Inclusive Excellence Cohort Hiring Initiative: Seeking an Indigenous Scholar in Music
Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) is a multi-campus university renowned for its extraordinary learning environment and highly personalized educational experience. As a comprehensive university with more than 19,000 students, Laurier has grown rapidly in research intensity while at the same time preserving our well-earned reputation for excellent undergraduate teaching and learning. With a multi-campus and multi-community culture, Laurier offers students an exceptional range of more than 100 academic programs. As a leader in higher education for more than a century, Laurier has offered students a transformative experience, an ethos that is offered in Laurier’s intention to inspire lives of leadership and purpose.
Laurier is taking a step toward Indigenization and reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by hiring six new Indigenous faculty members and six new Black faculty members. The initiative is part of Laurier’s broader Faculty Rejuvenation efforts to advance strategic academic and research goals, enhance academic excellence and student experience, and strengthen collaborative and interdisciplinary initiatives.
Laurier’s campuses and locations are on the Haldimand Tract, within the traditional territories of the Neutral, Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. A short 2.5-hour drive of 18 First Nations communities, including the Six Nations of the Grand River— the most populous First Nation in Canada — and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford both have large urban Indigenous populations. There are 12 Métis councils within a 3-hour radius. We recognize the unique heritages of Indigenous peoples and support their right to preserve and express their distinctive Indigenous cultures, histories, and knowledge through academic programming, research, and co-curricular activities. Laurier honours Indigenous knowledge through diverse ongoing initiatives, programs, funding events, and positions, including the university’s Indigenous Student Centres, its Centre for Indigegogy, the Indigenous Knowledge Fund, Indigenous Education Week and the annual Indigenous Research Symposium. Laurier welcomes a regular stream of Visiting Elders and has an Indigenous Curriculum Specialist, not to mention a growing number of Indigenous faculty, students, and staff.
Nestled around one city block, Laurier’s Waterloo campus is home to more than 15,500 students in undergraduate and graduate studies. Known for its small community feel, the campus is a welcoming environment for students and staff. The Waterloo Region, consisting of the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich, is home to Canada’s fastest-growing technology sector and is part of the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor. Neighbouring Laurier's Waterloo and Kitchener campuses are The Healing of the Seven Generations, White Owl Native Ancestry Association and the Grand River Metis Council. Located approximately one- hour west of Toronto, the Waterloo Region offers a unique blend of modern, energetic urban centres and scenic, rural landscapes, and is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Waterloo Region is renowned for higher education and research. Internationally recognized research organizations also make their home in Waterloo: the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Balsillie School for International Governance Innovation..
Faculty and Department/Area:
Faculty of Music
Position Location:
Waterloo
Area of Specializations:
One or more of: Community Music, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Performance, Musicology, Music Theory, Music Therapy.
Rank/s of the Position:
Open Rank
Type of Position:
Tenure-track
Faculty/Department/Program Description:
Laurier’s Faculty of Music is dedicated to fostering artistic and scholarly development of the highest calibre and to providing a creative environment for student success. Our students, faculty and outside artists present upwards of 100 concerts and events a year to the public.
The Faculty of Music is built on outstanding students and professors, innovative programming and a welcoming and supportive learning environment. The Faculty is recognized for its level of excellence in research and performance, cutting-edge course content that blends music from a variety of traditions and critically evaluates music's role in establishing diversity, equity, and inclusivity, as well as high standards in the teaching of musical skills, theory, and musicology. Laurier’s Faculty of Music is a national and international leader in higher music education offering innovative, sector-leading programs, which include Canada’s only Master of Arts and Bachelor of Music in Community Music and Ontario’s only Master and Bachelor of Music Therapy. The Bachelor of Music offers concentrations in: community music; composition; music education; integrated musical arts; music history, theory and critical analysis; performance; and self-directed studies. The Faculty also offers two diploma programs: a Chamber Music Diploma and an Opera Diploma.
The Faculty of Music is home to two research centres; the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research and the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community. The Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) is a dynamic forum that bridges the divide between clinical practice and research with a mission to provide opportunities for concrete research collaboration and discussions. The Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LCMC) was formed with a mission of connecting Laurier to the wider Waterloo Regional community through musical activities, community research and collaboration. The LCMC lives out this mission through research, symposia, publishing, projects, partnerships, and concerts. Using music as a conduit, we work to connect to our community, collaborate with music makers, and thereby contribute to the vitality of the music of the people and of the people themselves.
Through the Beckett School at Laurier, the Faculty of Music provides a variety of service and engagement opportunities for the community, and exceptional music instruction to the wider community outside of Wilfrid Laurier.
The Faculty’s alumni are successful in virtually every area of the music world and beyond, where they appear in opera houses and concert halls, orchestras, choirs, bands, chamber music ensembles, and musical theatre. They are to be found as church organists and music directors, composers, conductors, educators, musicologists, music librarians, music therapists, music theorists, and work in the music industry. Alumni who have careers in other fields such as law, medicine, and business continue performing or teaching music in their communities and often attribute their professional success to their music education at Laurier.
Learn more about the Faculty of Music at Laurier through the following link: https://www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/index.html
Position Summary:
The Faculty of Music is seeking a musician/teacher (broadly defined as performer, composer, conductor and/or scholar) to join the Community Music program with expertise in Indigenous music that intersects with community health and wellness. This position would be affiliated with Community Music at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with strong ties to Music Therapy at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and potential for curricular connections across other areas of the Faculty of Music, the university and in the community. While all qualified candidates will be carefully considered, candidates with expertise in Choral music, Community Music, Music Education, Music Therapy, Musicology, Music Theory, Composition, Piano performance, or Voice performance are especially encouraged to apply. Teaching will be based on the candidate’s expertise and could include existing or new coursework. The candidate’s work will help develop and expand the curriculum at the Faculty of Music, diversify repertoire in the school, and support the school’s interest in growth and innovation. Interdisciplinary work or scholarship across the university and in the community is strongly encouraged.
See the Faculty of Music page to learn more about the faculty.
Qualifications:
You are a musician/teacher with a lived experience of Indigenous identity, and a promising record of research, creative practice (including community work), and/or performance as evidenced in academic or community-focused settings. You embody and carry the responsibility of honouring the cultural protocols of your own heritage while also understanding, respecting and honouring the cultural protocols of diverse Indigenous cultures. A research focus that includes grassroots/oral traditions, multiculturalism, intersectionality, or using music as a mediator for reconciliation would be an asset but not required. You are prepared to provide high quality and effective teaching in the Faculty of Music as well as demonstrate the capacity to engage local, national, nation-to-nation and international conversations on music and the relevance of music education in the 21st century. You are able to teach a selection of existing courses in the Faculty of Music but could identify areas in need of curricular development within your area of expertise. Preference will be given to candidates who are knowledge-keepers or song-carriers, or those with a completed (or nearly completed) terminal degree in Music, but if you are an exceptional candidate with a Master’s degree and a national and/or international professional profile in creative process, please consider applying to be part of our community. Indigenous concepts and expressions of gender and sexuality are welcome, valued and embraced. While spoken/written skills in your Indigenous language is a valued asset, it is not required.
Deciding to Become a Candidate
The following is a list of the steps we anticipate in the recruitment process for this position. We would also like to bring to your attention several key issues we would recommend you consider as you navigate the search process.
How to apply
Candidates who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) are encouraged to apply by including the following in their application. Please note that additional materials may be requested through the review process as required by the home department.
· a letter of intent including the candidate’s research and teaching interest and where this best aligns with Laurier’s areas of priority;
· a curriculum vitae;
· a statement on teaching philosophy, and any evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as course syllabus/description, a peer teaching review and student/participant feedback). Teaching experience may be academic or community-focused at a post-secondary level.
· sample publication, scholarly output, writing sample, oral presentations and/or other means of demonstrating Indigenous cultural ‘knowing’. Work within any genre of music (and interdisciplinary forms), including Indigenous oral traditions, is valued and embraced.
• the names and contact information of three referees (will not be contacted without the candidate’s consent). At least one referee must be a recognized Indigenous Elder.
· Indigenous Identity Fraud/Theft has been a significant issue highlighted in the media, and we will be taking steps to confirm Indigenous Identity as part of the recruitment and selection process. The process used to confirm identity is being developed in consultation with the Indigenous Initiatives office.
Applications can be addressed to Mike Young, Executive Search Associate and submitted electronically to wlucohort@boyden.com. Review of applications will begin on October 29th and will continue to be collected and evaluated until all of the Inclusive Excellence cohort positions are filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply once interested as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to employment equity and values diversity. Laurier welcomes applications from qualified members of the equity-seeking groups. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, as per Canadian immigration laws, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obligated to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenships; however, all applicants must include one of the following statements in their cover letter:
Yes, I am a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
No, I am not a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada
Applicants are encouraged to address any career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research and teaching, in accordance with Tri-Council definitions and guidelines.
Laurier strives to make our application process accessible and provides accommodations for both applicants and employees as outlined in Policy 8.7. https://www.wlu.ca/about/governance/assets/resources/8.7-employment-accommodation-policy.html. If you require assistance applying for this position, to obtain a copy of this job description in an accessible format, or would like to discuss accessibility and accommodations during the recruitment process please email equity@wlu.ca.