Teaching

Carleton is very supportive of its faculty who want to become even better teachers. The Perlman Learning and Teaching Center, located in the Weitz Center, is available to all faculty and offers a variety of resources and programs related to teaching. One example is the Student Observer Program in which a student is assigned to observe a faculty member’s teaching and to offer feed­back regarding that teaching. In addi­tion to the Student Observer Program, adjunct faculty are encouraged to invite a full-time faculty member in the Department of Music to observe their teaching. You may also wish to design and distribute course evaluations to students at the end of the term in which students can make suggestions or comments about their study. The Learning and Teaching center has good resources on designing effective course evaluations.

Through its regular operating budget, the Music Department has funds available to support our adjunct faculty through the purchase of library materials, recordings, music (for our music libraries or chamber ensembles), and so forth. In addition, other support services are available, such as the instrument repair and so forth. Any such needs should be addressed with the Department Chair.

Funding may also be available through the Office of the Provost.  Consult with Department Chair when making an application for such funding.

Faculty Performances

Applied faculty are encouraged to perform on the Carleton College campus, both as a professional opportunity, and in order to share their talents with our students and community. Each year our adjunct faculty members are invited to submit proposals for recitals to be presented on our concert series; while not all proposals can be funded, every effort is made to support as many as possible. Funds cover an honorarium for Carleton adjunct faculty, and money for additional performers, equipment, programs and publicity. Faculty who submit proposals that are not able to be funded are still supported in the form of programs and publicity.

There are regular opportunities for additional paid on-campus performances; applied faculty are occasionally asked to be part of smaller chamber ensembles, to perform the works of guest composers, or to participate in larger gala or interdisciplinary events.

Review and Promotion Policies

  1. Review procedures for applied music faculty are different from those described in the Faculty Handbook for tenure-track and tenured faculty. Re­views of adjunct faculty will take place periodically throughout the career of an adjunct faculty member, and will not necessarily be related to considera­tion for promotion. Under normal circumstances, adjunct faculty will normally be reviewed every three years through the twelfth year, and less frequently thereafter.
  2. A review will always take place when an adjunct faculty member is being considered for promotion (i.e., to the ranks of Lecturer and Senior Lecturer).
  3. The review will consist of evaluations from present and past students of the adjunct faculty member who are on campus at the time of the review. The Music Department will not use the form employed for third-year and tenure reviews of tenure-track or tenured faculty. In an effort to keep this process as simple as possible, and in view of the fact that adjunct faculty will be reviewed periodically, the review will not normally include letters from graduates.  Undergraduates who are off campus at the time of the review will not be included.  Neither will students who were never actually enrolled for lessons.
  4. In addition to the evaluations described above, the review will include at least one visit by at least one full-time faculty member of the Department to a lesson or master class taught by the candidate. The candidate for promotion will also submit to the Chair an updated résumé.
  5. Normally an instructor will be considered for promotion to Lecturer in the sixth year (that is, during the instructor’s second review) and considered for promotion from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer in the twelfth year (that is during the fourth review).  Teaching load will not be a factor in this schedule.
  6. Adjunct faculty will be notified in advance of a review; it will also be made clear to such faculty members whether or not they are to be considered for promotion at the time of the review.