Society for Music Education in Ireland Constitution

1. Name:

Society for Music Education in Ireland/Cumann Ceol Oideachais na hÉireann

2. Main object

The main object for which the body is established is the advancement of education specifically in the field of music education, and to promote and foster research and practice in music education in all its forms throughout Ireland, north and south by organising annual conferences, generating publications, and maintaining a website which contains relevant expert resources which are freely and publicly available.

3. Subsidiary objects

In furtherance exclusively of the foregoing main object, the Society shall have the following subsidiary objects:

a) To provide a society for music education individuals, organisations/associations and institutions in order to promote practice and research in music education in Ireland;

b) To raise the profile and status of music education in Ireland on a national and international level;

c) To advocate for and support music education activities on a national level;

d) To represent Irish music educators as an ISME National Affiliate (INA) for the International Society for Music Education (ISME);

e) To provide membership of SMEI and to promote ISME;

f) To provide a forum for those organisations, institutions, and individuals who are involved in music education in Ireland to meet and share views, observations and information in a spirit of co-operation and collaboration;

g) To encourage respect for the diversity, integrity and historical contexts of different music education organisations and institutions, while at the same time developing new procedures and activities towards the establishment of SMEI;

h) To establish national music education events at regular intervals, e.g., annually or biennially, including seminars, conferences and showcase events;

i) To encourage professional development initiatives in music education; however SMEI will not assume a political role in the context of industrial relations.

4. Powers

The SMEI committee shall have the following powers which are exclusively subsidiary and ancillary to the Main Object and which powers may only be exercised in promoting the Main Object. Any income generated by the exercise of these powers is to be applied to the promotion of the Main Object:

a) To solicit and procure and to accept and receive any donation of property of any nature and any devise, legacy or annuity, subscription, gift, contribution or fund, in accordance with the law for the purpose of promoting the Main Object.

b) To levy an annual membership fee.

c) To award grants to individual and group members in support of music education research or performing groups at ISME; to assist postgraduate research students, non-affiliated scholars, or academics without recourse to institutional funds. To qualify for consideration applicants must be in good standing with the Society and have been a member for a minimum of six months at the point of application. The payment of any grant or assistance will be dependent on the presentation of receipts.

d) To make application on behalf of the Society to any authority, whether governmental, local, philanthropic or otherwise, for financial funding of any kind.

e) To open one or more bank accounts and to draw, accept, make, endorse, discount, execute, issue and negotiate bills of exchange, promissory notes, bills of lading, warrants, debentures and other negotiable or transferable instruments.

f) To do all such other lawful things as the Body may think incidental and conducive to the foregoing Main Object.

5. Rules

Membership

a) Conditions of Membership

Membership of the society is open to anyone (in Ireland or abroad) with an interest in music education, whether professional or otherwise. This constitution recognises the SMEI as an independent organisation, notwithstanding formal or informal affiliations which the Society may pursue in the interests of music education in Ireland. Payment of an annual membership fee, with a reduced fee for students will be determined at the Annual General Meeting or other meetings convened by the Executive Committee. There will be four grades of membership in the Society as detailed below.

- Individual Membership

Membership is open to any individual with an interest in music education. Individual members are entitled to vote on all matters pertaining to the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

- Student Membership

Student membership is open to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students, excluding those in full-time employment. Student members are entitled to vote on all 3 matters pertaining to the at the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

- Group Membership

Group membership is open to institutions/organisations who promote and work in music education. Group members may nominate no more than two representatives to attend and vote on all matters pertaining to the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

- Honorary Membership

The Executive Committee shall have the power to award a distinguished individual honorary membership to the Society. Honorary members shall have all the rights of members except voting rights at general meetings and eligibility for election to all offices and the Committee.

b) Rights of Member

Full participation in all functions of the Society, including full voting rights at general meetings, and the right to stand for any office or committee within the terms of this Constitution. This excludes those inducted as honorary members.

Organisation

Executive Committee and Elections

The affairs of the Society shall be determined by an Executive Committee comprising six officers (who are the Trustees of the organization) and up to eight other members at large (to include an elected student representative), with power to co-opt further members if needed. The officer (trustee) roles comprise a chair, an assistant chair, a secretary, a membership secretary, a treasurer, an assistant treasurer. The Executive Committee shall be elected/appointed by members of the Society every two years prior to the Annual General Meeting (and will serve a two-year term). Officers will normally serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms, i.e. four years. A committee member who is absent for three consecutive committee meetings shall be relieved of their duty.

All members of the Society at the time of an election on a new committee are eligible to present themselves for election. Prospective members of the committee must be nominated by current members of the Society. Accepted nominations must be circulated to all Members at least ten (10) days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall be elected by ballot of the members, unless the number of nominations does not exceed places on council available. In the event of the number of nominations does not exceed the number of persons on the committee, all nominees shall be declared elected. Following the election/appointment of the Executive Committee, the members of this committee shall nominate and elect the six officers (trustees) of the Society. The Committee shall have power to co-opt not more than four members to the Committee and shall co-opt members to fill vacancies occurring during their term of office. Such co-opted members will hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held during the Society’s annual conference or on such other occasion as determined by the Executive Committee. Members of the Society to be given at least three weeks’ prior notice of the date and time of the meeting and provided with an opportunity to submit items for the agenda.

Non-profit organisation

The Society will be operated on a non-profit (not for gain) basis and all incoming monies derived from any source shall be devoted to advancing the aims of the Society. In the event of dissolution of the Society any funds remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to a body or bodies having the advancement of music education amongst their aims and as agreed by the last elected officers of the Society.

7. Income and Property

The income and property of the Society shall be applied solely towards the promotion of its main object as set forth in this Constitution. No portion of the Society’s income and property shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the members of the Society.

No member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed to any office of the Society paid by salary or fees, or receive remuneration or other benefit in money or money’s worth from the Society. However, nothing shall prevent any payment in good faith by the Society of:

a) reasonable and proper remuneration to any member of the Society (not being a member of the Executive) for any services rendered to the Society;

b) interest at a rate not exceeding 1% above the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor) per annum on money lent by Executive Members or other members of the Society to the Society;

c) reasonable and proper rent for premises demised and let by any member of the Society (including any Executive Member) to the Society;

d) reasonable and proper out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any Executive Member in connection with their attendance to any matter affecting the Society;

e) fees, remuneration or other benefit in money or money’s worth to any company of which an Executive Member may be a member holding not more than one hundredth of the issued capital of such Company.

f) Nothing shall prevent any payment by the Society to a person pursuant to an agreement entered into in compliance with section 89 of the Charities Act, 2009 (as for the time being amended, extended or replaced).

8. Winding-up

If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Society there remains, after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, it shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society. Instead, such property shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having main objects similar to the main objects of the Society. The institution or institutions to which the property is given or transferred shall prohibit the distribution of its or their income and property among its or their members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Society under or by virtue of Clause 9 hereof. Members of the Society shall select the relevant institution or institutions at or before the time of dissolution, and if and so far as effect cannot be given to such provisions, then the property shall be given or transferred to some charitable object with the agreement of the Charities Regulator.

Final accounts will be prepared and submitted that will include a section that identifies and values any assets transferred along with the details of the recipients and the terms of the transfer.

9. Additions, alterations or amendments

The Society must ensure that the Charities Regulator has a copy of its most recent constitution. If it is proposed to make an amendment to the constitution of which requires the prior approval of the Charities Regulator, advance notice in writing of the proposed changes must be given to the Charities Regulator for approval, and the amendment shall not take effect until such approval is received.