Assistantships
Potential Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantship Category Descriptions FTE (full-time equivalent) for Qualified Applicants
2024-2025 available assistantships are highlighted in gold.
Contact the School of Music (music@missouri.edu) for availability for the applicants’ preferred academic year.
Audio Recording (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Assistance with live sound for Composition area events, cataloging and maintaining inventory of sound equipment, maintaining archive of Mizzou NMI recordings, maintaining Mizzou NMI Soundcloud page, and other miscellaneous assistance as needed. Duties also include teaching Introduction to Music Technology (Fall semester) and Fundamentals of Music (Spring semester), serving as liaison for the Composer Connection program, and audio/miscellaneous assistance as needed.
Eligibility: Applicants from any area
Contact: Andrea Luque Káram, Managing Director Mizzou New Music Initiative (andrea.luquekaram@missouri.edu)
Band (.25 - 0.5 FTE)
Duties may include: Assist with Marching Mizzou including some travel, administrative support to the three concert bands, teaching/assisting with rehearsal clinic and basic conducting classes
Eligibility: Applicants in a primary band instrument area or wind conducting
Contact: Dr. Brian Silvey, Director of Bands (silveyba@missouri.edu)
Budds Center for American Music Studies (.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Assisting the director of the Budds Center with organizing and cataloguing the collection, serving as assistant in center programming and USA Music-focused events or classes, and performing administrative duties for the center’s board of directors.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MA in musicology
Contact: Dr. Megan Murph, Director of the Budds Center (megan.murph@missouri.edu)
Choral Conducting (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Conducting an assigned choral ensemble, rehearsing additional choirs, and assisting in the management of the choral area.
Eligibility: Applicants with performance or music education degree.
Contact: Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, Associate Professor of Choral Music Education & Director of Choral Activities (Boydba@missouri.edu)
Community Outreach (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Administering the Hidgay program by organizing performances around the community, communicating with students/faculty, overseeing hire-a-musician program.
Eligibility: Applicants from any major area
Contact: Joanna Griffith, Director of Marketing and Community Outreach (griffithjs@missouri.edu)
Composition Area (0.5 FTE)
Duties may include: Administrative support to the Managing Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and composition faculty. This may include the administration of the Creating Original Music Project (COMP), an outreach program directed at composers in grades K-12, teaching, or assisting with other applicable administrative tasks.
Eligibility: Applicants from any area; preference given to composition applicants
Contact: Andrea Luque Káram, Managing Director Mizzou New Music Initiative (andrea.luquekaram@missouri.edu)
Conducting Assistant - Sankofa Chorale (0.25 - .5 FTE)
Duties may include: Administrative support conducting, managing, accompanying, and recruiting members of The Sankofa Chorale, a choral and instrumental ensemble focused on performing and recording idiomatic and non-idiomatic music of Black composers. The repertoire of the Sankofa Chorale will include but is not limited to spirituals, folk music, traditional and contemporary gospel music, broadway musical excerpts, rhythm and blues, and other formally composed works by Black composers. The Sankofa Chorale is offered for academic credit through the School of Music instructed by Dr. Brandon A. Boyd.
Other duties include assisting Choral Rehearsal Clinic and assisting faculty in the music education and choral departments.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in choral conducting or Ph.D. in music education (emphasis in choral conducting).
Contact: Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, Associate Professor of Choral Music Education & Director of Choral Activities (Boydba@missouri.edu)
Horn (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching non-majors, teaching the horn techniques/methods class, assisting with the Mizzou Horn Choir, serving as the horn studio solo/ensemble librarian, and administrative support for the horn studio.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in horn
Contact: Amanda Collins, Assistant Professor of Percussion (amanda.collins@missouri.edu)
Jazz (0.25 FTE)
Duties: Co-directing the Studio Jazz Band, Directing Jazz Combos. Assisting with the Mizzou Jazz Fest. Providing administrative assistance to the Jazz Studies area.
Eligibility: Applicants from any area with jazz experience
Contact: Dr. Sam Griffith, Director of Jazz Studies (griffithsv@missouri.edu)
Missouri String Project (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Administrative support for the Missouri String Project in the form of regular office hours
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in string performance or PhD/master’s music education with a string background
Contact: Professor Leslie Perna, Director of the Missouri String Project (pernal@missouri.edu)
Music Education (0.25-0.50 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching music skills or methods courses for elementary and early childhood education majors, teaching beginning folk guitar class, and assisting faculty in the music education area.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM or PhD in music education
Contact: Dr. Wendy Sims, Director of Music Education (simsw@missouri.edu)
Musicology (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Assisting music history faculty in the preparation of courses, serving as the teaching assistant for a large-enrollment course for non-majors, or teaching courses for non-music majors
Eligibility: Preference given to applicants for the MA in musicology
Contact: Dr. Judith Mabary, Musicology/Ethnomusicology Area Coordinator (mabaryj@missouri.edu)
Music Theory (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Assisting freshman or sophomore theory classes, or teaching Fundamentals of Music (for non-music majors)
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in composition or music theory or other areas with appropriate skills. Applicants interested in an assistantship in music theory must arrange for an interview and should plan to do so while on campus for their primary audition audition or interview for School of Music admission.
Contact: Dr. Peter Lea, Theory Area Coordinator (LeaP@missouri.edu)
New Music Ensemble (0.5 FTE)
Duties may include: Being a member of the NME includes 6 hours/week rehearsal, performances on and off campus throughout each semester, expected performance at the Mizzou International Composers Festival, held in July each year, (an additional $500 is added for the summer)
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, at-large position
Eligibility: 2024-2025 needs: flute and percussion
Applicants for the MM in performance. Applicants in other areas, such as composition, music theory, etc., may also apply but must demonstrate performance skills at the MM level. MM performance audition procedures will be followed for all applicants, though candidates for these assistantships must perform one or more additional, representative works of new music.
Contact: Andrea Luque Káram, Managing Director Mizzou New Music Initiative (andrea.luquekaram@missouri.edu)
Orchestral Conducting (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Assisting with all aspects of the University Philharmonic activities, including conducting full-orchestra and sectional rehearsals, preparing performance materials, and engaging in administrative duties.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in Orchestral Conducting degree program.
Contact: Dr. John McKeever, Director of Orchestral Activities (jmhtz@missouri.edu)
Percussion, Concert (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching non-majors, teaching the percussion techniques/methods class, maintaining the instrument inventory, serving as the percussion solo/ensemble librarian, and administrative support for the percussion studio.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in percussion
Contact: Dr. Megan Arns, Associate Professor of Percussion (arnsm@missouri.edu)
Percussion Drumline (0.5 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching and providing support to the Marching Mizzou Drumline including drumline camp, band camp, rehearsals, and game day support.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in percussion
Contact: Dr. Amy Knopps, Director of Athletic Bands (knoppsa@missouri.edu)
Dr. Megan Arns, Associate Professor of Percussion (arnsm@missouri.edu)
Piano (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching music majors in group piano, teaching majors and non-majors in individual applied lessons, studio accompanying, choral and opera accompanying, assisting in maintaining the pedagogy library.
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in piano or collaborative piano
Contact: Dr. Peter Miyamoto, Keyboard Area Coordinator (MiyamotoP@missouri.edu)
Voice (0.25 FTE)
Duties may include: Teaching of non-majors, assisting with opera workshop, helping with administration of vocal program
Eligibility: Applicants for the MM in voice
Contact: Professor Steven Tharp, Voice Area Coordinator, tharpst@missouri.edu