What Minnesota is prepared to pay an international pianist
NewsThe job advert below speaks for itself. The University of Minnesota in Duluth is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor of Piano.
The applicant is expected to have a DMA or PhD, along with ‘international and national recognition and accomplishment as a professional pianist’.
The pay for a fulltime job? $47,272 a year.
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I don’t know why you have such beef with Minnesota (as this is the second time in two weeks you so wilfully ignore what is written to drive up faux outrage), but it says explicitly “starting at”, “commensurate with rank/experience”.
This is simply the minimum point on the University payscale – no one is actually paid that. A quick look at the payscales – took me two seconds via Google- shows that the job family minimum for the University President, Chancellor, deans and Provost is listed at 44 156$. And I can assure you the President is not paid five figures.
The floor for assistant professors is at 49k (presumably this is either an old salary floor, or it’s to allow for the possibility of appointing before PhD completion).
Is it a BS payscale with no useful information? Yes. Is it what they’re trying to pay a world class teacher/soloist? No.
Welcome to academia in the US. Yes, this is a typical entry level salary in a smaller state college. Yes, a doctorate is required. Yes, national or international accomplishment desired. Usually that means, in entry level, participation in a festival, doing recitals, accompanying regionally, winning a competition, doing or participating in a masterclass nationally or internationally. This is the norm for entry into a professorship in the U.S. and the reality of salaries in the arts.
They omitted:
“Due to winter temperatures in Duluth, must be able to perform whilst wearing mittens.”
Not entirely kidding. I was touring with a group in MN circa 1990 and a blizzard struck.
In May.
Hell’s teeth! I moved to a low-prestige US university as an assistant professor 19 years ago. My salary there and then was more than double that being offered here.
My subject was commercial, rather than musical, but the salary quoted here beggars belief.
The reality of having too many college degree holders – especially terminal degrees in the arts – results in a real buyer’s market.
Sad to say that the arts and education faction did this to themselves, but that’s where we are in the US.
Nice salary for a nice job. I’d take it if I was a professional pianist.
Norman, you’re always moaning! Have you ever worked a low paid job with pride and lived within your means?
i worked for a london
book seller. that is low pay. lucky i had
my grandmothers pension to live on.
I wonder if Argerich has a doctorate degree
Indeed, there is a complete devaluation of music instructors in US universities, which are now profit seeking entities more than educational centres. Makes sense. Same institution will simply cut the position in a decade.
This is pretty typical for non-flagship state schools. Horrific and unsustainable but typical nonetheless. And it’s even worse for musicologists and music theorists, despite requiring a PhD and international reputations for those positions. Higher ed administrators are clueless.
I had a very close friend who got a job like this and moved up to full Professor eventually and marrying someone who also became full Professor. They have a very comfortable lifestyle now. They were lucky. The competition for positions like this is unfortunately still very stiff.
Cost of living is low in that area.
For someone who is tired of the road, that might be advantageous.
And he/she can still book performances on the side.
It’s quite simple: when you do the interview, you state what salary you would prefer, and then the bargaining begins. What you get paid is dependent on your chutzpah and the limits of the budget of the school for that position. If you are really good, etc, etc, etc, then you may hit your mark. Winning a competition
would help you hit that mark.