Michael Missiras

having read thru the academic thread i found some of it funny, lots of mistruths, and ultimately sad.

one of the major problems i saw in academia was who got hired for any given job. having served on umpteen search committees, I can say, with a fair amount of asurance, that the `best` person for the gig dosen`t get it.

why? because they are usually too good--and they have the potential to threaten the status quo of the faculty pecking order.

now where i taught last, there were three different openings for the trumpet/jazz position. each time the director of brass asked me if i wanted the job (i taught electronic music, composition and anything else they thru at me) and all three times i refused because i did the job for a semester when the trpt guy went on sabbatical to finish his doctorate (he didn`t) and to tell you the truth, the job was hell.

so i was at least always asked to serve on the committee and i always refused (i had tenure) becuase I claimed i was too `close` to the process.

now at one of these openings--a guy showes up--from Chicago--had subed with the Chicago Symphony--played the second movement of the Hayden wonderfully--the faculty is gaga--then he plays some jazz to show he`s qualified there (part of the job description.) Total loser. But the faculty didn`t care--he was from Chicago.

now anyone who came in to that job had to deal with me knowing the job was mine if i wanted it--quite awkward.

so as usually happens, the committee took this guy to lunch (i`m not included and i shouldn`t be) but i lay in wait for this cat. waited till i saw them come out of the building and at just the right time--played one of my favorite Woody Shaw inspired runs--quite technical. The faculty looks back and smiles towards my office. next day, the cat from chicago calls to take himself out of the running.

good thing i did that--or the students would have severely suffered. might have been a good trpt. teacher but knew nothing about jazz which was over .5 of his position.

without going into a whole exagesious on search committees--many job descriptions are created by people who haven`t a clue about the job/field--and if they do, they make sure their little feifdom is not threatend/taken over and in amost all caseses at the expense of the students

and this type of thing is not limited to state schools--without mentioning names of schools or players, but a school i am well aqauinted with--i saw the very same thing happen at least twice--and again at the detriment of the students.

just some thouths from someone who has `been there.`

next--how i got my last job; later--how great people get fired before getting tenure--after that--the power of the university senate or university academic affairs committee (which i was a very active and outspoken member to the love of the administration and envy of my colleuges) all polotics is local--especially in academe.

stay tuned.

oh yeah, i tend to bang these things out so just look past the spelling grammer whatever. in a word(s): get over it. this is a chat site, not cms.

and no, i`m not emulating e.e cummings--just easier to write in lower case (maybe it was for him too--couldn`t say tho)

Best,

Mike

Michael A. Missiras, Ph.D.
Tenured Professor of Music Emeritus
Minnesota State University
Teaching Fellow: Jazz Studies
Eastman School of Music
Visiting Professor of Media Studies
Utsunomiya University, Japan
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tedh1951

Hey Mike - nice that ALL your formal address is letter perfect though. I agree, education should be student focussed.

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Ted

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." - George Washington

Michael Missiras

Yeah, yr right!! bout the adress that is--however--nobodies perfect, least of all me., student focused education at the level of higher ed is a stiky wickit--and a real problem for faculty who need to take care of thire own creative/publishing pursuits.

I`ll address this later-but it`s a very big problem-for student and faculty-and I`m all for students--don`t get me wrong. But like most academics, that song (pun intenneded) can only be sung for so long.

The issue of TA`s is a huge issue in academe.


Best,

Mike

Michael A. Missiras, Ph.D.
Tenured Professor of Music Emeritus
Minnesota State University
Teaching Fellow: Jazz Studies
Eastman School of Music
Visiting Professor of Media Studies
Utsunomiya University, Japan
Google
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Hags888

I'll say something similar here...hopefully this experience is not representative of the whole of Academia. I can only speak for the school I am at and the search committee that I was on, but we took the most qualified person for the job based on resume, playing and teaching (not necessarily in that order). Usually, after you've weeded down an applicant pool to 2-3 candidates, it honestly doesn't matter who you hire...they are all usually capable and qualified. This is true for most any job...it's a crapshoot. If your search committee let in some "non-jazzer" to their jazz trumpet position, then I think that just speaks negatively to your institution's search committee process...not to Academia on the whole.

Michael Missiras

Perhaps I was not clear. I`m sorry. The position in question involved an ability to teach a trumpet studio--both in *`classical* music and jazz studies. The position also included an ability to perform in both the jazz and classical idioms.

My point was that this particular candidate was only fluent in the classical idiom--and quite a good player in that idiom.

But in the end, he did not meet the totality of job description. Although, like most schools, certain political factions amougst the faculty set in.

I can say that the person who is in the position now is an excellent player, a dear friend of mine, and at the time we both taught together before I retired, we had much mutual respect for each other. We also did a lot of the same gigs in town.

Short of the very top schools, I would say his studio is one of the best in the country--he is a gifted performer and teacher.

Sadly, what I describe above is more often not the case at competative schools--and certainly was the case in my music department. Just happened that us two trumpet guys were totally on the same page. It was a perfect working relationship--rare in academe--and almost non-existance at my school. Although, the faculty was first rate-all excellent performers-just could not get along. And I think this issue is legion in music departments as a bit of a generlization.

Best,

Mike

Dr. Michael A. Missiras
Professor of Music Emeritus
Minnesota State University
Teaching Fellow: Jazz Studies
Eastman School of Music
Visiting Professor of Media Studies
Utsunomiya University, Japan
Google
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Bear

Could you pm me when you post your "getting a job" thread? It's that time in my life.

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Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die. -Tom Clancy

And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
-Revelation 8:6

tedh1951

Mike, I suspect we are going to disagree A LOT. If you chose to write, and have some credibility with me, I would expect that you take a little more effort with your posts. As you are a Professor in a field of education, my expectations of your communication skills are very high.

And finally, whilst I'm having a serve (and I recgonise that the Moderator's will probably not take this post very kindly) if your teaching is NOT always student focussed then why are you not in some other field?

Ted (MBT, BEd, LAME and a couple of others just BTW)

HoosierDaddy

WTF? There are so many things in this post. First off, if you teach at any level, learn how to spell. If you teach music for the love of God spell Papa Haydn's named correctly. As for people going gaga because he is from Chicago, well that's a helluva place to receive a quality education, in music and english.

TrentAustin

Funny. I think Ed grew up in Chicago, correct? ;)

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wiseone2

........so did Al Capone

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