SMTA CONSTITUTION

This association shall be known as "The Singapore Music Teachers' Association" (hereinafter referred to as "The Association").

Its place of business and meeting and correspondence shall be at 261 Waterloo Street, #02-12 Waterloo Centre, Singapore 180261

Its objectives are:

3a. To promote the art, science and practice of Music Teaching and the consideration and discussion of all questions affecting the profession.

3b. To obtain and diffuse among the members, information on all matters affecting the profession and to print, sell, lend, publish, issue and/or circulate any papers, periodicals, books, circulars and other literary undertakings or any extracts as may seem conducive to any of these objectives.

3c. To improve the technical knowledge of persons engaged in the music teaching profession and with a view thereto to provide for the performance,

reading and discussion of music and the delivery of lectures by resident and visiting teachers and musicians.

3d. To establish, form and maintain a musical reference library.

3e. To promote musical advancement among members, students and others, through activities such as competitions, outreach, and the like. And to devote any portion of the funds of the Association to the provision of prizes or medals, continuing education & scholarships.

3f. To accept any bequest, gift or donation made to the Association by a member of the Association or otherwise.

3g. To provide facilities for mutual assistance and social interaction between the members of the Association.

3h. To procure the Association to be affiliated and registered with, or recognized by, sister bodies in other countries.

The Association shall consist of:

• Ordinary Members

• Associate Members

• Student Members

• Honorary Members

• Academic School Members and

• Life Members who are eligible as follows:

4a. Ordinary Members shall be:

i. Holders of any recognized degree or diploma in music teaching subject to their being professional and practising music teachers above the age of 18 at the time of election. Only Ordinary members have the right to vote and hold office in the Association.

ii. Any person not qualified under (i) above who shall satisfy the Committee that he is competent by having received a proper and recognized training in the musical profession, subject to his being a professional and practising music teacher above the age of 18 at the time of election. Subject to the submission of CV & review/ interview by the committee.

4b. Associate Members shall be:

Any person (18 years old or above) who possesses a recognized degree or a degree or diploma in any branch of the Musical Profession.

4c. Student Members shall be:

i. 18 years old or above and shall be engaged in the study of Music and shall have passed the Grade 8 Examination of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music or Trinity College of Music, London, or any equivalent practical examination.

ii. Student Members shall be required to sit for a recognized Teaching

Diploma examination within 2 years of election. Any extension of this 2-year period shall be at the discretion of the Committee. Success in the diploma examination will entitle a Student Member to apply for the full Membership under Rule 4a (i) as above.

4d. Honorary Members shall:

i. Be by invitation of the Management Committee,

ii. Be any person whom the Association is desirous to elect on account of the knowledge of Music, the sister Arts, Education or kindred sciences or on account of services rendered in the interests of the Musical profession,

iii. Not have the right to vote or hold office in the Association.

4e. Academic School Members

"Academic schools" apply to not-for-profit Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions, those which offer Music Elective Programme (MEP), music institutions such as School of the Arts (SOTA), LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, NUS.

The school can have up to 2 representatives at SMTA meetings and 1 vote at AGM, regardless of the number of students or teachers in the school.

4f. Life MemberS

"Life Membership" refers to Ordinary Membership that will stay in force for the lifetime of the member. Requirements and entitlements are similar to Ordinary Membership.

Student, Associate and Honorary Members shall be entitled to attend all General Meetings of the Association and to read papers and to take part in the discussion thereof and to receive a copy of any publication published by the Association. However they shall have no part in the control or management of the Association and no financial liability shall attach to Honorary Members under these Rules.

6a. The entrance fee for each Ordinary Member and Associate Member shall be $50.00 and his annual subscription is $50.00. Existing "Ordinary Members" who wish to upgrade their membership to "Life Members" can do so by paying a one-time fee of $500.00.

6b. The entrance fee for each Student Member shall be $25.00 and the annual subscription of $25.00

6c. There shall be no entrance and subscription fees for Honorary Members. 6d. The entrance fee for each Academic School Member shall be $50.00 and the annual subscription is $200.00.

6e. The entrance fee for each Life membership is $50.00 and the one-time membership fee is $500.00.

6f. Annual Subscriptions shall be paid in advance and shall be due by the 31st January each year. But any Member or Student Member elected after the 30th June shall only pay half of the amount of his full annual subscription for the current year.

6g. Any Member whose annual subscription remains unpaid on the 31st January shall receive notice thereof and if such annual subscription be still unpaid on 31st March or by AGM date, whichever is earlier in order to vote, such Member will automatically cease to be a member. If such a person wishes to be re-instated as a Member, he must re-apply to be a Member.

6h. The rate of subscriptions may only be varied by a General Meeting of the members. Any special subscriptions for particular purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of a General Meeting.

Every Candidate for admission to the Association will be required to complete an Application Form.

7a. Candidates for Ordinary Membership must be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary Members of the Association.

7b. Honorary Members will be elected only by special resolution. 7c. If the Committee finds the candidate to be eligible and qualified

according to these Rules, he shall be admitted to membership in the class for which he is nominated. But if such nomination is not approved at the Committee Meeting when submitted for election, such a candidate shall not

be again proposed or nominated for either class of membership for at least 1 year.

7d. When a candidate is elected, he shall pay his entrance fee and 1st annual subscription within 1 month of the day of his election and in default thereof, unless such default is explained to the satisfaction of the Committee, his election shall be void.

7e. Any Member contravening the form of Declaration signed by him on his election or conducting himself in a manner which, in the opinion of the Committee is derogatory to his professional character or who shall engage himself in any occupation inconsistent with the profession of a Teacher of Music shall be liable to reprimand, suspension or expulsion from the Association.

7f. Any Member intending to withdraw from the Association shall notify his intention so to do in writing to the Honorary Secretary on or before the 1st December in any year and in default of so doing shall be liable to pay the full subscription of the ensuing year.

The management of the Association is vested in a general meeting of the members presided over by the President. The President or in his absence, the Vice-President shall preside at the General Meeting. When both are absent, the members present shall elect a member amongst themselves to chair the meeting.

1. At least one quarter of the total membership of the Association must be present at a general meeting for its proceedings to be valid.

2. At other times a general meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of 10 or more members and may be called at any time by order of the Committee.

3. At least 4 days' notice is given for any other general meeting with particulars of its agendas.

4. Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a general meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Hon. Secretary 1 week before the meeting is due to be held.

5. The Financial year of the Association shall be from the 1st January to the 31st December in each and every year.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30 April. Notice of meeting stating the agenda, date, time and place shall be sent by the Secretary to all members. At least 2 weeks' notice will be given of an AGM.

2. The following points will be considered at the AGM:

• The previous financial year's accounts and annual report of the Committee.

• The election of office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term every alternate year. Term of office shall be for 2 years.

3. At least 25% of the total voting membership present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. In the event of there being no quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned to half an hour later at the same place and should the number then present is insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum but they shall have no power to alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules.

A Committee consisting of the following shall be elected at each annual meeting.

• President

• Vice-President

• Honorary Secretary (and Assistant, if necessary)

• Honorary Treasurer (and Assistant, if necessary)

• Ordinary Committee members (not less than 3, not more than 7)

9a.i. Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the annual general meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All officer bearers except the Hon. Treasurer may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office is 2 years.

9a.ii. Not more than 30% of members from any one organisation shall comprise the committee.

9b. A committee meeting shall be held at least once a month after 7 days' notice to committee members. The President may call a committee meeting at any time by giving 4 days' notice. At least half of the committee members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.

9c. Any member of the Committee absenting himself from 3 meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve till thenext Annual General Meeting.

9d. The duty of the committee is to organize and supervise the daily activities of the association and to make decisions on matters, affecting its running when the general meeting is not sitting. It may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the general meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the general meetings.

9e. The Committee shall be the Authority for the interpretation of these Rules and the Committee's decision thereon shall be final unless and until a General Meeting decides otherwise.

The Committee shall have power:

1. To co-opt not more than 3 persons to serve on the Committee for a specific purpose at any one time.

2. To form such sub-committees as may be deemed necessary.

3. To fill vacancies occurring in its number during the year.

4. To elect Ordinary, Associate, Student and Hon. Members vide Rule 7.

5. To manage the financial affairs of the Association.

6. To decide any question not covered by the Rules which may arise.

7. To authorize the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $4,000.00 per month from the Association's funds for the Association's purposes

10a. 2 persons, not being Committee members shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at each annual general meeting and will hold office for 2 years only and may not be re-elected for consecutive terms.

10b. They will be required to audit each year's account and present a report upon them to the annual general meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the society's accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the committee.

The duties of the office-bearers are as follows:-

lla. The President shall act as chairman at all general and committee meetings. He shall also represent the association in its dealings with outside persons.

llb. The Vice- President shall deputise for the President in the latter's absence.

llc. The Honorary Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the association and shall be responsible for its correctness. He will keep minutes of all general and committee meetings.

lld. The Honorary Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the association and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness.

All money will be deposited in a bank to be named by the committee. Cheques etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the President or Vice-President in addition to the Hon. Treasurer.

The Honorary Treasurer will also prepare a statement of account for the financial year which, after being duly certified by the Honorary Auditors, shall be submitted to Members at the Annual General Meeting.

12a. Gambling of any kind such as the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, are forbidden on the society's premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or opium smoking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.

12b. The funds of the society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court.

12c. The Society shall not attempt to restrict or in any other manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in any Trade Union activity as defined in the Trade Union Ordinance. The society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the society or its office-bearers, Committee or members.

12d. The society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.

No alterations or additions to these rules shall be made except at a general meeting and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

14a. The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the members of the association, expressed either in person or by proxy at a general meeting convened for the purpose, or by postal vote. 14b. In the event of the association being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the association shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be donated to non-profit musical organizations as decided by the general meeting.

14c. Notice of dissolution shall be given within 14 days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.