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I just saw where someone - in music - expressed excitement about being promoted from “associate adjunct professor“ to “adjunct professor“.

Am I mistaken, or is this still part-time and with no job security?

Orchestral societies/symphony leagues/orchestra nonprofits are able to put together darn good symphony orchestras paying musicians a few thousand bucks a year. I’m not keeping track, but I’ve heard that a relative of mine - who plays in a big five-“ish” type of orchestra - is about to be presented with their second pay cut in less than a handful of years, and this with the prices of a very large percentage of all of our expenses having doubled in less than two years (and fuel prices expected to go right back up to where they were, after November).

A pair of industries (full-time college level studio music teaching, and full-time orchestral music playing) - that began to swell in the early 1970s - are definitely (quite quickly) deflating…
YET entry into music conservatories – and conservatory level university music programs - is extraordinarily competitive, and my understanding is that one of these four-year programs can easily cost a quarter of a million bucks. My guess (understanding a little bit about economics, supply/demand, and money supply) is that these tuition rates are charged “because they can”.

The overwhelming majority of us are attracted to music because it’s gratifying and fun. It might be just a little bit more comfortable to repair people’s plumbing or air conditioning for seven or eight hours every day – maybe even nine – and continue to enjoy playing and performing music. There still is time in the day to do that – particularly if the television is turned off and the Facebook/twitter/instagram/etc. accounts are set aside.

sidebar:
I’ve been receiving a lot of gratification lately from mastering a completely new-to-me type of tuba – a German kaiser orchestra B-flat tuba. It’s really pleasing to hear my own progress, and to hear myself improve from one practice session to the next. This has nothing to do with paid engagements. Going off on even another sidebar, I have seen people who – for whatever reason – were no longer able to engage in music performance, and entered into something like an individual sport, because the gratification involved in improving a set of skills (completely outside of any money earning potential) is so attractive/alluring.

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 8:28 am I just saw where someone - in music - expressed excitement about being promoted from “associate adjunct professor“ to “adjunct professor“.

Am I mistaken, or is this still part-time and with no job security?

Not mistaken... But it's about visibility, recognition, and a starting point. A person would be foolish to not be forward thinking in any career path. But you have to start somewhere, and have far less chance of getting a good full-time job with no proven job experience.

Also, you should assume that you will need to change employers to advance your career. Waiting for a better job at the same place is usually a waste of time

I have seen people who – for whatever reason – were no longer able to engage in music performance, and entered into something like an individual sport, because the gratification involved in improving a set of skills (completely outside of any money earning potential) is so attractive/alluring.

That kind of stuff is incomprehensible to me. Partially because of the whole "spending a lot of time to do things only for yourself" and the self-imposed guilt of selfishness that would accompany it for me, but also because I can't imagine having any measurable amount of time that I would be left alone by other people long enough to actually do something only for myself and for my own enjoyment, devoid of it's impact on others.

Going to rehearsals is guilt-ridden enough most of the time, but at least that can slightly be written off as preparation for performances that serve the community. But if it were going somewhere to play tuba because I like to play tuba, and hey wife and kids I'll seeya in a few hours hope it goes well ... Ain't happening. Or "going for a bike ride today" or "playing golf" or reading books, or whatever else people do on their own. I guess a little alone time might be nice occasionally, but I hate being alone. People all do what they want to do and what works for them... But my reality has rarely if ever been about what I want to do for myself.

Recently, my alone time has been long early-morning dog walks when the dog wakes up around 6 or 630. But even then, that's not for me, and that's not alone. And over the last few days, my 7-year old has wanted to come with me -- "wake me up, I want to go, I don't care if it's dark or how early it is." So, those walks are even less alone now. And infinitely more enjoyable, and I'll hold onto every minute of those for as long as I can.

This reminds me, I'm burning time on my phone, and I'm supposed to be putting in a retaining wall. I don't get paid for that either, but I guess "not paying someone else to do it" is sort of like getting paid. I'd better start digging.

I told my children something sort of like this (quite a few times).

Your life is going to come to an end, someday. While you're living it, it will be much more interesting if you invest in (whatever you do) discovering just how well you can do the things that you'll find yourself doing. I just don't see that as being selfish nor self-absorbed.

One of my children took that to heart, and is really enjoying their life.

My mother was a remarkable artist, and (even though the midst of "The Great Depression" was hired (on the spot - resume: "studied with Grant Wood") by an advertising firm. She gave that up when WWII happened, my Dad went overseas, and she and my infant older brother needed to stay at her parents' house (back in Iowa). As more children were born, she saw her new pursuit as being an astonishingly good wife/mother (in all the best ways, and in none of the post-modern neurotic interpretations of that)...so pursuits of excellence (and she wasn't paid - though - obviously - she incredibly stretched the family budget, as well as improving the neighborhood/city, and enriching worthwhile charities via activism) can involve all sorts of things...including (sure) building a retaining wall (that will last through the next four owners - rather than "until shortly after a house is sold".

In my experience, there is no such thing as an adjunct "professor" — officially. They are actually called "lecturers" or "instructors" if they are not tenure-track positions. Of course, this is in regard to instrumental "applied" teachers. Academic teachers who are adjuncts might be called some sort of professorial-sounding title, but I believe the official title of "professor" is reserved for tenure-track positions at most (honest*) schools.

My personal, hands-on experience in this is limited, however.






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*Institutions that are completely honest with their adjunct faculty or staff are becoming less common.

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 8:28 am I just saw where someone - in music - expressed excitement about being promoted from “associate adjunct professor“ to “adjunct professor“.

Am I mistaken, or is this still part-time and with no job security?

Correct, I think. It depends on the university from what I have seen. With rank can come higher pay rates (not necessarily). If cuts were to be made to adjunct positions (as they are part time, but having too many employees costs the university money for their insurance sakes [not the individual's insurance]), they would be more likely to be kept around.

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 10:32 am I told my children something sort of like this (quite a few times).

Your life is going to come to an end, someday. While you're living it, it will be much more interesting if you invest in (whatever you do) discovering just how well you can do the things that you'll find yourself doing. I just don't see that as being selfish nor self-absorbed.

One of my children took that to heart, and is really enjoying their life.

My mother was a remarkable artist, and (even though the midst of "The Great Depression" was hired (on the spot - resume: "studied with Grant Wood") by an advertising firm. She gave that up when WWII happened, my Dad went overseas, and she and my infant older brother needed to stay at her parents' house (back in Iowa). As more children were born, she saw her new pursuit as being an astonishingly good wife/mother (in all the best ways, and in none of the post-modern neurotic interpretations of that)...so pursuits of excellence (and she wasn't paid - though - obviously - she incredibly stretched the family budget, as well as improving the neighborhood/city, and enriching worthwhile charities via activism) can involve all sorts of things...including (sure) building a retaining wall (that will last through the next four owners - rather than "until shortly after a house is sold".

I'm trying to make a distinction between doing things for yourself and doing things for others. For example, people that go rock climbing because they like to go rock climbing doesn't do anything for anybody else. It's purely for the enjoyment of the person that does it. And fine for them. But I just don't think I have any time and maybe not the mental capacity in my life to do something like that that's just for me.

The things you mention of your mother, sounds like she was a wonderful person, seemed greatly slanted towards service of others. There's a big difference between doing things BY yourself and doing things FOR yourself.

Oh, and this retaining wall? I'm about 90% sure whoever buys this house would just tear it down and build a $2 million dollar house on this lot. Even as a teardown, we are way on the upside of the investment. Retaining wall... Basically free work to dig dirt, and some cheap concrete blocks. Now, if the kids can keep from losing their mind every 20 minutes! :)

I suspect that - if things continue the way they are going - that the American exodus (FROM gunfire, FROM robbery, FROM burglary, and FROM confiscatory taxation) will have put a halt to urban inbuilding of McMansions - other than that which will be pursued by the high-credit-rated extraordinarily naive.

You're busy doing for family, but you're also part of your family (as well as being extremely invested in your family's success) - so doing stuff like that is just as much for yourself as it is for the rest.

If you didn't have some desire to do things that only please yourself, wouldn't you cease buying tubas?

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As I read the OP the gist of it seemed to be that there were more than enough able musicians around and that therefore the squeeze could be put on their pay. I also got the impression that Universities were churning out even more excellent musicians to fill posts that don’t exist and that gifted students were eager to embark upon expensive courses that won’t (can’t) lead to employment in the field of their degree.

The situation doesn’t surprise me at all, the laws of supply and demand work in virtually all things and people will happily sell you things that you do not need and likely won’t be able to use.

The best thing any young and able musician can do is decide (realise) that music is for their recreation and not a way of earning money. Learn a trade, get a (paying) profession but don’t get involved in music and if you do then teach others to a level were they can play for their own pleasure. Amateur music varies a lot in skill level, but there are some amateur players who are darn good and can put on rather good performances.If you’re a really able player then join similarly skill amateurs and then occasionally you might get paid to play to audiences - treat that as a bonus gained whilst doing something you enjoy.

I’ll leave it at this:

As an undergraduate, the one clarinet professor had a knack of not advancing students to upper level lessons (junior/senior). This basically ended their ability to get any sort of music degree.

Every year, several players got cut. Many of them were competent section players.

He was doing all of them a favor. More instrumental professors/lecturers need to adopt that model.

2nd tenor wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 2:45 pm The best thing any young and able musician can do is decide (realise) that music is for their recreation and not a way of earning money. Learn a trade, get a (paying) profession but don’t get involved in music and if you do then teach others to a level were they can play for their own pleasure. Amateur music varies a lot in skill level, but there are some amateur players who are darn good and can put on rather good performances.If you’re a really able player then join similarly skill amateurs and then occasionally you might get paid to play to audiences - treat that as a bonus gained whilst doing something you enjoy.

Amen. When my kids were young, I always encouraged them to pursue music as a passion, not a profession. Now both of them gig when they have the time and inclination while pursuing non-music related careers. It is, for them at least, the best of both worlds.