Klarinet Archive - Posting 000075.txt from 2004/11

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] re: Clarinet vacancy
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2004 11:47:29 -0500

<<<I suspect the real reasoning behind=20
the DMA requirements is because full time faculty are expected to be
able=20
to teach applied lessons, at least one major area (if not two), and
cover=20
almost anything else in the department depending on the the vagaries of=20
budgetary climates. The best clarinet teacher better be able to also do
the=20
above and tap dance, or he/she wont get the job. Superman has it easy,
in comparison.>>>

This is a fairly commonly-held viewpoint among people who are looking at
the higher education field from the outside without much real insight
about how it works. The fact is that in many universities, including
the one in which I have been teaching for 38 years, a certain percentage
of the faculty (but not all of them) will teach in an applied area, and
also may have other duties. These might include teaching academic
classes in music literature and history, music theory, music education,
conducting ensembles, etc. However, it is not true that these
assignments are made willy-nilly without taking into consideration the
qualifications and interests of the faculty member to teach them.

Just as having a doctorate does not ensure great teaching, neither does
it preclude that possibility. Similarly, being an excellent teacher of
applied music does not necessarily mean that the person is not qualified
to teach anything else, although in the case of some people, that would
be true. For some faculty members (including me) the opportunity to
teach in a variety of areas is an advantage, and I don't feel that I am
being punished or mistreated when those opportunities arise, nor have my
students indicated that they feel that they have not had a good
experience in my classes.

What is the alternative? It seems that would be for each and every
music department to have at least one faculty member for each and every
applied music area, and for all the academic areas and ensembles to be
covered by still other faculty members. That would probably amount to
at least 40 or 50 faculty members, and in the real world, a large
percentage of schools are not going to be able to have that large a
faculty in the foreseeable future.

The reasons why the doctorate is becoming more or less routinely
expected of university faculty members are long, complicated and
involved, and it would require a book-length missive to go into detail
about it.

Ed Lacy (D. Mus., Indiana University, 1978)
Professor of Bassoon, Saxophone, Jazz History and assorted other classes
University of Evasnville

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