at the University of Toronto in Musicology (deadline 7 March 2009) - it keeps being deleted from this wiki. Any reason why?
Q2: Where is this listed?
Q3: Is there a specific specialization listed?
A1: 20th century
A2: This response keeps being deleted too - check the website
http://www.music.utoronto.ca/faculty/jobs.htm
A3: That sounds highly suspicious to me...
A4: Weird all right - check out the discussion about uncouth deletion on the postdoc wiki below, where a person actually demands that
posters refrain from posting information on open positions there until after the application deadline has passed. (Discussion ensues.)
Unbelievably churlish behavior, people: and frankly, if your application doesn't stand out in a pool of fifteen, it probably won't stand out in
a pool of five, either.
A5: I hate to point this out, but it isn't published ANYWHERE else... perhaps it wasn't meant to be?
A6: The fact that it hasn't popped up in the other usual places is all the more reason it should be listed on this page (as long as the University itself is listing an opening)
A5 again: what I meant was, it could be filled internally, while it still needs to be advertised on the website. Absolutely, it should be on this wiki.
A7: This job was cancelled only a few days after I applied for it
A8: Seriously, it's all about savings. There is no internal. The money that would have been spent on this will be keeping the lights on instead. Adjunct positions may arise on a course-by-course basis.
A7 again: OK, OK, sorry! I'm sure you understand why it did seem decidedly fishy, though.
A9: Posting a job that narrowly is fishy any which way you slice it.... plus, I'm sensing a history here.
A8: I know it seems fishy, and we are not pleased with that appearance. But there is a reasonable explanation - it was posted that narrowly because the new-ish administrative assistant advertised only where it was absolutely required according to her handbook/guide, ie on the University HR website (because it was a non-tenure track position), and this wasn't known until shortly before the deadline. I don't know what you mean by a history. Every UT search I have witnessed has been conducted in an appropriate, fair and reasonable manner.
C1: I wonder if the person with "lawyer friends" applied for the Mercer job? They "cancelled" their search and appear to have hired from within...

Q: Has anyone heard anything about the Stanford Humanities postdoc?
A: There's a wiki for this year's postdoc apps:
http://scratchpad.wikia.com/index.php?title=Humanities_%26_Soc_Sci_Postdocs_2008-2009
Q (again): Thanks! I didn't even know this existed.

Q: Given the particularly distressing state of the market this year, I am curious as to what a year of unemployment, provided it is devoted full-time to research/writing/publication, is likely to do to one's marketability. Any thoughts?
A1: [11/2/9] I too am interested in thoughts about this. I am following this path hoping that it demonstrates a significant degree of commitment (and poverty...!) that will indicate how seriously I take research. In my case I am UK based, a graduate from one of the country's best universities, and with more publications than my peers, so I am hoping that it is fairly obvious to future employers that this is my only option.
A2: [11/2] I have heard of people who have stayed with friends or family for a year so they don't have to pay rent, and if you are lucky or can stand that, then it would be useful to do so. The fact is that academic things take awhile (from PhD submission to viva, journal publishing, and book publishing), so it seems entirely reasonable if someone occupies themselves with another type of job or 'unemployment' for the year.
This way, I assume, you become a more attractive candidate in that you have a PhD in hand, journal articles published, and possibly a book contract. These seem to be most impressive (I can speak more confidently about the UK, where I am based), rather than the amount of poverty of suffering they have experienced or anything like that. Taking a year out would be the means to an end where search committees would look fondly at the ends rather than the means. Would be interesting to see what search committee experienced people think, but I would assume they would desire a candidate with more research output and experience who took a year doing something else than an ABD still institutionally affiliated but less impressive on paper. I could be wrong, and what US vs. UK institutions want is a topic that opens up a huge can of worms.
A3: I agree with A2. From the perspective of a frequent search committee member, finishing your PhD should be extremely high on the priority list. Staying in school to receive an extra year of funding may seem best in the short-term but could penalize you in next year's searches if you're not 100% finished. Showing your commitment to the field in some way (publishing, adjunct teaching, reviewing books, etc.) while staying afloat by other means (which don't have to be listed on your CV) would be a reasonable strategy. Many fantastic candidates do not land jobs immediately and have to bridge this gap in creative ways.
A4: Ok, this is the little boost I need to finish my diss this month! Thanks As 2 and 3!
A5: Boy do I ever agree with A3; at my institution, it is almost impossible to argue for an ABD in a job search (though I was hired that way myself,
not all that long ago). If you do get hired ABD, you have a horrible time trying to decide between writing a crappy dissertation or
teaching crappy classes; neither is good for your career and almost no one can do both well simultaneously. We have had job searches with so many applicants that the ABD's just go automatically in the "probable reject" pile, because we have more PhD's than we can begin to sift through. Finishing is the best thing you can do. Adding a publication to finishing is even better.
R: Just to reorient this slightly, I finished my PhD in 2008 (I am also UK based) and have a book in publication, a couple of refereed articles, a long list of other reviews/bits and pieces/journals edited etc... How much do I need to keep working on that list? I mean, is it a problem if all I publish this year is a couple more book reviews (in journals like Notes) and an article? It's tough being unemployed and productive...
A1: Most search committees, at least in the US (though with some exceptions there too), would probably like to see that publication record balanced with some serious teaching experience and a strong commitment to the same. Maybe it matters less for UK job searches; I don't know. FYI, your published scholarship already seems to exceed that of many successful applicants from this year and previous ones, which is to say that publishing is probably not the issue if you're having (or continue to have) trouble on the market. I don't know what kinds of opportunities for adjunct teaching or visiting positions exist in the UK, but it's worth looking into

newQ: It seems, though, like there's a difference between hiring someone who is ABD when they arrive at the job vs. making an offer to someone who is about
to finish but just isn't done yet, right? A glance above shows that people are getting hired ABD, and not all of those ABDs had a firm defense date
when they received the offer.
A: Hiring institutions can't really know how far along ABDs are toward dissertation completion, unless they demand for every chapter completed to date (not to mention the whims of a particular dissertation chair or committee). Just how "finished" someone is can be taken on faith after a conversation. Some institutions ask for everything, others ask for a sample chapter or two. Candidates can give verbal assurances but in the end institutions can't absolutely be sure when they will finish. Final contract offers sometimes will require candidates to be finished by a specific date, or else the offer is rescinded. This happens invariably for post-docs (if you're not done, you don't qualify as a "post"-doc). For other types of positions (including many tenure-track positions), the ABD candidate will start the job with a lower salary and a lesser title, then will be upgraded to "Assistant Professor" and a higher salary upon completion of the dissertation. The tenure clock usually starts when you step foot on campus, however, so ABD candidates will have great fortune for getting a job but also will be asked to finish the dissertation and tenure file within the same time period as every other tenure-track candidate.


Q: Any thoughts on how search committees view ABD candidates who have a firm defense date scheduled? In my case, I'm very nearly finished and will be defending this spring. Of course I mention this on my letters of application, but I wonder if the ABD status is enough to land in the "probable reject" pile, even if the defense is imminent.
A1: List the specific date scheduled, and, just as importantly, have your dissertation adviser address this in her/his letter of recommendation for you.
A2L I'm the one who used that "probable reject" language, and I think we would view an ABD with a firm defense date quite favorably, not just in a vague
"ABD" pile. And to clarify my earlier comment, the hitch is at the dean level: when your department conducts a search and then selects someone with a degree not
yet in hand, it's a hurdle to convince the dean that there isn't a finished Ph.D. in there who should be hired instead. That hurdle is clearly much less
significant with a scheduled defense, and, as A1 suggests, further explanation from your adviser.
A3: At my school, having a firm ABD defense date was looked on more favorably in one search, if the date matches what is also listed in a recommender's letter (It's easy for anyone to write a defense date down, and having further confirmation can't hurt). In the other two searches, having a specific defense date did not help at all (considered ABD just like the rest). On the other hand, a wishy-washy defense date like "sometime in the spring" mentioned on the CV or in the letter (or by a recommender, which is out of your control) definitely consigns you to the probably not finished pile.
A4: I can't help but notice that as of today (4/13) of the 33 known acceptances for faculty jobs, 7 are ABD. That's just over 21% of all hires, which isn't too shabby, I imagine.

Q: Has anyone heard anything from the Columbia music postdoc? I got an "application received" email in Dec, but so far that's it.
A1: If you haven't heard from them by 1 Jan they said you should assume that your application is no longer under consideration.
A2: It didn't give the Jan 1 date in the acknowledgment email I received from them. A1, did you get this date info directly from Columbia?
A3: I'm at Columbia. The search committee has not yet come up with its short list, so you should assume that your application is still under consideration.
A1 (again): it was on the website. : http://www.columbia.edu/cu/societyoffellows/fellowship.html
A3 (again): the website is for the society of fellows postdoc, not the one housed within the music department. Two different postdocs, two different searches.
A4: Applicants for the Mellon post-doctoral fellowships in the Music Department(NOT the Society of Fellows, a separate process) will be hearing from the department this week.
A5: Just got a rejection email from them saying they had established a short list (2/5).

Q: In past years, when have people heard back about postdoc applications?
A1: I have heard back from a couple of broad humanities postdocs (Michigan and Dartmouth) saying that they've moved on without me.
Q: When you heard back from Michigan (Society of Fellows?), how did you hear, and do you know when they plan to announce anything further?
A1: I got the letters in the mail in December, and they don't usually tell rejected applicants what their future plans are.
A2: Snail-mail rejection for the Michigan postdoc received 30 Jan 2009.

Q1: I have heard from several sources that the U Minn job has been cancelled. While I understand that sweeping university budget policies are out of the control of search committees, I do think it would be more considerate to applicants if search committees could officially cancel searches BEFORE the deadline. That way, applicants could save the time spent preparing application materials for the cancelled search and redirect them to live searches, not to mention the expense of sending out Fed Ex packages.
A1: Timing may have been unfortunate here, but the search committee is at the mercy of others. It's true that once a University or department knows that a search has been cancelled, it's their obligation to get the word out (instead of 'unofficial' rumors). Because applications arrive throughout the process (not just by Fed Ex at the last minute), someone is always going to be affected by a cancelled search. The people affected most of all are the faculty in the searching department and, even more, the students at the university.

Q1: Thank you very much for your thoughts. To clarify the Fed Ex point above, I usually send applications by some mailing system that has tracking, even though I generally mail well ahead of the deadline. This is because there have been occasional issues with Interfolio, and many universities don't send acknowledgments. It seems the only way to ascertain that the package actually arrived. Anyway, I add this point to remind universities that the process costs applicants money as well as time, as it does for the search committee members and university.
A1: Perhaps someone from Minnesota, or someone who has contacted Minnesota, could determine the status of the post-doc. It is a shame if everyone "knows" they are canceling but formal word hasn't been sent. It's not the most gracious acknowledgment of the time/money/postage/stress of applicants, even if the folks at Minnesota feel even worse about it.
A2: why not just call the department?
A3: The Minnesota hiring freeze is university wide; they've cancelled their searches in other disciplines too.
A4: On 12/22, I received an email officially cancelling the ethno search at Minnesota.

Q: Does anyone know if Stanford's Humanities post-doc position is in jeopardy like the two tt positions?
Q: Also, has anyone actually heard directly from Stanford about the freeze, or is it just hearsay?
A: Haven't heard anything directly. But the jobs were listed on the top of the Stanford website a few days ago, and now they're not.
A2: As a Stanford student, I have direct knowledge that the searches are cancelled. Sorry.
A3: Considering Stanford's immense wealth, this is terrible news and a bad sign for the job market this year and next.
A4: It would be nice if Stanford would actually contact the applicants about the canceled search. Not everyone uses the wiki.
A5: I'm sure they will, once they drum up the money for postage.
A6: Applied for the Stanford job, just received email notice of the search cancellation from Stephen Sano, 12/15. I wonder why they waited so long?
Q: Good Stanford student, are we talking just about the two job-jobs here, or has the postdoc been canceled too? Heard anything?
A: I was just talking about the two job-jobs. I haven't heard anything about the post-doc. I believe that has a different funding source (from an outside foundation), so this position may be more secure.
A7: The Stanford postdoc is not in jeopardy. They have just made an offer. (3/12)
Q: So, the offer was in Music (as opposed to the other fields?)
A: They had six postdoc positions open in four fields, I believe, including Music. There were some 700 applicants. Check the postdoc wiki (address is further up this page) for more info.
A: Yes, they have made an offer in music.

Thoughts on this? http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i14/14a01501.htm

Q: Last year, a total of 137 jobs were posted including the handful that were subsequently canceled. As of November 23rd, we have 49 posted thus far this year. Does it look to you like the pool is going to remain small, or do you expect many more jobs to arise over the coming months?
A: This is my first year on the market, but from talking to other people it sounds like we can still expect a few more waves of announcements: I hear that some more tenure-track positions are usually announced in the spring, and then there should also be a batch of visiting positions. But I guess the economic situation could mean that there won't be as many spring announcements as in past years.
A2: In my experience the last big influx of job announcements usually happens right around the AMS meeting; I would be surprised if we got anywhere close to the usual number of tenure-track announcements this year, though agree there's likely to be a busy season for visiting jobs later on.
A3: Spring job listings will primarily consist of 1-year positions, from my experience... I don't remember any US TT jobs being posted after Xmas last year.

Can you tell me where the Dartmouth position is posted? Can't find it.
A: I think I saw it in the _Chronicle_.

Q: Where was the Michigan State job listed?
A: It's on the MVL, but when in doubt about a job you see here, you'll virtually
always find a listing on the college's web-site, either through the music department or HR...

Q: Any opinions about how the current economic downturn/crisis/crash might affect the academic job market this year and in the coming years?
A: Generally, I would expect a number of "budget pending" jobs to disappear, or to interview then not offer a job. This would be especially true of state institutions in locations that already had budget issues (e.g. Florida).
A2: It will also mean that certain jobs will be cancelled before they are announced (speaking from the point of view of a faculty member at a private college).
A3: It might also mean that job offers from those schools will be under tight schedules to get people hired before any bad budget news is announced and positions get cut. However, be careful of administrators trying to manipulate the situation by signing you to contracts that don't address all of your needs/wants.
A4: Good point A3 - it also means that those of us that are already tenure track have to mind our contractual Ps and Qs before resigning our current positions!
A5: Keep in mind that many budgets for this year were already set; the real hit may be next year.
A6: One very well-endowed small liberal arts college is telling its alums that in general it will: "Not fill newly open positions except those deemed most essential. The Committee on Appointments and Promotions will review faculty searches that had previously been authorized. As new faculty openings occur, the CAP will determine which few, if any, should be filled immediately."
A7: My Ivy League employer has frozen preponement hires (i.e., hires made in anticipation of a retirement).
A8: The University of Minnesota is now under a "hiring pause," University President Bob Bruininks said in a statement released Tuesday.
Effective immediately, the pause is intended to evaluate open positions and make sure they are essential before each is filled.
A9: Another very well-endowed small liberal arts college is telling its alumni that it will "stringently evaluate any faculty or staff hiring."

From Q again: Thanks for those thoughts. I also just found this story in the Chronicle today:
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i09/09a00103.htm

Q, re: Youngstown State: What is up with this place? This is the third year in a row they've been hiring. Does anyone know? Also, where was it posted? I only saw it on their home page and not highered, CMS, or chronicle. It seems like a very insider place. The last "historical musicology" job went to an ethno person that had been teaching adjunct there for years. Is this one even worth applying to, I wonder?
A: The posting is also listed at the AMS musicology-announce. Only one of the two positions advertised last year was filled, according to last year's wiki page, so I assume this is the second position reposted.
A2: This is a fairly interesting development in that they basically asked the previous two people not to reapply tenure track. Then they proceeded to hire one local person last year (presumably one-year). Odd to be sure and a lot of turnover.

Q: Has the College Park job disappeared? I can't find anything on the web, including the university's own site.
A: I called Larry Witzleben and he said that the Chronicle ad had jumped the gun, and that the job would be properly described and "advertised widely" soon. I think this was mid-September.
A2: Now re-listed on AMS-L.

Q: Is it just me, or are there an inordinate number of Ethno openings this year (as compared with recent years and percentage-wise with western musicology jobs)?
A: It seemed that way to me as well, so I went back and checked the past years. This year's ethno specialization listings (10 of 43, 22.25%) are on par with last year's (30 of 127, 22.62%), but that is a big jump over 2006-07 (8 out of 54, 14.8%). Where the biggest increase has come, to my way of thinking, is in listings that want ethno as a secondary area (about 7% this year as opposed to just over 3% last year and just under 2% the year before.)
A2: Are you basing that analysis just on the wiki postings? If so, I think you're underrepresenting the number of jobs in the past for which ethno/world was listed as a desired secondary area; the descriptions posted on the wiki were not generally so thorough in the past, and I suspect there actually isn't so much of a leap in this category this year after all.
A3: Seems roughly the same as last year. The number of open-specialty positions is less than last year, but the total number is about the same. However, it should be noted that several of the jobs are not "new" positions, but replacing a departing faculty member.
A4: Consider perhaps the increase in ethno positions in relationship to NASM language. Correlation? More emphasis on ethno training = more jobs.

Q: Does anyone happen to know if the Stanford post-1950 job is a real search, i.e., they are not just looking to permanently hire the visiting person already there?
A1: I have no idea about this job in particular but have served on enough committees to know it's not as meaningful a question as you might imagine. More than one search occasioned by the desire to keep a visiting person have had other results, in part because impressive candidates apply and broaden the department's sense of who might be a good fit.
A2: I second A1's response; also having served on hiring committees, I can assure you that searches that start off as mere pro forma exercises to keep a visiting person often end up hiring someone new. Obviously it does happen that the visitor gets the permanent job, but even if that's the intention it doesn't always turn out that way.
A3: As a student at Stanford, I can confirm that it's a "real search."
A3: Apparently not anymore, Stanford student.

Q: Any idea if Carnegie Mellon's search has been cancelled? It seems to have disappeared from MVL a month before the deadline.
A1: It's been re-posted on AMS-L.
A2: Generally, because a job doesn't appear one week in CMS, it doesn't mean it has been canceled. Placing an MVL ad is expensive so schools will do it only for a few weeks, not for the whole time before the deadline.
A3: To clarify, A2 is right that jobs will typically only appear in the mailing from MVL for a few weeks, but after that they can still be found in the archive at music.org until the application deadline date. The latter is the location from which the job in question had temporarily, and unusually, disappeared.
A4: The CMU search is on. There is no reason to believe it will be canceled. Committee will meet in second half of January to make short list.
A5: I heard that the CMU short list will be made in second half of February, not January.
Q2: Was that short list made?

Q: Not really a question . . . just annoyed that the AMS website is down the night before the Philadelphia abstracts are due. Grrrr.

Just a suggestion as we begin moving jobs from the original list of postings up into the sections denoting new phases like interview, long-list, etc: it'd be more helpful to change the listing to reflect the date someone heard from the search committee, and the mode of contact...

Q: I would like to know how much help is everyone getting from their faculty in their job search?
A: I'm in a VAP and I can't stay here; the division head has written nice letters and those on my Ref list say they are happy to help me.
A2: I'm ABD and feel very well-supported by the faculty here - I've had helpful conversations with 4-5 different faculty members in my department
over the course of the year, and the variety of perspectives has been important for me. I think it helps that there are several
junior faculty members who have been on the job market relatively recently.

Q: I see that the Princeton job is listed on the CHE with a salary of $20000 to $30000. Anyone think this is a typo? Or does a tenure-track job at Princeton actually pay less than Walmart these days?
A: Sadly, I suspect we would all take it anyways! Ah, academia...
A2: I would guess that's some kind of typo. You can find 2007/2008 salary figures for all ranks at most (all?) institutions here:
http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/
A3: It makes me wonder if this is a fake search.
A4: Don't know about the typo, but rest assured that it isn't a fake search.
Q: Does anyone know of an equivalent listing for salary figures in Canada or the UK?
A: See http://www.news.utoronto.ca/campus-news/canadian-academics-top-salary-scale.html
A5: The AAUP and UT numbers do not remotely reflect what musicology profs really make. These are just averages that include business/medicine/law
salaries at the high end, and arts/humanities at the low end. Also, Canadian salaries are higher because of
much higher taxes in general.




Someone moved the venting thread to the Discussion page. Press the "Discussion" button or visit:
http://www.wikihost.org/w/academe/talk:music_history_musicology_ethnomusicology/

When people make major edits, please insert a note.

Acronym guide
CMS: College Music Society
CHE: Chronicle of Higher Education
MVL: Music Vacancy List (published by the College Music Society). Requires a member login.
AMS-L: American Musicological Society listserv
SEM: Society of Ethnomusicology. Their current job list requires a member login.
TT: Tenure Track
VAP: Visiting Assistant Professor
ABD: All-But-Dissertation



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