The University of Bristol’s School of Arts seeks to appoint fixed-term 1.0 FTE Lecturer in Music, 1 September 2026 until 31 July 2029. You will have extensive experience of university teaching and administration.
You will be a musicologist with a specialism in music pre-1900, post-2000, or in jazz studies, to complement the expertise of other staff members, and a scholarly interest in performance practice (broadly conceived). You will teach on music history and culture units across our BA and MA programmes, supervise and mark BA and MA dissertations, and provide tutorial support to students.
You will take on the role of Director of Performance. In this role, you will be unit director across our BA and MA performance-related units, lead performance group workshops and coaching across classical, jazz and music theatre genres, be experienced at examining and auditioning performers in these genres, and have experience that prepares you for related management (including: recruiting and liaising with hourly-paid instrumental and vocal teachers; liaison with students around concerts and other extra-curricular performance activities; curating and publicizing the department’s public concerts and events; administering the department’s discretionary funds for extra-curricular music making; and auditioning and supporting the university’s Vice Chancellor’s Scholars in Music).
The precise duties will be agreed in discussion with the Academic Line Manager and Programme Director. In 2026-27, they are likely to include:
- Serve as the department’s Director of Performance. Duties include:
o Direct performance units at all levels (BA and MA)
o Liaising with the department’s hourly-paid Instrumental and Vocal Teachers, participating in annual recruitment of these colleagues
o Liaise closely with student music societies and external professional musicians to schedule university’s regular programme of concerts.
o Support the university’s regular programme of concerts, and develop strategies for publicising our performance activities to grow and diversify our audiences.
o Contribute to organisation and hosting of workshops with external partners (e.g. rural primary schools through the Thinking Music charity)
o Organise and run Showcases for students taking performance units, to help them prepare for recitals.
o Oversee organisation of recital schedules, including hiring accompanists, communicating with students about assessment requirements etc.
o Act as unit director for the university-wide Choral and Ensemble Performance unit (this will involve triage and liaison but no teaching)
o Act as personal tutor for MA students on the Performance pathway
o Organise (from January onwards) and lead the all department Creative Performance and Musicianship workshops on Friday afternoons
o With advice and support from colleagues, manage the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarships in Music, including mentorship of scholarship holders, liaison with the scholarship office around advertising and selection process, contribute to selection of each year’s cohort of scholars (shortlisting and watching video auditions)
o With advice and support from colleagues, manage the department’s discretionary funds for extra-curricular music making.
- Musicology teaching across the BA and MA programmes
o Teach small seminars for the first-year optional Criticism pathway through the Performance unit.
o Unit direct and deliver a lecture segment in first-year BA Music and Society 1 (TB1)
o Contribute to first-year BA unit Technical Studies (covering pastiche composition, harmony and counterpoint, and/or analysis of Western music from an era of your choice)
o Unit Direct and contribute to Second Year BA Approaches to Music History
o Contribute to Second Year BA Inside Medieval Music, especially the polyphony-related elements of that
o Contribute to MA team-taught units Source Study, Composers and Performers, Readings and Repertoires 1, Readings and Repertoires 2, and Research Skills for Musicians, in particular contributing perspectives on performance studies.
o Contribute to supervision and marking of MA dissertations
- Liaise with colleagues and students to provide regular content for the department’s Instagram account
- You have a completed PhD in Music (or related subject), with an emphasis on Music pre-1900, post-2000, or in jazz studies.
- You have recent and current experience of, and expertise in expertise in university musicology teaching at BA level, including marking and assessment.
- You have significant experience in UK HE administration that have prepared you to undertake the role of Head of Performance in Music at the University of Bristol
- You have excellent communication skills and the ability to work both independently and in a team.
- You have recent and current experience of performance-related activities (e.g. workshops, teaching topics related to performance practice [broadly conceived], or directing student music making in some form) and performance assessment at university level.
- You have native or near-native English, and ability to advise students in detail of academic written expression in English
Contract type: Fixed term from 01/09/26 - 31/08/29
Work pattern: 1 FTE
Grade: J
Salary: £43,482 - £50,253 per annum
School/Unit: School of Arts
Shift pattern: Monday - Friday
This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 10th August 2026
For informal queries please contact: Emma Hornby - [email protected]
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