Members

• Chair: Alfred Cramer (Pomona College)
• Johanna Devaney (McGill University), Alan Street (University of Kansas), Gilbert DeBenedetti (The Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and University of Pittsburgh), Timothy Johnson (Ithaca College), Akane Mori (Hartt College), Jenine Brown (2014; graduate student), Nancy Rogers (2014)

Conference Guides

For many years the Committee has sponsored the Conference Guides Program, in which members of SMT who are attending one of their first conferences are paired with more experienced conference goers, who help orient them on the first day, introduce them to other scholars, and in general help them feel welcome at the conference and in the Society.

Student Breakfast

The CPD hosts a Student Breakfast during the Annual Meeting. In the past we have called this a Graduate Student Breakfast, but in recent years more and more undergraduates have wanted to come, so we have opened the event to students at both levels. The breakfast not only offers excellent food, juice, and coffee, but it is also a great way to meet students from other institutions, to begin to develop all-important professional networks, and to learn about conferences and publications that invite student participation.

CV Review Session

The CPD offers a CV Review Session at the Annual Meeting, in which senior members of the society are available to review and critique CVs and cover letters one-on-one with those applying for jobs in the near future. Conference attendees who wish to take advantage of this opportunity should bring at least five copies of both their current CV and a generic cover letter for this session.

Student Facebook Page

The CPD maintains the SMT student Facebook Page, which is intended specifically for students and first-year faculty. The Facebook Page, which replaces the CPD listserv of past years, provides a safe forum for new members of the professional community to discuss issues relevant to graduate study, applying for jobs, or other questions and concerns, without being shared with the entire SMT membership.

Meeting Proposals

For advice about preparing an effective SMT meeting proposal and for a broad spectrum of successful proposals from recent years, please see the Meeting Proposal page, hosted by the Professional Development Committee.

Special Sessions

Here is a list of some of the special sessions held at previous Annual Meetings of the SMT:

• Reaching Beyond the Field (2011)
  The participants in this session, which was moderated by Alfred Cramer (Pomona College), included: Walter Everett (University of Michigan); Sumanth Gopinath (University of Minnesota); Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis (University of Arkansas/ University of Cambridge); and Dmitri Tymoczko (Princeton University).
• Tenure and the Musical Scholar: Philosophical and Practical Issues (2010)
• The Teaching Component of the Job Interview (2009)
• Publishing in Music Theory and Musicology (2008)
• Presenting at a Conference (2007)
  In this special session, a panel of five distinguished music theorists provided an overview of the steps in presenting a conference paper to a professional society. Each panelist gave a 10-15 minute presentation on a specific aspect of preparing or delivering a conference presentation.
• Mid-career Renewal (2006)
  For this special session the Committee on Professional Development invited a panel of senior music theorists who have continued to renew themselves professionally by exploring new areas of scholarship or new teaching venues, reexamining their pedagogical approaches, moving from teaching to administration, pursuing grants for research or study abroad, returning to performance, or by other means.
• Preparing an Effective Tenure Case (2005)
  For this special session the Committee on Professional Development invited a panel of administrators and tenured faculty members to speak about the policies and procedures for preparing effective tenure cases at their respective institutions. Presenters addressed such issues as: what are the main parts of a tenure dossier; what should a personal statement cover; how many inside and outside letters should be included (and who should write them); how teaching effectiveness is best documented; what strategies nontenured faculty should follow in choosing journals and other professional activities that will work most strongly in their favor; the importance of establishing collegial relations within the department; and how to balance service, research, and teaching.
• Writing for Publication in Music Theory (2004)
  For this special session the Committee on Professional Development invited several panelists consisting of editors of prominent music theory journals (both print and on-line journals) as well as an acquisitions editor from a well-known textbook publisher.

Relevant Links

Committee on the Status of Women (CSW)
Chronicle of Higher Education's Career Development Website
College Music Society (Main Site)
American Association of University Professors (National)