Procedures

Event Entry Procedures

The President will prepare event registration forms and information and have it available to the membership by November 1st.
Event registration materials will be completed by December 1st and sent to President through the NIMC website.
Entry fees and a completed entry form will be sent by first class mail to the Treasurer and postmarked on or before December 1st.
A request for a specific performance time must be requested on the website or on the organization entry card, including Friday or Saturday performances for organizations. Solo and ensemble contest requests will be “AM” or “PM” and only to be used in extenuating circumstances.
Solo & Ensemble Contest requests will be “AM” or “PM” and only to be used in extenuating circumstances. Time requests should not exceed 10% of a director’s entries.
Organizations canceling less than six weeks in advance of their contest will forfeit their entry fees. Upon cancellation there will be no refund of solo, ensemble, or piano fees.

Event Procedures

All schools must assist with hosting or co-hosting responsibilities. If all efforts have been made to help a school fulfill their duty and the school director chooses not to assist in the year they are assigned to do so, then the school willingly foregoes their right to participate in all NIMC contests until they have assisted with co-hosting an event.
Event hosts shall email contest schedules no later than two weeks before the contest to participating directors.
All students receiving a Division I or Division II rating at Solo and Ensemble Contest shall be awarded individual medals. Students receiving a perfect score will be awarded a medal with a different ribbon color.
All Organizations receiving a Division I rating shall be awarded individual medals and a plaque.
All Organizations receiving a Division II rating shall be awarded individual medals.
Each member of an organization receiving a perfect score will be awarded a medal with a different ribbon color.
Each participating school shall provide two adult chaperones to supervise their homeroom.
It is mandatory that each music director attends the contest in which his or her students participate. Each school’s representative will be required to sign out after that school’s last students’ events have been posted and the contest host has processed that school’s last event.
At the conclusion of each contest, the President will make a survey available to all participating directors.
An ORIGINAL score must be provided for the adjudicator. Photocopies are illegal and will not be accepted. The penalty for violation shall be lowering of the rating by one step. (same as Music Festival #15 below).

Eligibility

Students participating in events must be current students of the music organization they represent and shall be certified as such by their school principal or superintendent.
A member school may enter more than one band, orchestra, jazz band, choir and show choir in the festival. Each group will be considered as a separate entry.
An organization may elect to perform “For Comments Only”. These groups will receive comments but no numerical rating, and no medals or plaque will be awarded. (same as Music Festival #16 below).

Rules

Rules Governing the Music & Jazz Festivals

Directors may proceed through their three selections at their own prerogative.
All organizations shall use the designated warm up venue as their warm up space. All groups are allowed to play a brief sound check as a part of their allotted performance time.
Directors must provide the host with three scores of each selection to be performed. The measures shall be numbered.
Concert Bands and Orchestras will not exceed 40 minutes in the performance area including set up, performance, clinic, and clean up.
Jazz Bands, Choirs, and Swing Choirs will not exceed 30 minutes in the performance area including set up, performance, clinic, and clean up .
A ten (10) minute clinic will be provided to each group by one or more judges at their discretion.
The performance of a piano part by an adult in an instrumental group is not allowed.
No adjudicator shall hold the behavior of a special needs student against the performance of the organization.
All organizations shall be rated in three divisions: Division I, Division II, or Division III. The final rating for all organizations shall be a majority of the adjudicators’ final ratings. Organizations receiving a I, II, and III will be rated Division II.
Organizations shall not be marked down for stage entrance or exit.
Concert Bands and Orchestras shall play three selections.
Jazz Bands shall perform three selections, two of which shall be in contrasting styles.
Choirs and Swing Choirs shall perform three memorized selections.
Swing/show choirs may be accompanied by a combo consisting of adults and students. The combo shall not be judged or presented medals.
Swing/Show choirs may be directed.
An ORIGINAL score must be provided for the adjudicator. Photocopies are illegal and will not be accepted. The penalty for violation shall be lowering of the rating by one step. (same as Contest Procedure #10 above).
An organization may elect to perform “For Comments Only”. These groups will receive comments but no numerical rating, and no medals or plaque will be awarded. (same as Eligibility #3 as above).

Rules Governing Solo and Ensemble Contests

Students must provide adjudicators with a condensed or full score. Measures must be numbered.
Participating schools will be allowed an unlimited number of entries.
If the performance time exceeds ten minutes including clinic time, the adjudicator may stop the performance with no penalty to the students.
Instrumental Solos and Ensembles may be read from a score. Vocal solos must be memorized.
Directors are allowed in the performance room, but may only direct ensembles of 9 or more members.
Acceptable solo instruments shall include voice, and any instruments used in bands or orchestras, including acoustic guitar. Piano solos and ensembles will not be accepted.
All solos must be performed with accompaniment unless the accompaniment is optional in the score. Accompaniment is optional for ensembles.
Students are allowed to perform one solo per instrument.
Ensembles with missing members will be rated at the discretion of the adjudicator.
Drummers may use only practice pads in the warm up and/or homeroom at the solo and ensemble contest unless a drum warm up room is provided.
Ensembles may have from 2-24 members.
The use of electronically recorded accompaniment shall be prohibited in contest.
Students must perform a minimum of 16 measures from one piece of music.
Instrumental soloists will perform a scale in the key of the performed piece. Battery drum soloists will perform rudiments from the required list. Ensembles do not perform scales or rudiments.
It is suggested that accompanists do not accompany more than 20 entries and when possible, should be assigned to similar instruments.
Vocal ensembles must have students singing in at least 2 part harmony for 75% of the event.
An ORIGINAL score must be provided for the adjudicator. Photocopies are illegal and will not be accepted. The penalty for violation shall be lowering of the rating by one step. (If music was ordered and printed online, proof of purchase is required.)

Rules Governing Honors Invitational Contest

This event will be an upper level contest with the option for comments only and/or rating, plus a clinic.
Organizations receiving a Division I rating at Music Festival are eligible to participate.
All participating groups will share the cost of the event. The anticipated cost is $100-$125 per group.
Medals may be purchased for an additional fee.
The rubric used will be the same one as Music Festival.
Contest will be held as long as five or more groups register for the event.

Adjudicators

Each year the Board of Directors shall appoint a judge’s evaluation committee. This group shall establish procedures for additions and deletions to the judges’ list. The chairperson of the committee shall make a report at the Annual Meeting.
Every attempt shall be made to rotate organization judges to prevent them from adjudicating the same organizations two successive years.
Three qualified judges will be hired to judge each organization type including band, jazz band, orchestra, and choir/swing choir.

Fees

District membership fee- $75.00 per school district/private school organization
Entry fees are as follows:
1. $9.00 per solo/ensemble member
2. $6.00 per organization member with medals
3. $5.00 per organization member without medals
In addition to the Solo and Ensemble entry fee, a clavinova fee (per middle school) as follows: 1-50 entries=$100; 51-100 entries=$200; 101+ entries=$250
An admission charge will be made for all festivals. However, participants, directors, administrators, bus drivers, and children under 6 years will be excluded from the charge. The proceeds will go directly to the host school.
Directors will be able to purchase additional medals on the day of the events.

Compensation

Judges shall be paid $25 per hour. Partial hours will be rounded up to the hour.
Solo and ensemble contest hosts shall be paid $250.00 per site host and $200 per site scheduler. Organization contest hosts shall be paid $100.00 per day and $25 per extra performance room.
A registered nurse shall be hired at each contest site and paid up to $100.00 per day if the hosting school district does not pay.
Stipends for the Board of Directors will be honored at the end of the fiscal year. Officers can waive portions of the stipend at their discretion. Per year, the President shall receive $2000.00, the VP shall receive $750, the Secretary $500 and the Treasurer $500. The adjudicator hirer shall receive $1875.00 and the webmaster $500.
Members of the Board of Directors shall be compensated at the IRS mileage rate when their presence is required.
The Treasurer shall be authorized to pay expenses for committees.
All financial obligations must be submitted to the Treasurer by May 31st of the current school year.

Bylaws

ARTICLE I – NAME

This organization shall be known as Northern Illinois Music Conference, otherwise known in this document as NIMC.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

To foster and promote the advancement of music education in public and non-public schools and to sponsor annual contests including Solo and Ensemble, and Music Festival for Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras in the State of Illinois.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Members of NIMC shall be public and non-public schools and their music educators, in the State of Illinois, who have paid the annual membership fee. This fee will be due by September 15th and membership will run until September 14th of the following year.

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The business of NIMC will be managed by the Board of Directors. The directors will consist of the Officers of NIMC, elected annually by the membership.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

The officers will consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Judge Hirer and Webmaster. Term of office will be one-year.

President – The President shall be the principal executive officer of NIMC and shall supervise all of the business of the Organization. The President shall set the date and location for meetings and preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Membership. The President will procure contest sites, make site assignments, and set contest dates, and so notify all members of their assignments.
Vice-President – The Vice-President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or Board of Directors. In the absence of the President, the Vice-president shall perform the duties of the President.
Secretary – The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings of the Board of Directors and General Membership, and shall disseminate all minutes to the General membership. The Secretary shall make available at all meetings the minutes of the previous meeting. The Secretary shall be the custodian of the corporate records of NIMC.
Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds of NIMC, including collecting and depositing all fees and other monies received, pay all bills incurred by NIMC, and pay all adjudicators hired by NIMC upon approval of the President. The Treasurer will present an annual financial report at the Annual Membership meeting and maintain an annual budget.
Webmaster – The Webmaster will be responsible for maintaining a website and ensuring that all information, forms and documents provided on the website are up to date.
Judge Hirer – The judge hirer will be responsible for securing judges for all contests, sending out and receiving adjudicator contracts, and informing contest hosts of judges’ names and contact information.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

The Annual Membership Meeting shall take place in September of each year at a date and place to be determined by the President. In addition, a Board of Directors meeting will be held preceding the Annual Membership Meeting. A Special Meeting of the Membership may be called at any time by at least two members of the Board of Directors, with two weeks’ notice being given.
Quorum – a minimum of 9 members will constitute a Quorum.

ARTICLE VII – ELECTIONS AND VOTING

All music educators representing their member school district shall receive one vote.
Elections for the Board of Directors shall take place at the Annual Membership meeting or via email by a date to be decided on by the Board of Directors.
A Nominating Committee consisting of the President, Vice-President and two other members of the Board of Directors (appointed by the President) will present a slate to all members via email two weeks before the Annual Meeting.
Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors may be filled by the Board of Directors for the portion of the unexpired term.

ARTICLE VIII – FISCAL YEAR

The fiscal year shall run from July 1st to June 30th of the following year.

Article IX – DISSOLUTION CLAUSE

Upon dissolution of NIMC, the remaining assets will be used exclusively for educational purposes.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS, BYLAWS, CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

These bylaws may be amended at the Annual Meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall govern the conduct of all meetings in cases in which they do not conflict with the bylaws of NIMC.