Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
Constitution
ARTICLE I
Name and Purpose
Section 1 – Name: The name of this organization shall be Northwest District No. 1, Missouri
Music Educators Association”, here in also designated “NWMMEA.”
Section 2 – Purpose: The object of this organization shall be the promotion and improvement of music
education through the united efforts of all members representing each phase of school music education in
the Northwest District.
Section 3 – Affiliations: This organization shall function as an official district of the Missouri Music
Educators Association (MMEA), which is the official state affiliate of the National Association for Music
Education (NAfME).
Section 4 – Relationships: This organization shall maintain a cooperative relationship with other state
teacher related organizations, the Missouri State High School Activities Association, the Missouri State
Department of Education, and with other organizations which seek to “promote and improve Music
Education”.
Section 5 – District Boundaries: Composed of select public and private schools in the counties of
Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Dekalb, Gentry, Grundy,
Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Platte, Ray, and Worth as defined in the constitution of the
Missouri Music Educators’ Association for the Northwest District.
ARTICLE II
Membership
Section 1 – Membership: The Northwest District shall consist of Active-Research, Active,
Introductory, Student, Honorary, Life, Retired a Sustaining Members.
Section 2 – Active-Research and Active Membership: Anyone actively engaged in music education in the
Northwest District, who pay (NAfME) prescribed membership dues, is a member of the affiliated
organizations referred to in Article I, Section 3, and is eligible for membership in theNorthwest District.
Section 3 – Introductory Membership: Any person actively engaged in music education in theNorthwest
District and is a first year teacher and who has been a member of a student NAfME organization during
their first year of college, upon payment of the prescribed dues, is eligible for this membership, which
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
provides for all privileges in NAfME, MMEA, andNorthwest District. Dues are one-half of the annual
NAfME dues.
Section 4 – Student Membership: Any student regularly matriculated in college or university music
departments may become a student member through their student NAfME Chapter upon payment of the
prescribed dues.
Section 5 – Honorary Membership: Upon recommendations of the Executive Board, Honorary
Membership may be conferred in recognition of the distinctive service in the field of music education but
shall be conferred by unanimous vote of the membership present at the Annual or Special meetings. (See
“Meetings”, Article V)
Section 6 – Sustaining Membership: Any individual, firm, or institution desiring to contribute to the
support of the educational activities of the association may become a Sustaining Member upon payment
of the prescribed dues. Sustaining Members have the privilege of display space at the annual clinic.
Section 7 – Life Membership: Any Northwest District Missourian actively engaged in music
education, paying life membership dues to the National Organization, becomes a member of the National,
Regional, State and Northwest District for life.
Section 8 – Retired Membership: Former music educators who have been NAfME members for at least
20 years are eligible to be granted Retired Membership. No dues shall be assessed. Retired Members
receive “Missouri School Music Magazine”, and may attend the NAfME Annual Conference/Clinic
without paying the registration fee.
ARTICLE III
Elected Officers, Appointed Officers, and Committees
Section 1 - Legislative Power The legislative power of this Association shall be vested in the
membership and the Executive Board.
Section 2 - Elected Officers: The elected officers of this Association shall consist of a President,
President-Elect, Past President, Five Vice Presidents (one each for High School Band, Junior High Band,
Jazz Band, High School Choir, and Junior High Choir), 2 Vice President-Elects (Junior High Band and
High School Band), Secretary, Band Treasurer, Choir Treasurer
Section 3 - Appointed Officers: The appointed officers of this Association shall be a University
Representative and a webmaster. The President shall appoint members to serve.
Section 4 - Executive Board: The Executive Board shall consist of the officers named in the Article IV.
All officers, elected or appointed shall have one vote in the Executive Board,.
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
Section 5 - Committees: Standing and special committees of this Association shall be appointed by the
President with the approval of the Executive Board.
Section 6 - Elections and Term of Office The officers of this Association, described in Article IV, shall
be elected for a term of two years. Officers shall be elected at an annual meeting provided for in Article
V.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1.
Duties of Officers
The duties of the President shall be as follows:
A. He shall be the executive officer of the Association and shall preside at all
meeting of the Association and of the Executive Board.
B. He shall exercise general supervision over all activities of the Association.
C. With the approval of a majority of the members of the Executive Board, he
shall have authority to call a special meeting of the Association.
D. He shall call meetings of the Executive Board at his discretion and also at the
request of not less than six members of the Executive Board.
E. He shall appoint any committee or committees he may deem necessary, and
shall be an ex-officio member of all such committees.
F. He shall make such appointments as are necessary to fill vacancies in offices
and committees, as set forth in Article VII, Sections 1 and 2.
G. He shall represent the Association as a member of the Executive Board of the
Missouri Music Educators Association.
H. He shall prepare an order of business for each regular
meeting of the Association.
I. He shall perform any other duties that usually pertain to the office of the
president.
Section 2.
The duties of the President-Elect shall be as follows:
A. In the absence of the president, he shall preside at meetings of the
Association.
B. He shall perform any duties as may be assigned to him by the president.
C. He shall automatically succeed to the office of president at the expiration of
the president’s regular term of office, as set forth in Article V, Section 1,
subsection B-1.
Section 3.
The duties of the Vice Presidents and Vice-President-Elects of the various
departments will be as follows:
A. Vice President of High School Band: He shall assist in all general items of
business of the Association, and shall specifically be in charge of any High School
Concert Band activity.
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
B. Vice President-Elect of High School Band: He shall assist the current Vice
President of Junior High Band in
all duties as the two deem appropriate in order to prepare for his term.
C. Vice President of Junior High Band: He shall assist in all general items of
business of the Association, and shall specifically be in charge of any Junior
High Concert Band activity sponsored by the Association.
D. Vice President-Elect of Junior High Band: He shall assist the current Vice President
of Junior High Band in all duties as the two deem appropriate in order to prepare for
his term.
E. Vice President of Jazz Band: He shall assist in all general items of business of
the Association, and shall specifically be in charge of any Jazz Band activity
sponsored by the Association.
F. Vice President of High School Vocal Music: He shall assist in all general items
of business of the Association, and shall specifically be in charge of any
High School Vocal activity sponsored by the Association.
G. Vice President of Junior High Vocal Music: He shall assist in all general items
of business of the Association, and shall specifically be in charge of any
Junior High Vocal activity sponsored by the Association.
Section 4. The duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:
A. He shall keep the records of membership, attendance, and official
correspondence.
B. He shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Association, a copy of which
shall be sent to each school in the Northwest District not later than two weeks
after such meetings, and a second copy placed in the files for permanent
record.
C. The official copy of the minutes shall at all times be available for inspection by any
member of the Association, but shall not be taken from his custody for his
inspection.
Section 5.
The duties of the Treasurer will be as follows:
A. He shall keep the records of membership and finances.
B. He shall pay all legal bills owed by the Association, and shall withdraw from
the treasury such funds as are necessary for the payment of such bills.
C. He shall collect all funds due and paid to the Association and shall deposit
such funds in the official depository designated by the Association.
D. He shall withdraw from the treasury at such times as may be necessary funds
required for the carrying out of the official duties of his office.
E. He shall submit an annual financial report in writing, to be presented at the
January meeting. Copies of such annual financial reports shall be made
available to any member desiring such a copy.
F. His accounts and books shall at all times be available for inspection by any member
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
of the Association, but shall not be taken from his custody for his inspection.
Section 6.
The duties of the University Representative will be as follows:
A. He shall assist in all general items of business of the Association and shall aid
specifically in items pertaining to higher education.
Section 7.
The duties of the Past-President will be as follows:
A. He shall attend all regular and executive board meetings.
B. He shall be in charge of membership enlistment.
ARTICLE V
Meetings
Section 1 - Annual Meetings. There will be two general meetings per year. One shall coincide with the
MMEA convention (January) and the other will coincide with the All-District Band or Choir
performance.
Section 2 - Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called with a majority vote of the Executive
Council. Members shall be notified not less than ten days prior to the date of the meeting.
Section 3 - Executive Board Meeting. The Executive Board shall meet annually in August as called by
the president of the Northwest District.
ARTICLE VI
Legislation
Section 1 – Any proposed legislation, Constitutional changes, or changes in the By-Laws shall be
presented to the Executive Board thirty days before the annual meeting.
Section 2 – With the approval of the Executive Board, legislation may be passed by a majority vote of the
members present at the annual meetings. Without such approval, it shall require a two-thirds majority
vote of the members present.
ARTICLE VII
Elections
Section 1 - Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will consist of the Executive Council.
The Council will prepare and present to the Association the names of the candidates for elected offices as
stated in Article III, Section 2. If offered, further nominations shall be accepted from the floor.
Section 2 - Election Procedure. Elections shall be by ballot, and a majority vote shall elect. In case there
is but a single candidate for an office, the rules may be suspended with the consent of two-thirds of the
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
members present and the secretary or someone else designated by the President, instructed to cast the
unanimous ballot for the candidate.
ARTICLE VIII
Vacancies
Section 1. Temporary Vacancies:
A. In the temporary absence of the president at any meeting of the Association,
the president-elect shall preside, as set forth in Article VI, Section 2, subsection A.
B. Should the president and the president-elect both be temporarily absent at any
meeting of the Association, the immediate past-president shall preside.
C. Should the secretary be temporarily absent from any meeting of the
Association, the president shall appoint one of the members present to act in
that particular meeting.
Section 2. Permanent Vacancies
A. Should the president for any reason become permanently unable to continue in
office, the president-elect shall immediately assume the duties of the office of
president. He shall serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, and at the end of such term
shall retain the office of the presidency for the next regular term.
B. Upon assuming the presidency as set forth in Section 2, subsection A of this Article, the new
president, with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board, shall then appoint a new
president-elect, who shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. At the next regular
meeting of the Association at which officers are to be elected, the appointee to the office of
president-elect shall be included on the slate of nominations, as a candidate for the office of
president-elect.
C. Should the president-elect become permanently unable to continue in office, the president shall
appoint a new president-elect, following the procedure as set forth in subsection B immediately
above.
D. Should a permanent vacancy occur in any office other than the office of president and of
president-elect, the president shall make such appointment or appointments as may be
necessary to fill such vacancies. The appointees shall hold office for the remainder of the
unexpired term.
ARTICLE IX
Quorums
Section 1 – Executive Board: A quorum shall consist of seven of the Executive Board members.
Section 2 – Active Membership: A quorum shall consist of seven of the Executive Board members
present plus all Active Members who are present.
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
ARTICLE X
Amendments
Section 1 - The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of the members
present, providing that the proposed amendment or amendments shall have been submitted to the
Executive Council at least six weeks prior to such meeting, and notification that such amendment is to be
considered in the annual meeting announcement.
Section 2 - This Constitution may be temporarily amended for the current year by a referendum vote in
the following manner: the President, upon direction of the Executive Council, shall submit to the
members of the Association the proposed amendment or contemplated action, which, when approved
by not less than two-thirds majority of the members making returns or by the time limit of fifteen days
after emailing shall automatically be considered part of the Constitution for the current year. Such
referendums must be approved by the majority of the active members present at the next following
annual meeting before becoming permanently part of the Constitution.
ARTICLE XI
Disposition of Assets
Section 1 – Disposition of Assets upon Dissolution: In the event that the Northwest District #1
organization is dissolved, assets shall be distributed to the Missouri Music Educators Association.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
Membership Dues
Section 1 – Honorary members shall be exempt from paying dues.
Section 2 – Active membership and Active-Research membership: Active membership dues for the
Northwest District shall convey all privileges in the NAfME, the Southwestern Division of NAfME, the
MMEA, and the Northwest District and total the amount set by the NAfME in the following
categories: National dues, State dues, District dues, and “Missouri School Music Magazine”, ActiveResearch membership dues shall, in addition to the above entitle the member to receive issues of the
“Journal of Research in Music Education.”
Section 3 – Introductory Membership shall include all privileges in the NAfME, MMEA, and the
Northwest District. The dues shall be distributed at one-half the rate of Active membership. Annual
dues for Introductory members who wish to receive the “Journal of Research in Music Education” will be
charged on-half the Active membership dues pays the difference between that which is assessed Active
membership and Active-Research membership dues. (See Article I, Section 2).
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Constitution and By-Laws
Northwest District #1 - Missouri Music Educators’ Association
Ratified on January 31, 2015
Section 4 – Student membership dues shall be determined by NAfME and shall be used for student
conference activities. Payment of dues shall include subscription to the “Music Educators Journal”,
“Missouri School Music Magazine”, and convey all the rights of Active membership except the rights of
voting and holding office in the MMEA. Student membership is available only through a student NAfME
Chapter, sponsored through a music department of a college or university.
Section 5 – Sustaining Membership dues. See MMEA By-Laws, Article I, Section 5.
Section 6 – Life Membership dues. See MMEA By-Laws, Article I, Section 6.
Section 7 – Retired Membership dues. See MMEA By-Laws, Article I, Section 7.
Section 8 – Non-Members Clinic fees. See MMEA By-Laws, Article I, Section 8.
Section 9 – The Fiscal year of the Association shall be from August 1 to July 31. All member dues are
payable on expiration date.
ARTICLE II
Amendments
Section 1 – The By-Laws may be altered or amended in the same manner as that provided in Article X of
the Constitution.
ARTICLE III
Parliamentary Procedure
Section 1 – Parliamentary Procedure of business meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order
(revised).
ARTICLE IV
Constitution Copies
Section 1 – The latest revised copy of the Constitution and By-Laws is to be on hand in sufficient copies
at every annual meeting for all those wishing a copy.
Section 2 – Each Executive Board member will be provided a copy of the latest revised Constitution and
By-Laws.
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