Tenure and Promotion for Music Education Faculty

One of the most coveted accomplishments within higher education is earning tenure. It shows that you have excelled across numerous areas within the professoriate, added immense value to your discipline and institution, and are worthy of a lifetime appointment. Tenure provides faculty members with sufficient employment security as we pursue teaching, research and service in the name of our institutions, disciplines and communities, as codified in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure from the American Association of University Professors. The promotion ladder from assistant to associate professor and then full professor rewards sustained contributions to one’s field with a higher rank that often includes financial incentives and increased autonomy.

As my career as a K-12 music teacher progressed, I thought about teaching at the college level, but I did not think that the right opportunity would be available to me. Even after completing my doctorate, I planned to continue working at the K-12 level, gain more experience and transition into higher education as a post-retirement pursuit. Several former colleagues made the transition from K-12 to higher education mid-career, and while a few were able to find secure positions and acceptable compensation, many returned to their K-12 careers or continued on the academic carousel in search of the elusive “tenure-track” appointment.

The career path I took was not well-carved-out, so I had to get creative, and there were quite a few bumps along the way. Although I wish that I had known a little more about how higher ed works, I have no regrets about0 the decisions I made.

In writing this article, I thought, “What advice would I give myself if I had to do it all over again?” In addition to shining a light on tenure and promotion, this article also looks at how anyone interested in working in academia can find their niche — from finding the right institutional fit to understanding the politics of higher education.

Getting In

There are several entry points into the professoriate. I fortunate to begin a career in higher ed with a full-time position. Many who desire to teach in higher ed may start as contracted consultants, contingent or adjunct faculty, or short-term visiting professors.

When I chose to leave my middle school band program for my full-time collegiate teaching position, it came with sacrifices. First, I took a significant pay cut to get my foot in the door. My initial title was lecturer, and within the university system where I worked at the time, the only progression was to senior lecturer. That position came with no tenure or other faculty protections afforded to those within the professorial ranks.

It took me some time to learn the nuances of academic titles and ranks. I found a treasure trove of information through the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). When I mentor colleagues who are just starting on their higher education path, I always point them to the AAUP’s resources on tenure. Those resources, combined with their institution’s faculty handbook guidance on promotion to assistant, associate or full professor, provide a strong foundation for understanding the tenure and promotion process.

My advice for anyone considering a move into higher education: Do what works best for you and your personal situation at the time. I was at the midpoint of my K-12 teaching career and as a single, newly minted Ph.D., I had the risk tolerance to move from a large urban area to a more rural setting away from my closest friends and family while also taking a considerable pay cut.

For some of us, the transition might begin with consulting work. For others, it may be teaching a college course or two each year as an adjunct professor. Whatever way you get in, there are opportunities for professional advancement.

Moving Up

I believe that beginning with the end in mind is essential to career growth in higher education. From the start of my first appointment, I learned what would be expected for tenure and promotion and how I could best position myself to pursue it. My first four college teaching positions were not tenure-track, so there I moved around a lot before finally landing my first tenure-track appointment here at Tennessee State University.

It goes without saying, but not all institutions are the same. Expectations vary according to institutional mission, Carnegie classification, enrollment, resources, and whether the institution emphasizes teaching or research. At some universities, strong teaching and service may carry the greatest weight. At others, peer-reviewed publications, external funding and national visibility may determine whether a faculty member advances.

While I will not cover departmental collegiality in this article, there is a considerable amount of positioning and politicking that goes into getting the approval of your group of peers — dynamics that may turn off some people. While I do believe that career advancement should be based on our merits and not our disposition, I have seen many faculty members not receive tenure or promotion because they were not perceived as team players. I believe that we do not need to be friends to be cordial, and I also think that you should not need to brownnose to get ahead.

Regarding music education faculty specifically, we must also understand how expectations differ across the music unit, college and university. Our work often extends beyond traditional classroom teaching. We may supervise student teachers, observe clinical placements, coordinate licensure requirements, maintain school partnerships, support accreditation, advise student organizations, recruit majors, direct ensembles and provide professional development for practicing teachers. This work is essential to a music education program, but it may not fit neatly into the traditional categories of teaching, scholarship and service. Therefore, the onus is on us to educate our colleagues on what exemplary teaching, research and service look like for music education faculty.

Scholarship, research and creative activities — there are many terms used to describe this — usually fall into the most heavily weighted bucket for music faculty. Music education faculty may produce peer-reviewed articles, books, chapters, conference presentations, curriculum resources, practitioner publications, invited clinics or community-based research. This, ironically enough, typically aligns more with faculty expectations outside of the arts than it does with colleagues in our department. Therefore, clearly articulating what scholarship looks like for music education faculty within the music unit is essential for moving forward. Very rarely does a dossier move past the departmental level and fail higher up the review chain. However, many portfolios are denied at the level at which the faculty member and their work should be best known: the department level.

Faculty should determine early on what counts, how different products are weighted, and whether departmental expectations align with college and university standards. A mentor or colleague within your discipline who recently succeeded at earning tenure and promotion can help immensely to interpret expectations and confirm that you are on the right track. Many department leads also conduct a mid-tenure review to assess a tenure-track faculty member’s work up to that point against standards — this can yield great feedback for planning going forward. I also encourage junior faculty to have a mentor outside their institution who is a tenured music professor, who can explain how university-level and external reviewers may view their portfolio. Because tenure committees may include faculty unfamiliar with music education, candidates must clearly explain the rigor, reach and impact of their work.

Documentation is just as important as productivity. Faculty should maintain records of publications, presentations, student evaluations, peer observations, course revisions, clinical supervision, accreditation work, recruitment, grants, school partnerships and professional service. Annual reviews should be used to identify concerns early and confirm whether progress is consistent with tenure and promotion expectations. The AAUP’s guidance on tenure evaluation can also help faculty understand sound review practices and compare those principles with their institution’s written policies.

Continuous Improvement

I believe that earning tenure and being promoted up the academic ranks should be viewed as milestones along our journey rather than the culmination of professional growth. Just as we profess lifelong learning to our preservice teachers, music education faculty must also continue to refine their teaching, expand their scholarship, and respond to changes in schools and the profession. Continuous improvement may include revising methods courses, integrating new technologies, strengthening field experiences, redesigning curricula to prepare teachers for increasingly diverse classrooms and advancing innovative research in the field.

Check out these resources:

• The Society for Music Teacher Education provides resources and collaborative groups focused on many of these issues.
• The National Association for Music Education’s recommendations for higher education leaders offer practical direction for strengthening music teacher preparation programs.

Junior faculty must also know when to say “no.” Music education professors are often asked to take on substantial service to coordinate programs, supervise candidates, support performances and maintain community relationships. While this work matters, excessive service can limit the time available for scholarship and teaching improvement, which are typically weighted far more heavily than service in the review process.

Continuous improvement may also require reassessing institutional fit. An institution that provides a good entry point into higher education may not always offer the resources, advancement, compensation or professional recognition needed later. I am a prime example of this. The decision to remain or move should be intentional and based on your goals, family responsibilities and sense of purpose. As someone who chased opportunities to finally land a tenure-track position, I would advise others to be more intentional with how the potential work and its rewards align with the life you want to live.

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As I sit on the precipice of the next move in my own career, I think back to the decisions that brought me here. I took a pay cut, relocated, learned unfamiliar institutional systems, and gradually came to understand how careers in higher education are built. My final advice is simple: Learn how to maneuver within the rules and mores of the institution without losing sight of the purpose behind the work.

Tenure and promotion matter, but they should support our commitment to preparing effective music teachers, strengthening school music programs, advancing scholarship, and serving students and communities. For many faculty, the path is rarely straightforward, but with careful planning, mentoring, documentation and a willingness to justify the value of our work, it is possible to build a career that is both successful and meaningful.