Job Description

Position Number: 330077

The Mary Pappert School of Music invites applications for a 9-month, full-time, tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Composition for Media, beginning August 2025. The successful candidate will join an accomplished and talented music and technology faculty of artists, scholars, and educators dedicated to serving students with a wide range of musical and technological interests, degree program needs, and career goals. We seek an energetic, creative, and collaborative colleague who will capitalize on the richness of Pittsburgh?s cultural institutions and musical scenes while maintaining a high profile of professional excellence and achievement in the active pursuit of their own career and at the national and/or international level. Sensitive to current trends in the field, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to inform and transform the Composition for Media department?s approach to attracting majors and provide a relevant and inclusive training experience that propels students toward professional success in a dynamic and ever-changing media landscape.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Deliver instruction for both Composition for Media majors and non-majors, demonstrating a passion for teaching that extends across students? ability levels, degree programs, and professional aspirations.

Serve as the Director of Composition for Media overseeing departmental and curriculum details.

Advise and mentor majors while creating, directing and supervising opportunities for students such as internships and job placements.

Have an ongoing and prominent record of excellence in professional composition for media commissions and credits at the national level or beyond in one or (preferably) multiple styles, including but not limited to classical music, contemporary commercial music, and gaming.

Pursue research, composition, or other creative activities commensurate with a tenure-track position.

Develop productive partnerships with individuals, ensembles, organizations, media companies and institutions within the school, university, city, region, and beyond to elevate the identity of the Music Technology Composition for Media department and create beneficial opportunities for students and faculty.

Possess strong recruitment and retention skills, including willingness to build key relationships with high school teachers, and professional organizations at the local, regional, and national levels.

Be active in AES (or other equivalent composition associations or organizations) as a general member and have a willingness to develop this presence on our campus. Participate in other regional and national professional associations as appropriate.

Demonstrate a commitment to creative collaboration, collegial problem-solving, and effective working relationships for the collective welfare of our music school and university communities.

Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the profession, including teaching and programming.

Serve on school and university committees.

Demonstrate an ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

Teaching Expectations

Have a flexible, adaptable pedagogy that can address a variety of technical and stylistic requirements to help students discern their career trajectory and develop a wide-ranging skill set for a successful career in the media industry.

Fluency in teaching software such as Logic, ProTools, EastWest, Dorico, MuseScore, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and other media-centric software.

Fluency in teaching modern recording techniques both in professional and home studio environments.

Teach courses related to composition, advanced notation, synthestration, MIDI, and related topics in reference to composition for various media applications including, film, video, gaming and TV.

Provide evidence of advanced training and/or experience in Composition for Media pedagogy at the collegiate level, potentially including presentations, clinics, and master classes.

Alternately, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. This includes c ommitment to the University?s values of diversity, equity and inclusion, and recognition of the importance of treating each individual with dignity and respect consistent with the University?s Mission. Additionally, applicants must have demonstrated experience with, and understanding of, the broad diversity of the University community (students, faculty, staff and others).

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.

Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University.  The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

Master?s degree or equivalent required; DMA or Ph.D. preferred from an accreditted institution.

Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter not exceeding two pages, complete CV, statement of teaching philosophy not longer than one page, and a link to a demo reel (or reels) exhibiting 3-5 examples of your strongest work and contact information for three professional references. The deadline for submission is December 1.

Duquesne University is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a diverse faculty that reflects contemporary society, serves our academic mission and enriches our campus community. As a charter member of the Ohio, Western PA and West Virginia Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), we encourage applicants from members of underrepresented groups, and support dual-career couples.

Founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne University is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. Its Mission Statement commits the University to ?serving God by serving students through commitment to excellence in liberal and professional education, through a profound concern for moral and spiritual values, through the maintenance of an ecumenical atmosphere open to diversity, and through service to the Church, the community, the nation and the world. Applicants for this position should describe how they might support and contribute to the mission.

Motivated by its Catholic and Spiritan identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.

About the Mary Pappert School of Music

The Mary Pappert School of Music provides education for the musical leaders of the twenty-first century through challenging music degree programs for the mind, heart, and spirit. Founded in 1926, it celebrated its 95 th anniversary in 2021. The school is named in honor of Mary Pappert after a bequest from the Pappert family in 1999. Our university motto, Spiritus Est Qui Vivificat ?It is the Spirit Who Gives Life?inspires our classrooms, rehearsals, and concert venues. The school offers multiple degrees at the bachelor?s and master?s levels. The Mary Pappert School of Music is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Further information about the school can be found at duq.edu/music .

About Duquesne University and Pittsburgh, PA

Duquesne is situated in a beautiful setting on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh, a vibrant metropolitan region of 2.3 million people that has been recognized worldwide for its livability, welcoming atmosphere, and professional opportunities. The campus is a short walk from downtown and only 30 minutes from the Pittsburgh International Airport. 

Pittsburgh has long been cited as an exemplar of urban transformation. It has converted its manufacturing-based profile into a diversified economy that features financial services, technology, and distribution offerings. A mix of Fortune 50, 500, and 1000 companies?Alcoa, BNY Mellon, Bayer, Consol Energy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Federated Investors, H.J. Heinz, Koppers, PNC Financial Services, PPG Industries, and U.S. Steel among them?call the city home. Pittsburgh also lays claim to excellent education and healthcare centers and has a well-earned reputation as a mecca for ?eds and meds.? Leading hospital networks, such as the Allegheny Health Network and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers (UPMC), as well as more than two dozen colleges and universities, are situated in the region.

World-class museums, orchestras, theatre, and dance troupes add to the richness of the region's offerings. Pittsburgh is also recognized as a sports center because of its successful professional franchises including the NFL's Steelers, MLB's Pirates, and the NHL's Penguins. The PPG Paints Arena, immediately adjacent to Duquesne's campus, is the Penguins' home rink. Pittsburgh was recently ranked 5th on USA Today 's ?The 10 Best American Riverfronts? list and has set a global standard for best practices in riverfront development and utilization. Duquesne students are an essential part of the emerging energetic, entrepreneurial, and progressive nature of the University's home.

Duquesne University was founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Duquesne University is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.

About Duquesne University

Duquesne University, a private, Catholic institution, prides itself on being mission-centered and mission-driven. Our employees contribute to our culture of academic excellence and our mission of serving God by serving students. In turn, they enjoy a supportive working environment that values individual talents, encourages teamwork and rewards accomplishments. A nationally ranked top-tier university, Duquesne has established a legacy of excellence in liberal and professional education. Our 14:1 student-faculty ratio allows our students to work closely with expert faculty. Duquesne has also won accolades and recognition among the nation’s top 20 small research schools for our research initiatives and faculty productivity. Situated on a 50-acre campus within the city, Duquesne provides a small-town feel in an urban setting. The Pittsburgh region offers a variety of cultural, education and professional opportunities, as well as a safe and affordable lifestyle. We strive to attract, recruit and retain a dynamic, diverse workforce. Our employees benefit from an array of campus resources that provide convenience and cost savings, including a variety of dining options, a full-ser ... vice Starbucks, a retail bank and credit union, a fitness center and year-round wellness programs and onsite parking. Employees also may take advantage of the many educational, cultural and sporting events sponsored by the university.

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Job Tags

Full time, Internship, Local area, Immediate start, Worldwide, Flexible hours,

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