<p>When cold-contacting a music teacher in a college context, what is the proper title to use? If they have a doctorate, I assume "Dr". is correct? (though most musicians outside of the academic area that hold doctorates don't seem to use that title). Is "Professor" is preferred/correct otherwise? Or should you stick with Mr/Ms?</p>
<p>We always called Drs., by that title and Profs., by that title.</p>
<p>“Professor” was our default unless we knew the person had a doctorate. Many academics don’t like Mr/Ms, but I don’t know if that translates to music.</p>
<p>A prospective student who knows how to write a formal email with a salutation etc. will have a leg up on their classmates (another advantage of the audition season?). You should see the complaints in a professional academic forum that I frequent!</p>
<p>And depending on the stature of the instructor, there may be a few that prefer “Your Excellency”, “Oh Majestic One”, or “He/She Who Must Be Obeyed”.</p>
<p>YMMV.</p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>^ Haha, I know some like that, lol, for sure. </p>
<p>Mr. or Ms. seems to be ok for music performance profs, but for academics Professor is best.</p>
<p>We always used “Professor” because you really can’t go wrong. If you’ve accidently upgraded them, you certainly haven’t insulted anyone. If they’ve got a doctorate, you’re good with Professor rather than “Dr.” If they write back and sign “Dr. Violinist” then you can switch to that next time.</p>
<p>“Dr”, “Professor”, some let us call them by their first names. Depends on the person/relationship.</p>