Interim Director, Visiting Assistant/Associate Professor of Contemporary Music Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University; Winchester (VA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Shenandoah Conservatory seeks an Interim Director for its Contemporary Musicianship and Entrepreneur Development program to teach, mentor, and enhance student recruitment. This full-time role demands expertise in various music styles and a passion for collaboration in an inclusive educational community.

Qualifications

• Skilled across diverse music styles and adept at navigating contemporary music marketplace.
• Passionate about mentoring students and enhancing music program profiles.
• Experience in commercial music education and recruitment.

Responsibilities

• Teach courses in commercial music, songwriting, and music entrepreneurship.
• Advise CMED students and guide their culminating projects.
• Utilize modern tools to enhance program profile and recruit students.

Skills

Mentoring

Music Industry Awareness

Teaching

Social Media Utilization

Entrepreneurship

Education

Master's degree in Music or related field

Job description

Shenandoah Conservatory is seeking nominations and applications for an exceptional and entrepreneurial contemporary musician to join its faculty as Interim Director of the Contemporary Musicianship and Entrepreneur Development (CMED) program. This is a one-year, full-time benefited position, with rank at the assistant or associate level depending on qualifications, beginning August 2025.

The successful candidate will be skilled across music styles, broadly aware of music industry trends, adept at navigating the challenging 21st-century music marketplace, and passionate about mentoring students within a community dedicated to belonging and Inclusive Excellence. They will direct and teach within the CMED program, which now in its fourth year, includes coursework spanning music foundations, performance, songwriting, business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and technology.

Responsibilities include:

1. Teaching courses in commercial music, songwriting, music entrepreneurship, jazz, or other relevant areas within conservatory degrees;
2. Advising CMED students and guiding culminating projects;
3. Enhancing the profile of the CMED degree program and recruiting talented students, utilizing social media and other modern tools.

Shenandoah Conservatory is home to artists and scholars committed to collaboration, mentorship, and innovative career preparation. The conservatory’s ShenCoLAB exemplifies its leadership in innovation, featuring a unique week-long student-led, faculty-mentored collaborative projects. Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia, about 70 miles from Washington, D.C., it enrolls over 700 students from across the globe in music, theater, and dance programs, with a faculty of over 130 members, half of whom are full-time. The conservatory attracts performance-oriented students through its diverse degrees, including Music Performance, Music Education, Music Therapy, and Music Production and Recording Technology. It is a leading center for new music performance, hosting premier artists throughout each season.