|
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SOUNDS OF JOY, INC. Revised February 2006 Article I A. The name of this organization shall be The
Sounds Of Joy, Inc. Article II A. The objectives of The Sounds Of Joy are to:
Article III Membership A.
The
membership of The Sounds Of Joy is open to all
people who are interested in the objectives set forth in Article II and upon
acceptance by the Director. B.
A simple
majority vote of the membership is required for adopting any administrative
or procedural proposal. C.
Membership
benefits shall include, but not exclusively: 1.
a vote in
annual elections and other issues brought before the group; 2.
appropriate
music and costumes; 3.
printed,
verbal, electronic, and telephone announcements and communications; 4.
periodic
updated membership rosters; 5.
group
instruction in choral music techniques; 6.
opportunities
for special trips and performances; 7.
the right to attend
any Steering Committee meeting. D.
Membership
responsibilities include, but not exclusively: 1.
attendance
at scheduled rehearsals and performances; 2.
notification
to Section Leader if an absence is expected; 3.
request of a
leave of absence, in consultation with the Director, if the expected absence will be longer than
six weeks;
a.
upon
returning to The Sounds Of Joy, confer with the Director to determine
performance readiness; 4.
financial
support
a.
contribution
of a one-time-only joining fee; i.
this fee
shall entitle the member to music and costumes provided by The Sounds Of Joy
for use while a member in good standing; ·
all such
music and costumes remain the property of The Sounds Of Joy and must be
returned to the organization upon termination of membership for any reason; ii.
this fee
shall be listed in the Member Handbook and will be adjusted only as authorized
by a 2/3 majority vote of the membership;
b.
contribution
of yearly dues; i.
except that no
member shall be required to pay both the one-time- only joining fee and the
yearly dues within the same calendar year; in a member’s first year, the
one-time-only joining fee shall supersede the yearly dues. ii.
these dues
assist the group in meeting operational expenses iii.
these dues will be
listed in the Member Handbook and will be adjusted only as authorized by
adoption of the Yearly Budget. No
yearly fee may be assessed unless it is approved by the membership as a line
item of projected income in the approved budget. 5.
if this financial
support precludes a potential member’s ability to participate in The Sounds
Of Joy, consultation with the Director and the President is encouraged to
waive these fees; 6.
maintenance
of personal music inventory, having appropriate music for each rehearsal and
performance;
a.
replacement
of lost music will be at the member’s expense; 7.
presentation of
appropriate decorum and dress, as specified by the Director, at all
performances. E.
A member in
good standing is anyone who meets the membership requirements as stated in
Article III, Section D, and in the Member Handbook. Article IV Group I – Government A.
The Sounds Of Joy shall be governed by the Steering Committee and by
the Director. B.
The Officers
of The Sounds Of Joy shall be a President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director and Public Relations
Director. C.
The voting
membership of the Steering Committee shall consist of the six Officers and a
member-at-large. The Director, Section
Leaders and the primary accompanist shall be ex-officio non-voting members of
the Steering Committee. D.
All Steering
Committee members shall serve for a term of two years, except the
Member-at-Large, and shall be eligible for re-election. 1.
Elections
shall be held annually. 2.
President,
Membership Director and Secretary shall be elected in even years. 3.
Vice
President, Treasurer, and Public Relations Director shall be elected in odd
years. 4.
Member-at-Large
shall be elected annually for a term of one year. Article IV Group II – Government A.
Steering
Committee 1.
Shall strive
to achieve the objectives of The Sounds Of Joy as
set forth in Article II. 2.
Shall be
responsible for conducting the business of The Sounds Of
Joy. 3.
Shall
authorize all expenditures in excess of $100. 4.
Shall
a.
appoint the
Choral Director and annually review the Choral Director’s terms and duties;
and,
b.
in agreement with
Choral Director and as outlined in Article IX, Section A.2, appoint the
primary accompanist and an assistant director. 5.
Shall
require an annual independent audit of the Treasurer’s books by July 31. An
audit may be required at any other time as deemed necessary. 6.
Shall
approve the annual schedule of activities. 7.
Shall assure
good communication and problem-solving within the group. 8.
Shall act as
consultants with the Director on activities, on management of the group, and
on various general programmatic or venue selections. 9.
Shall
mediate and adjudicate any disagreements, providing a fair hearing and due
process. 10. Shall appoint a replacement to fill any vacancy
occurring on the Steering Committee. The appointment must be approved by a
majority of the Steering Committee. B.
President 1.
Shall preside at all general meetings and Steering Committee
meetings. 2.
Shall
appoint all Committee Chairpersons and be an ex-officio member of all
committees. 3.
Shall have
the authority to approve expenditures of funds up to $100. C.
Vice
President 1.
Shall
preside in the absence of the President and perform all duties of that
office; and upon resignation or removal of the President shall assume that
office throughout the unexpired term. 2.
Shall act as
Parliamentarian, observing “Roberts’ Rules of Order”. D.
Secretary 1.
Shall record
the minutes of all general meetings and Steering Committee meetings and
transcribe and present the minutes at the following regularly scheduled
rehearsal. 2.
Shall keep a
record of attendance at all general meetings and weekly rehearsals. 3.
Shall be
responsible for all administrative correspondence. E.
Treasurer 1.
Shall be
responsible for acceptance and disbursement of all funds. 2.
Shall keep a
record of funds received and disbursed. 3.
Shall
annually prepare a balance sheet and income/expense statement for the
previous twelve-month period of the membership year, ending July 31 each
year. F.
Public
Relations Director 1.
Shall secure
venues for group performances. 2.
Shall
prepare and distribute publicity materials to interested parties. 3.
Shall
negotiate group performances and terms of performances. 4.
Shall
coordinate group performances with the Director and the Pianist. 5.
Shall be
responsible for all public relations correspondence. G.
Member-At-Large 1.
Shall
regularly attend Steering Committee Meetings and participate in discussions
and voting; 2.
Shall
maintain close contact with group member issues and concerns; 3.
Shall assist
in subcommittees/working groups as needs arise. H.
Membership
Director 1.
Shall direct
the activities of the Membership Committee. Article V Meetings and Rehearsals A.
Membership
shall meet during February to elect officers. B.
The Steering
Committee shall meet semi-annually in February and in August. C.
The
President shall call extra Steering Committee meetings whenever deemed
necessary. D.
A quorum of
the Steering Committee shall consist of a majority of the Members of the
Committee. E.
A quorum of
the general membership shall consist of two-thirds of the membership. F.
Rehearsals
shall be held weekly throughout the year, exceptions to be made by the
Steering Committee, in consultation with the Director and the primary
accompanist. Article VI Committees and Appointments A.
The
President shall establish the following committees and appointments: 1.
Committees
a.
Membership
b.
Social
c.
Programs
d.
Patrons and
Grants
e.
Property
f.
Costumes and
Wardrobes 2.
Appointments
a.
Music
Librarian
b.
Historian
c.
Section
Leaders (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) B.
The
President shall make other appointments as necessary. C.
Duties of
the Committees 1.
Membership
a.
Shall
prepare and maintain a current roster of members; the membership roster shall
be distributed as necessary.
b.
Shall keep a
list of names and addresses of past members.
c.
Shall be
responsible for the introduction and orientation of all new members, and
shall ensure that each new member: i.
receives a
copy of the Member Handbook (latest revision) ii.
pays the
one-time membership fee provided for in Article III.D.4 iii.
receives the
THE SOUNDS OF JOY Basic Music Package iv.
receives
costuming and/or information about how to obtain appropriate costuming v.
is
introduced to their Section Leader
d.
Shall keep a
weekly roll of attendance at rehearsals and performances. 2.
Social
a.
Shall
arrange for social functions of The Sounds Of Joy. 3.
Programs
a.
Shall see to
the design and production of programs. 4.
Patrons and
Grants
a.
Shall
solicit patron support.
b.
Shall ensure
that names of patrons are submitted to the Program Chairperson to be printed
in the programs.
c.
Shall seek
out and apply for grants, subject to the approval of the Steering Committee. 5.
Property
a.
Shall be
responsible for and keep inventory of all properties, except wardrobe, of The
Sounds Of Joy.
b.
Shall
maintain, store, transport, set up and break down The Sounds Of Joy risers, music stand, and banner. 6.
Costumes and
Wardrobe
a.
Shall make
suggestions to the Steering Committee of suitable costumes for performances.
b.
Shall
obtain, prepare, distribute, and store costumes. D.
Duties of
Appointees 1.
Music
Librarian
a.
shall be responsible
for filing and securing all musical material.
b.
shall distribute and
collect musical material. 2.
Historian
a.
Shall
maintain an organized record of the group’s activities, including programs,
photographs, and other memorabilia, such as the group’s progress, noteworthy
happenings, yearly membership list, officers, and similar items. 3.
Section
Leaders (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
a.
Shall serve
as liaison between the Director and the Steering Committee and individual
members.
b.
Shall
contact members not in attendance to show concern, offer assistance as
needed, and convey rehearsal information and announcements. Article Amendments A.
This
Constitution and By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote cast by the
membership at any general meeting. A period of 14 days written notice will be
provided to the membership in advance of said meeting outlining the
Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws. 1.
“Membership”
refers to all members in good standing as per Article III, Section E. Article VIII Parliamentary Procedures A.
"Roberts’
Rules of Order" shall govern The Sounds Of Joy
in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with the By-laws contained
herein. Article IX Choral Director A.
Duties 1.
Shall
approve and direct each engagement or appearance of The Sounds Of Joy. 2.
Shall select
performers from the membership and other musicians as may be necessary to
properly cast roles within musical performances. 3.
Shall select
the material to be performed by The Sounds Of Joy. 4.
Shall
conduct weekly rehearsals and other rehearsals as deemed necessary. Article X Nominations and Elections A.
Announcement
of elections shall be made at each rehearsal in January. B.
An ad hoc
Nominations Committee shall be appointed by January 15 of each year,
consisting of three members appointed by the President; 1.
The
Nominations Committee shall solicit the membership to ensure that at least
one candidate for each position is placed on ballot; 2.
Any member
of The Sounds Of Joy may submit names to the
Nominations Committee. C.
Elections
shall be held annually in February. D.
The floor
shall be opened to nominations or volunteers before balloting commences. E.
A member may
be nominated for any office who is a member in good standing, as per Article
III, Section E. F.
All voting
shall be done by secret ballot and candidates receiving plurality shall be
declared elected. G.
All Officers
and Section Leaders shall assume their official duties immediately upon
election. |