ARTP Department of Music

College of Arts and Letters
Department of Music
Date Approved: August 2018

 

Confidentiality of Personnel Deliberations

Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees (Probationary and Temporary Appointment, Retention, Tenure, and Promotion, and Evaluation of Temporary, Probationary and Tenured Faculty)

Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees

The department annually elects 2 personnel committees.

The probationary and tenured faculty members of the department or equivalent unit shall elect a peer review committee(s) of tenured faculty members. When there are insufficient eligible members to serve on the peer committee, the department shall elect members from a related academic discipline(s).

(The Committees, as a whole, must take responsibility for the following tasks: Probationary Appointment; Temporary Appointment; Retention, Tenure and Promotion; Range Elevation; Evaluation of Temporary Faculty; Evaluation of Probationary Faculty; Evaluation of Tenured Faculty (Post-Tenure review); Evaluation for Request to Emeritus status; and Collaboration on the Development of Individual Professional Plans. It is required that each unit indicate below which Committee is responsible for each of these tasks.)

Committee Titles and Responsibilities

Number of Members

(at least 3; all tenured full time)

(Indicate if must be (full) professor rank)

Number of Alternates

(1 or more; all tenured full-time)*

(Indicate if must be (full) professor rank)

RTP Committee A

Evaluation of Tenured Faculty; Promotion to Full Professor

3 members, all tenured full-time; must be Full Professors

 1 alternate members, both tenured full-time; must be Full Professors

RTP Committee B

Retention; Tenure; Promotion to Associate Professor, Range Elevation; Evaluation of Temporary Faculty; Evaluation of Probationary Faculty; Collaboration on the development of Individual Professional Plans

3 members, all tenured full-time; may be Associate Professors and/or Full Professors

1 alternate members, both tenured full-time; may be Associate Professors and/or Full Professors

Search Committee

Probationary Appointment, Temporary Appointment

3 members, all tenured full-time; may be Associate Professors and/or Full Professors (1 Probationary faculty may be elected)

1 alternate members, both tenured full-time; may be Associate Professors and/or Full Professors

Additional:

Department ARTP Committees A and B are elected the first week of the fall semester and are elected to serve for the entire academic year. A separate Search Committee is elected for each tenure track search for which the department has received approval from the Provost and the Dean.

Eligibility for Committee Service and Balloting

Recruitment of Probationary Faculty

Appointment of Probationary Faculty

Personnel Action Files

Individualized Professional Plans

Eligibility for Tenure and Promotion

Area of Specialization Terminal Degree

Music Theory

 Ph.D. or DMA

Music Composition

 DMA or Ph.D.
Music History

Ph.D.

Instrumental Music

 BA/BM or MM or DMA

Vocal/Choral Music

BA/BM or MM or DMA

Keyboard Music

BA/BM or MM or DMA

Jazz Music

 DMA or MM or BA/BM

Commercial Music

 MM or BA/BM

Music Education

 DME, DMA, Ed.D., or Ph.D.

 

Evaluation of Permanent Instructional Faculty

Additional:

Category B: Activities considered appropriate as "scholarly and creative activities" for the discipline are:

  1. The participation in the performance of music as soloist, as part of an ensemble, or as a conductor in venues beyond normal instructional duties.
  2. The creation/composition of new musical works and the arrangement of preexisting musical works.
  3. Presentations before meetings of scholarly and professional societies, and presentations as an invited authority in the faculty member's field before significant scholarly and professional audiences.
  4. Academic and scholarly contributions to the faculty member's professional and field, which are externally evaluated and published or formally accepted for publication.
  5. The adjudication of musical performances (solo and ensemble).
  6. Teaching master classes and workshops beyond the normal instructional duties that utilizes the faculty member's expertise in a manner that results in an advancement in the field.
  7. Participation of activities of scholarly or professional societies beyond mere membership, such as elective office, fellowship status, committee membership, receipt of special awards, organization of symposia, and chairing conference sessions.
  8. Professional and scholarly participation K-12 schools.
  9. Innovative use of instructional methods, textbooks, and original teaching and testing materials which are adopted for professional and/or instructional use outside the department.
  10. Receipt of awards, grants, fellowships for the pursuit of research or study in the faculty member's field including commissions of musical works.

Untenured faculty members shall receive a peer observation at least once each RTP cycle.

Committee Procedures

Review of Faculty Holding Joint Appointments and of Faculty Active in Interdisciplinary Programs

Student Consultation in Academic Personnel Processes

Additional:

All probationary, temporary full-time, and part-time faculty will distribute Student Opinion Surveys in every single class in every semester they are teaching.

Tenured faculty will distribute Student Opinion Surveys in all classes taught in one semester per academic year for a minimum of two classes per year. That semester will be chosen by the Department Chair and will rotate (i.e., in one academic year tenured faculty will distribute surveys in fall semester, the next academic year surveys will be distributed in spring semester, etc.)

Oral Testimony

Role of Department/Division/School Chair or Director

Appointment of Temporary Faculty

Evaluation of Temporary Faculty

Additional:

  1. Teaching performance - those activities by the faculty member that directly contribute to student learning. Effecting teaching may include various pedagogical approaches and a wide range of activities such as coordinating and supervising students in learning experiences.
  2. Student Opinion Surveys
  3. Peer evaluation:
    1. Peer evaluations must occur at least once per academic year.
    2. Peer evaluations may occur in an academic class, in applied music lessons, or in ensemble rehearsals. The faculty member under review may choose in which the peer evaluation will occur.
    3. The faculty member under review may choose a reviewer from their own area or may choose the department chair.
    4. Within one week after the classroom lesson ensemble rehearsal observation the two shall meet to discuss the peer observation.
  4. Related instructional activities - includes academic advisement, curriculum/program development, assessment of student learning outcomes, membership on thesis committees, development and assessment of comprehensive exams, and other academic support activities that enhance student retention and achievement.
  5. Professional achievement currency in the field
    1. The performance of musical works
    2. The creation of new musical works
    3. Professional presentations
    4. Academic and scholarly publications
    5. Adjudicating musical performances
    6. The presentation of master classes and workshops
    7. Professional participation in K-12 schools
    8. Participation in professional societies beyond mere membership
    9. The receipt of awards, grants, and fellowships including the commission of musical works.
    10. Peer observations
    11. Review of instructional materials
  6. Optional: Contributions to the university - including contributing to academic governance, participating in student organizations, conveying information about the faculty member's scholarship, profession, field and university to community groups, participating in the department's recruitment and student retention activities.

Consideration for Three-Year Appointments

Consideration for Range Elevation

Additional:

  1. Required: Teaching performance - must be outstanding in those act1v1t1es by the faculty member that directly contribute to student learning. Effective teaching may include various pedagogical approaches and a wide range of activities such as coordinating and supervising students in learning experiences.
  2. Required: Student Opinion Surveys - must be better than the department mean.
  3. Required: Peer evaluation:
    1. Peer evaluations must occur at least once per academic year.
    2. Peer evaluations may occur in an academic class, in applied music lessons, or in ensemble rehearsals. The faculty member under review may choose in which the peer evaluation will occur.
    3. The faculty member under review may choose a reviewer from their own area or may choose the department chair.
    4. Within one week after the classroom/lesson/ensemble rehearsal observation the two shall meet to discuss the peer observation.
    5. Must be outstanding in teaching performance.
  4. Optional: Related instructional activities - includes academic advisement, curriculum/program development, assessment of student learning outcomes, membership on thesis committees, development and assessment of comprehensive exams, and other academic support activities that enhance student retention and achievement.
  5. Required: Satisfactory Professional achievement - currency in the field
    1. The performance of musical works
    2. The creation of new musical works
    3. Professional presentations
    4. Academic and scholarly publications
    5. Adjudicating musical performances
    6. The presentation of master classes and workshops
    7. Professional participation in K-12 schools
    8. Participation in professional societies beyond mere membership
    9. The receipt of awards, grants, and fellowships including the commission of musical works.
    10. Peer observations.
    11. Review of instructional materials.
  6. Optional: Contributions to the university - including contributing to academic governance, participating in student organizations, conveying information about the faculty member's scholarship, profession, field and university to community groups, participating in the department's recruitment and student retention activities.

Review of Department Personnel Procedures

 

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A TERMINAL DEGREE OTHER THAN A DOCTORATE

Department: Music

Area of Specialization: Commercial Music

Terminal Degree: BA or BM

1. Why is this degree more relevant for this position than a doctorate?

Commercial Music is an emerging field. At present there is no doctoral degree. The MM is the terminal degree.

2. What is the availability of a doctorate in this field?

In Commercial Music there is no doctorate and, in most cases, the department would prefer to hire someone with the MM degree. In some cases, however, someone who has only a BA or a BM degree, but who has had a very prominent and distinguished career in commercial music as a performer, a TV and/or film scorer/composer or as a recording engineer, may decide to work in academia. They may have a strong desire to pass on their performance skills and knowledge to future generations of commercial musical performers, composers, arrangers and recording technicians. This person's experience and expertise would be invaluable to our students and would serve in lieu of the MM degree.

3. Does this degree provide a faculty member with the necessary background to do research, scholarly, or creative work in the University?

The BA or BM degree, along with their life experience would indeed provide them with the background necessary for academic and scholarly success at Cal State LA.

4.  Is there a requirement of the specialized accrediting agency related to terminal degrees of faculty in the department? If so, what is that requirement?

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) allows for the BA or BM degree as a terminal degree in the area of emerging fields (such as Commercial Music).

5.  What are the educational requirements for similar positions at comparable campuses? Please identify the campus and provide a copy of their relevant policies.

Currently, Cal State LA is the only institution with an MM degree in Commercial Music.

 

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A TERMINAL DEGREE OTHER THAN A DOCTORATE

Department: Music

Area of Specialization: Performance (instrumental, Jazz, Vocal, Choral and Keyboard)

Terminal Degree: BA or BM

1. Why is this degree more relevant for this position than a doctorate?

In the area of performance, professional performance careers are usually launched after receiving the BA or BM degree.

2. What is the availability of a doctorate in this field?

In performance, there is the DMA degree and, in most cases, the department would prefer to hire someone with this degree. In some cases, however, someone who has only a BA or a BM degree, but who has had a very prominent and distinguished performance career, may decide to work in academia. They may have a strong desire to pass on their performance skills and knowledge to future generations of musical performers. This person's experience and expertise would be invaluable to our students and would serve in lieu of the DMA degree.

3. Does this degree provide a faculty member with the necessary background to do research, scholarly, or creative work in the University?

The BA or BM degree, along with their life experience would indeed provide them with the background necessary for academic and scholarly success at Cal State LA.

4.  Is there a requirement of the specialized accrediting agency related to terminal degrees of faculty in the department? If so, what is that requirement?

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) allows for the BA or BM degree as a terminal degree in the area of performance.

5.  What are the educational requirements for similar positions at comparable campuses? Please identify the campus and provide a copy of their relevant policies.

The comparable institutions listed above all require the BA or BM as the terminal degree for performance.