Guest Lecturer in Musicianship and/or General Studies

Company Profile

CIM’s mission is to empower the world’s most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential, and its vision is to be the future of classical music. Classroom faculty contribute directly to this mission by helping students develop as performers, thinkers, listeners, and engaged artistic citizens.

As a leading conservatory committed to preparing students for mid-21st-century careers in music, CIM emphasizes performance excellence alongside intellectual breadth, critical thinking and listening, and professional skills grounded in broad-based knowledge. Across the curriculum, coursework is designed to support and advance students’ professional ambitions, equipping them with the skills, perspectives, and adaptability required for meaningful and sustainable careers in a rapidly evolving musical field.

Job Summary

In alignment with the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mission, Vision, and Institutional Learning Goals, the Institute seeks classroom faculty—including musicologists, teaching artists, and content-area specialists—to design and teach courses within the Department of Musicianship Studies and interdisciplinary courses within the Department of General Studies beginning in Fall 2026. Teaching responsibilities may include coursework in areas such as music literature, music history, musicology, critical music studies, research and scholarship, music technology, and special topics that connect music studies with performance practice and professional preparation. Additional responsibilities may include advising doctoral documents and lecture-recitals, depending on institutional needs and candidate qualifications.

These positions support the implementation and continued development of CIM’s evolving curriculum, including both required coursework within the general education distribution and a growing portfolio of elective offerings established through the Institute’s 2021 general education overhaul.

Faculty in these roles design coursework that situates musical practice within wider artistic, cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary contexts. Central to this work is engagement with a diverse range of repertories, perspectives, and student experiences, enabling students to connect their musical training to an ever-changing cultural, artistic, and global landscape. Coursework that incorporates written, spoken, and digital communication projects is especially valued, as it supports students in developing the expressive and professional competencies necessary to articulate their work across a variety of contexts.

While faculty will contribute to established offerings in both the Department of Musicianship Studies and the Department of General Studies—many of which take interdisciplinary approaches—where appropriate, these roles also provide significant opportunity to create innovative courses that connect high-level musicianship with broader inquiry in the humanities, sciences, and related fields, with an emphasis on professional relevance and preparation for the evolving demands of careers in music.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Candidates are asked to submit a cover letter that specifically addresses how their background, qualifications, and experience will enable them to support CIM’s mission, vision, and institutional learning goals, including examples of courses they have taught and proposals for new or redesigned courses they would develop at CIM. Applicants should also submit 2–3 sample syllabi.

This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of extension or conversion to a regular position based on performance, funding, and organizational needs.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in music literature, existing core curricular offerings, and interdisciplinary subject areas.
• Develop innovative elective offerings aligned with CIM’s mission, vision and institutional learning goals.
• Create coursework that connects musical practice with fields such as history, philosophy, literature, cultural studies, science, and technology.
• Advance CIM’s Institutional Learning Goals by integrating performance awareness, professional skills, and critical reasoning into classroom teaching.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of CIM’s classroom curriculum
• Hold regular office hours and provide structured feedback to students.
• Collaborate with faculty across performance, musicianship, and general studies areas.
• Mentor students pursuing diverse artistic and professional pathways.
• Ensure curricular alignment with the Office of Academic Affairs.
• Adhere to institutional assessment practices and contribute to ongoing evaluation of student learning and curricular effectiveness.

Education, Experience and Qualifications

Required:

• Terminal degree in music or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience teaching at the university or conservatory level.
• Ability to teach and mentor a highly accomplished, international student body.

Preferred:

• Ph.D. in Musicology or a related discipline.
• Evidence of interdisciplinary teaching or scholarly engagement.
• Ongoing scholarly or creative activity.
• Background in performance or familiarity with conservatory training environments.
• Ability to design courses that are accessible to performers while maintaining intellectual rigor.

Personal Attributes

• Intellectual curiosity and creativity in course design.
• Organized and reliable.
• Responsive and professional in communications.
• Adaptable to a diverse student population.
• Collaborative mindset and openness to cross-disciplinary work. 

Appointment Type

Full-time or part-time; appointment and teaching load commensurate with institutional needs and candidate qualifications.

Pay Range: $1200 to $2000 per credit hour