SMTE Handbook 2020

Society for Music Teacher Education Handbook

(This version based on 2019 revisions. 2015 Version, 2004 Version)

SMTE “Constitution”

Article I – Name

The organization shall be known as the ” “National Association for Music Education Society for Music Teacher Education,” hereinafter designated as “NAfME SMTE” or “SMTE.”

Article II–Purpose

From NAfME Bylaw VII, Section 1(c):

The National Executive Board of the Association shall have the authority to establish the purpose of Societies, Councils, Task Forces, and Committees of the Association, as well as to establish the roles and responsibilities of the Societies, Councils, Task Forces, and Committees within the mission and goals of the Association.

Constitution, Article II: The purpose for which the NAfME is organized and operated is exclusively literary and educational, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended.

The purpose of the Association shall be the advancement of music education, and in specific furtherance thereof, the mission of the Society for Music Teacher Education is to:

  1. Promote informed collaborative action on behalf of music teacher education;
  2. Support and disseminate research on the recruitment, preparation, and professional development of music educators;
  3. Enable music teacher educators to develop innovative programs and initiatives;
  4. Provide leadership on policy initiatives influencing licensure, certification, teacher evaluation and other areas of impact;
  5. Serve as a resource for state, regional, and national associations regarding developments in music teacher education and in the certification of music teachers.

In furtherance thereof, the SMTE may hold conferences, symposia, and other meetings; publish journals, books, and other publications; seek and accept grants, gifts, and contracts for any of the said foregoing purposes; and exclusively for the public benefit, use, publish, and otherwise make available to the general public on a nondiscriminatory basis the results of its collection of information deriving from the foregoing activities. The Association may conduct any and all other activities in accordance with its Bylaws, which are designed to accomplish the foregoing purposes.

SMTE “Bylaws”

Bylaw I: Membership

NAfME Bylaw VII, Section 2 defines membership as follows:

A Society is a group within NAfME that addresses the needs of a subset of members possessing a particular range of academic interest and expertise such that the society itself is best qualified to identify appropriate nominees for its own governing board. Societies are designated by the National Executive Board without any requirement that these Bylaws be amended to reflect any changes in the designated Societies.

Bylaw II: Governance

Section 1: The Executive Board

The SMTE Executive Board consists of one representative from each of the six divisions of the Conference, chair-elect, chair, and the past chair who serve as members-at-large. The Executive Board also includes the following appointed positions: Symposium Chair, Communications Chair, Board Advisor, SRME Music Teacher Education Special Research Interest Group Chair, JMTE editor, NEB liaison, and ASPA Coordinator. The Executive Board shall serve as the governing body of SMTE.

Section 2: The Executive Committee

The SMTE Executive Committee consists of the chair, chair elect and past chair. The terms and responsibilities of these positions are as follows:

The term of office for members of the Executive Committee shall be for six years. A new chair-elect shall be elected each even-numbered year. On or before May 1 of each even-numbered year, the Executive Committee of the Society for Music Teacher Education shall present to the National Executive Board two nominations for each forthcoming vacancy. The National Executive Board shall elect one member from each slate of nominees, said members to take office at the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year.

Retiring members of the Executive Committee may not be reelected until two years have elapsed since their last term of office, unless that election is as chair-elect. In the event that an Executive Committee position becomes vacant, the Executive Committee shall submit two appropriate nominations to the National Executive Board. The National Executive Board shall elect a person from that slate of nominees to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. Any person who fills an unexpired term shall be eligible for immediate reelection. The Executive Committee may appoint any additional executive committee member it deems necessary to the operation of the Society. Each appointed board member shall be appointed for a two-year term or longer, as deemed appropriate.

Duties and Responsibilities of Chair, Chair-Elect, and Past Chair:

The Chair will perform the following duties:

  • Represent the organization as an arm of NAfME in matters related to music teacher preparation
  • Maintain communication with NAfME regarding the Society for Music Teacher Education and issues of music teacher preparation
  • Maintain communication with the SMTE Executive Committee
  • Take leadership in establishing long-term goals for the organization
  • Monitor action on major issues and policies affecting teacher education on national level
  • Promote the organization and its involvement in issues of concern regarding preparation of music teachers
  • Write “From the Chair” column for all issues of Journal of Music Teacher Education
  • Communicate with Editor of JMTE regarding ongoing functioning of the Journal
  • Chair SMTE Executive Committee meetings at the NAfME National Biennial Conference: nominations for Executive Committee, approval of nominations for JMTE Editorial Committee, updates of SMTE Handbook and correlation with NAfME Bylaws, other issues related to teacher preparation
  • Work with Past Chair in planning National Conference sessions and setting long-term goals.
  • Foster national dialogue and involvement in the teacher education process.

The Chair Elect will perform the following duties:

  • Communicate with NAfME office in keeping current records of state teacher education chairs and SMTE membership
  • Oversee SMTE presence on NAfME website
  • Coordinate work of division chairs in communicating with membership and encouraging SMTE involvement in state and divisional conferences
  • Monitor progress of SMTE in current issues at state levels

The Past Chair will perform the following duties:

  • Cooperate with the Chair in setting long-term goals and in planning National Conference sessions.
  • Seek to increase participation in SMTE at conferences

Section 3: Division Representatives

The members of the Society within each of the divisions of the National Association for Music Education constitute a Division of the Society. Each Division functions on behalf of and in the name of the Society for Music Teacher Education. The duties of the Division Representative include, but are not limited to:

  1. Coordination of activities among the states within the Division and the dissemination of information among the state chairs;
  2. Presentation of divisional teacher education activities at the biennial SMTE business meeting.
  3. Communications about Division activities to the Journal of Music Teacher Education, the Music Educators Journal, and Teaching Music;
  4. Transmission of relevant Division materials to the Historical Center of the National Association for Music Education;
  5. Coordination of music teacher education sessions at Division meetings; and
  6. Service as liaison between the Society and the Division president and president-elect.

The term of office for members of a Division Representative shall be for six years. Two division representatives shall be elected each even-numbered year. On or before May 1 of each even-numbered year, the Executive Committee of the Society for Music Teacher Education shall present to the National Executive Board two nominations for each forthcoming vacancy. The National Executive Board shall elect one member from each slate of nominees, said members to take office at the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year.

Section 4: Appointed Positions to the SMTE Board

The Board of SMTE also includes the following appointed positions: Symposium Chair, Communications Chair, Board Advisor, SRME Music Teacher Education Special Research Interest Group Chair, JMTE editor, NEB liaison, and ASPA Coordinator.

The Executive Committee may appoint any additional board member it deems necessary to the operation of the Society.

Each appointed board member shall be named for a two-year term or longer, as deemed appropriate by the executive committee.

The Board Advisor will be appointed by the incoming Chair for a 2-year term coinciding with the term of the Chair.  This person will be selected by the Chair, in consultation with the Board, to provide expertise to the Board regarding an issue or issues that are currently impacting music teacher education and/or representing expertise that is not present on the Board through the other offices and appointed positions.

Section 5: The State Units of the Society

A state chair for music teacher education coordinates the state unit. Typically, the state president appoints the state chair for music teacher education, and the terms of the two officers coincide. Some states practice other methods of appointment and service and terms of office may vary from state to state. The terms of office of state chairs are determined by the membership of the state unit.

The duties of the state chair for music teacher education include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Identifying individuals or groups interested or active in music teacher education;
  2. Gathering information about current music teacher education activities or interests and disseminating such information to interested persons and the state music educators’ association membership;
  3. Providing assistance to such individuals and groups and the state association membership in matters concerning music teacher education;
  4. Planning sessions on music teacher education at state association meetings; and
  5. Serving as the contact between the state association membership and the Division Representative and National Chair of the Society.

Bylaw III: Activities of the Society

Section 1: The Journal of Music Teacher Education

The Journal of Music Teacher Education is the official publication of the Society for Music Teacher Education. Its purpose is to disseminate information about the Society and the ways that it can strengthen music teacher education, to serve as a clearinghouse for ideas among professors of music education, and to effect a sense of unity among them.

The Journal of Music Teacher Education a peer-reviewed online-only professional development journal published three times a year, offers philosophical, historical, descriptive, or methodological articles and research related to music teacher education.

The Editor and members of the Editorial Committee of the Journal serve six-year terms and are appointed by the National Executive Board based on recommendations from the SMTE Executive Board. The Editorial Committee consists of ten members, including the editor and nine members. Membership on the Editorial Committee rotates with three members retiring and three new members joining in the same years as the biennial conferences. The Committee is comprised of NAfME members who are actively engaged in scholarship related to music teacher education or were at the time of their retirement.

Section 2: Areas of Strategic Planning and Action

The main activities of the Society are carried out by the Areas for Strategic Planning and Action (ASPAs). ASPAs are formed to further work on central topics and issues of vital importance to music teacher education.

The purpose of the ASPAs is to:

  • To foster collaborative efforts among music teacher educators, and those involved in the recruitment, preparation, and professional development of music teachers;
  • To promote activity in research, the identification and dissemination of best practices, and policy analysis on behalf of music teacher education;
  • To sustain these activities in order to build a more coherent and systematic base of knowledge about music teaching;
  • To produce substantive and useful work that can be disseminated within SMTE and to broader audiences.

ASPA membership is open to any SMTE member. The work of each ASPA is fostered by a facilitator(s): individuals who are chosen from among the members of the ASPA to serve in a leadership capacity. ASPA Facilitators are responsible for the following:

  • Convening and facilitating discussion of the ASPAs at meetings of the Executive Board, typically the day prior to the Symposium
  • Reviewing submissions for the Symposium and NAfME National Conference;
  • Attending the biennial Symposium on Music Teacher Education to facilitate ASPA working group meetings
  • Formulating strategic actions and organizing the accomplishment of these actions;
  • Communicating the work of the ASPAs to the SMTE Executive Board;
  • Disseminating the work of the ASPAs publicly by working with the SMTE Communications Chair to maintain the web page(s);
  • Maintaining a list of current ASPA members, institutional affiliations, and email addresses;
  • Maintaining regular communication with members of the ASPA.

Facilitator Selection

Facilitators are chosen from among the members of SMTE; interested individuals may self-nominate. A call for nominations will be made by the ASPA Coordinator one month prior to the start of the Symposium meeting, and again at the opening Symposium meeting, detailing which ASPA Facilitator terms are set to expire. The floor will then be opened for nominations within the first individual ASPA meeting of the Symposium. Interested individuals should be prepared to communicate verbally to the ASPA membership how their research, practice, and/or ASPA involvement prepares them for serving as an ASPA Facilitator. Interested individuals should also submit a brief written statement by the end of the first full day of the Symposium to the ASPA Coordinator addressing how their research, practice, and/or ASPA involvement prepares them for serving as an ASPA Facilitator. All names on the slate will be reported to the ASPA Coordinator. Voting for ASPA facilitators will take place at the final ASPA meeting of the Symposium and online for 30 days following the Symposium.

The term of a facilitator shall be for no less than 4 years and may be renewed one time with an affirmative vote by the ASPA membership. Each ASPA shall have no fewer than 2 facilitators and their terms shall be staggered.

If a facilitator must resign during a term, the remaining facilitator(s) of the affected ASPA, the ASPA Coordinator, and the SMTE Chair together will appoint a replacement facilitator to serve the remainder of the term.

Creation of ASPAs

The creation of a new ASPA may be proposed by members of SMTE to the Executive Board of the Society for Music Teacher Education. A written proposal should be submitted to the Executive Board that includes (a) an overview of the proposed ASPA, (b) its relationship to the ASPA purposes as defined in the Bylaws, and (c) how the proposed ASPA meets a need in music teacher education that is not currently addressed by other ASPAs. An informal gathering of interested individuals at a Symposium prior to the formal proposal of the ASPA is recommended to gauge interest. Interested members may be included in the proposal writing process.

The Executive Board will review the written proposal and vote in favor of or opposed to the creation of the new ASPA.

Inactivating and Merging ASPAs

As central topics and issues of importance evolve, SMTE member’s interests may also evolve. There may be circumstances in which ASPAs are inactivated or merged to best meet the needs of those involved in music teacher education. When an ASPA is consistently experiencing a decline in membership, interest, and or attendance at Symposia, the ASPA Coordinator, ASPA Facilitator, and Executive Board may choose to inactivate or merge the ASPA with another.

Section 3: The SMTE Symposium

The SMTE shall host a symposium on music teacher education in the fall of odd numbered years. The purpose of the symposium is to explore current critical issues in music teacher education and to construct plans of prospective action and research in the effort to advance coordinated and sustained work on these issues.

Bylaw IV: Internal Affairs

 Section 1: Nominations to the Board.

The Executive Committee shall serve as the nominating committee for SMTE. The nominating committee shall present a slate of nominees to the Executive Board for consideration during a spring meeting of the board. The board shall rank the nominees and the ranking shall comprise the recommended slate. On or before May 1 of each even-numbered year, the Executive Committee shall present to the NAfME National Executive Board two nominations for each forthcoming vacancy. The National Executive Board shall elect one member from each slate of nominees, said members to take office at the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year.

Section 2: Executive Board Meetings.

The Executive Board shall meet at the call of the President, or upon the joint request of a majority of the membership. A quorum of not less than fifty percent (50%) of the members of the Executive Board shall be required for the transaction of business.

Meetings by Electronic Means. When necessary, the Executive Board may transact business by electronic means.

Section 3: Rules of Order.

The most recent, published version of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all meetings of SMTE Executive Board.

 Bylaw V: Amendments

 The Constitution and Bylaws may be altered or amended by an approving vote of two-thirds of those members who cast ballots.