I am incredibly grateful to be off the job market, and excited to start in my new position at CCM. Over the course of the year, I wrote down the interview questions I was asked in the hopes that it would help future job seekers.

The Big Three

  1. Why do you want the position? (IMO: This is the most crucial and easiest question to fumble.)
  2. What is your experience with recruitment and retention? How would you recruit at this institution?
  3. What questions do you have for us? (Have four or five student-centered questions queued up.)

Concert Band

  1. How do you work with ensembles consisting of non-music majors and music majors?
  2. How do you differentiate your ensemble with students of different ability levels?
  3. Knowing the ensemble consists of X, what would the culture be?
  4. What are some sample pieces you would program with X ensemble, and why?
  5. What is your programming philosophy?

Athletic Bands

  1. How do you plan to manage and grow a large university marching band?
  2. What is your drill writing and design process?
  3. What are examples of shows you might design with X marching band?
  4. What is your philosophy of working with and teaching collegiate athletic bands?
  5. What is your approach to ensuring student buy-in and keeping motivation consistent during the season?
  6. What do you believe is the role of a university marching band?
  7. How does a university marching band fit into a School of Music environment?
  8. How will you elevate the game day experience, and what are the ways you have done this previously?
  9. What does a marching band rehearsal led by you look like?
  10. What does the culture of a university marching band look like under your direction?
  11. How do you keep your alumni content with tradition while steering the program in your desired direction?
  12. When working with limited rehearsal time, how do you get your show on the field as quickly as possible while creating an excellent experience for students?

Music Education/Conducting

  1. Our conducting sequence is [XYZ.] What is your philosophy for teaching a sequence of that kind?
  2. What insights from your background will you bring to teaching music education courses at X university?

Collaboration

  1. This role is highly collaborative. Who do you see as important at X university, and how do you see yourself working with them?
  2. What projects would you want to pursue at X university?
  3. How would your colleagues describe you? How would your students describe you?
  4. What is your experience with large group logistics at previous institutions?

Tenurability

  1. What are your professional goals for the next 5, 10, or 15 years? (N.B. This can also be a “will they stay?” question.)
  2. In this role you will need to balance teaching alongside creativity activities and service. What projects will you pursue, and how will you balance them with your other responsibilities?

Miscellaneous

  1. What is something we wouldn’t learn from your vita?
  2. Tell us something interesting about yourself as if we were out to dinner.
  3. What do you do when you’re not making music?
  4. What is your experience with DEI?
  5. What other courses could you teach?
  6. If offered the job, would you accept it?
  7. This job is only being offered at X rank. Would you still accept it?
  8. How do you manage work-life balance?

Updated: