Pool for Part-time Instruction, Department of Music

Department of Music

Music Faculty Employment Opportunity - Lecturer

The University

Sonoma State University’s beautiful 274-acre campus is located in Sonoma County’s wine country, an hour north of San Francisco. The campus offers the ideal setting for teaching and learning and access to a community of rich cultural, environmental, and recreational opportunities. Founded in 1960, SSU is one of the 22 campuses of the California State University System. As members of the largest public higher education system in the nation, we provide accessible, high-quality education.

The Department

Sonoma State University is part of the California State University, the nation’s largest and most affordable public four-year university system. Our campus sits in the heart of Sonoma County’s wine country, nestled between gently sloping hills and rocky mountain peaks, between bustling towns and serene countryside.

The SSU Department of Music is housed within the Green Music Center, a hub of musical, artistic and cultural activity. Embracing its mission of providing access to diverse experiences that educate, connect, and inspire, the Green Music Center is home to two magnificent performing venues, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall, a spectacular concert hall modeled after Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and acoustically designed to replicate the Vienna’s Musikverein, and Schroeder Hall, an intimate 240-seat cathedral-like recital hall designed specifically to accentuate instruments, organ, and voice.

At Sonoma State University, developing artists cultivate their individuality in an environment that emphasizes personalized instruction. Academic music classes are typically small, enabling students to engage with faculty members in an intimate setting. Studio faculty, many of whom are professional artists with prominent ensembles throughout the Bay Area and beyond, are approachable, accessible, and committed to student success.

As the largest public institution in the nation, the CSU proudly recruits students from all corners of the diverse population of California. Sonoma State University values equity, diversity, and inclusion, and works to build equity in our community by creating an inclusive, welcome learning environment. Many of our graduates have gone on to successful careers as performers, music educators, recording artists, composers, and more.

The Department offers the following degree programs:

• Bachelor of Music degree in Instrumental Performance
• Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance
• Bachelor of Music degree in Music Teacher Preparation
• Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies
• Bachelor of Music degree Music Composition
• Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, Liberal Studies concentration
• Minor in Music, Liberal Arts
• Minor in Music, Jazz Studies

Prospective applicants are encouraged to see the department’s web page at: https://music.sonoma.edu/ .

Duties of the Position

Teach private instruction to students in the classical bass studio in the Bachelor of Music Performance, BM Music Teacher Preparation, and Bachelor of Arts programs. Potential exists for teaching additional courses such as strings methods classes, and coach sectional rehearsals as assigned by the Department. We seek a dynamic artist-educator willing to be actively involved in recruitment activities necessary to build and maintain a classical bass studio.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Director of Orchestral Activities and with other faculty in the strings area, participate in department events such as audition and jury panels, department performances and recruiting/outreach performances.

We are interested in candidates with a track record of professional performance experience who are committed to teaching students at all levels of experience.

Required Qualifications

Candidates for activity courses and private instruction must have college-level education in music or extensive professional performing and teaching experience. Candidates for lecture classes must have at least a master’s degree in music.

Rank and Salary

Full-time is a 15-unit workload per semester. Actual salary is dependent upon the number of units assigned, educational preparation, and availability of funds subject to any CSU system faculty contract salary increases.

• Salary commensurate with degree level and experience.
• Anticipated Hiring Salary Range: $5,507 - $6,677 per full-time month.
• The full-time (15 units per semester) monthly base salary range indicated above is prorated to the number of units worked and are paid in six monthly payments for each full semester.
• Selection as a candidate in the applicant pool, does not guarantee employment. Temporary Faculty appointments are made on a part-time, temporary basis and contingent upon department needs and funding.
• Temporary Faculty appointments are made on a semester-by-semester basis.
• Relocation expenses will not be provided for temporary faculty appointments.
• Expenses incurred to attend an interview for temporary faculty positions are not reimbursed by the University.

Required Application Materials

• Cover letter stating interest in the position and teaching philosophy
• Curriculum vitae
• Contact Information for 3 references
• URLs to performance recordings of solo or ensemble work

Application procedures for temporary faculty already teaching in the department:

• Temporary Faculty with three-year appointments do not need to reapply.
• Temporary Faculty who had a paid appointment during the prior academic year with your department (either one or both semesters); this includes Lecturers on the Re-Employment list are not required to apply through the Recruitment Pool unless they would like to be evaluated to teach additional courses, not currently designated as qualified to teach.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, go to jobs.sonoma.edu and click on the Staff & Faculty Career Opportunities link. Find and select the faculty position you are applying for to view the description and select Apply Now. If you have not previously applied, you will be prompted to create an account. You can use this account to apply to multiple positions. Once you have submitted the application, a confirmation email will be automatically sent to you. Please do not send materials to facultysearch@sonoma.edu . If you encounter difficulties during the application process, please email facultysearch@sonoma.edu

Contact Information

Questions concerning the application process may be directed to: facultysearch@sonoma.edu

Questions concerning this position may be directed to:

Dr. Andy Collinsworth, Chair, Department of Music

Email: racworth@sonoma.edu

Phone: (707) 664-4154

Please refer to the requisition job number on all correspondence and inquiries regarding this position.

The ADA Coordinator is also available ( hraccomodations@sonoma.edu ) to assist individuals with disabilities in need of accommodation during the hiring process.

Our Commitment

Sonoma State University is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, as such we are committed to achieving the goals of equal opportunity and we endeavor to employ faculty and staff reflecting the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the region and state.

Guided by our core values as a university: diversity, sustainability, community engagement, and adaptability, Sonoma State University (SSU) offers an education that fosters intellectual, social, and personal growth. SSU is a public liberal arts and sciences university. As the only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in the state of California, we are committed to preparing students for a life of active citizenship and public service. We have a vibrant campus life characterized by a lively co-curriculum that fosters broad-based intellectual and artistic opportunities in which the campus as a whole is actively engaged.

Sonoma State University is committed to creating a community in which bias and intolerance have no place. It is our expectation that all students, faculty, and staff work together to honor this commitment and hold each other accountable to create an open and inclusive environment.

We are committed to facilitating spaces in which all can grow by building on our students’ assets as they explore new knowledge. These efforts include fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, experimentation, empathy, and communication. The successful candidate will be one who can collaborate with faculty, staff, administration, and students to achieve these goals. We are especially interested in candidates committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Equal Opportunity & Mandated Reporting

The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status. Mandated Reporting: This position may be considered a "mandated reporter" under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Employment Eligibility & Conditions

CSU Out of State Policy - Sonoma State University, as part of the CSU system, is a State of California Employer. As such, the University requires all employees upon date of hire to reside in the State of California. As of January 1, 2022 the CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy prohibits the hiring of employees to perform CSU-related work outside the state of California. A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current employees who apply for this position.

Sonoma State University hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. All offers of employment are contingent upon presentation of documents demonstrating the appointee’s identity and eligibility to work, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Sonoma State University does not facilitate the process of applying for an H1B Visa for temporary positions.

Education Code 89521

Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.

Annual Reports & Safety Information

Sonoma State University's Annual Security Report includes summaries of institutional policy relating to campus safety, drug and alcohol use, sexual assault, and other matters. The report is published in compliance with the Clery Act and includes three years of certain crime statistics that occurred in Clery Act defined geography. A paper copy of the report may be requested in person by emailing the Clery Compliance and Safety Office at clery@sonoma.edu.

View Benefits Summary

Advertised: Apr 21 2026 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close:

• 

• Sonoma State University

• 707.664.3100

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