American Music Center

THE PROGRAM:

The School Membership Program is a professional partnership between the American Music Center (AMC) and the American Composers Forum (ACF), designed for students and serves as a bridge between academic life and a career in music. AMC and ACF are the two largest membership organizations in the United States for composers and performers of new music, and both offer vital resources to their members. By joining the School Membership Program, you will be giving your participants direct access to this large network which provides an unprecedented level of service to its participants.

HOW IT WORKS:

Participating schools appoint a liaison to work with AMC/ACF on administering the program, and this person serves as the primary contact for AMC/ACF. The liaison can be a student, faculty or staff member, and is responsible for relaying information to all participants.

The School Membership Program can be tailored to meet the needs of your institution. Participating schools decide who and how many students, faculty, and staff participants enroll. The program can be customized for Composition Departments exclusively, as well as for: Contemporary Music Studies program(s); individual Departments with a focus on new American Music, or the entire Music Department as a whole.

The cost of participation will be determined by the total number of participants (see How Much Does it Cost below). The school liaison will submit his/her preliminary participant list to the AMC/ACF School Membership Program at which time a fee will be assigned and charged to the school via the liaison.

After payment is received, directions will be sent to the liaison on how to register each participant.

If the number of participants increases from the initial fee, the total price will be adjusted accordingly.

KEY BENEFITS INCLUDE:

Through AMC

Access to AMC’s Members Only Site Resources and Publications	Via AMC’s Members Only site, members can access a variety of valuable and essential online resources. Updated monthly, *Opportunity Update* is one of the most complete opportunities-listings available announcing: competitions, calls for scores, grant programs, and residencies. The Members Only site also includes the *New Music Classifieds* — a series of online resources providing information on national music services such as copyists, new music publishers, audio engineers and studios, new music record companies, and more. Members can also access *The Composer’s 411, which covers the basics that every composer should know including information on: score production, obtaining performances, compensation, copyright, promotion, opportunities, and selected articles from NewMusicBox*. Members may also contact the Membership and New Music Services department using the online Information Assistance form, where members can ask for information and receive professional advice.
Personalized Webpage on AMC.net	Through the Members Only site, members receive their own personalized webpage and address on AMC.net. Members control the content on their pages by uploading their picture and biography; and depending on their field of work (composer, performer, etc.), they can also upload their worklist, sound and score samples, performances, resume, and/or discography, as well as link to their own websites and social networking pages. Members are also included in the *Artist & Industry Directory* (part of AMC’s new music portal “Explore American Music”) which publicly lists composers, performers, conductors, educators, administrators, ensembles, and organizations involved in new American music around the country and worldwide.
Upload Sound and Score Samples to the Online Library	If you are a composer and have uploaded your worklist, and sound and score samples, your music will be included in the *AMC* *Online Library* — one of the most comprehensive digital libraries of American music, with over 45,000 works and over 5,500 composers listed from current and past members, major publishers, and the AMC 20th Century Scores Collection, the Online Library is the premiere place to promote and showcase the vast repertoire of American music.
Post Performances to the Calendar of Events	Performances that members post to their webpage on AMC.net will also be displayed in the *Calendar of Events*. This public calendar contains upcoming performances of new American music across the United States and abroad, and is maintained by individual AMC members and staff.
Eligibility to Apply to the Composer Assistance Program (CAP)	The Composer Assistance Program (CAP) offers direct financial assistance to composers for the preparation costs for premiere performances.
Access to the AMC 20th Century Scores Collection	The AMC 20th Century Scores Collection is archived at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where anyone can visit and look through the Collection’s scores in person. AMC members who reside outside of the New York City-area can check-out authorized photocopies of up to three (3) perusal scores per year by contacting AMC online with their request.

Through ACF

Individual school web profile on composersforum.org, for posting of school specific events or activities	A member page on ACF's website that attracts browsers. An individual school web page allows for exclusive ability to post events and activities, and provides extra publicity and visibility for schools.
Distribution — at cost — of the entire catalogue of ACF's innova® Recordings label	In addition to school libraries, students, faculty and staff can purchase the entire **innova® Recordings** catalogue at a significant discount.
Discounts on purchases of innova® Recordings CDs	In addition to school libraries, students, faculty and staff can purchase specific recordings at a 15% discount.
Distribution of ACF's Sounding Board, via the school liaison, and access to ACF's online opportunity database	*Sounding Board* is a newsletter offering updates on ACF programming, articles relevant to the needs of contem-porary composers, and an extensive listing of oppor-tunities for composers and other new-music professionals.
ACF Program eligibility	Participants are eligible to apply to any ACF program, based on individual program guidelines. Programs include: *Encore, McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies, Subito, Minnesota Orchestra Reading and Composer Institute, Essentially Choral*, and others.
Access to ACF Opportunity Listings at www.composersforum.org.	School member program participants are granted access to the *Opportunities* listings on ACF's website. With new opportunities being posted every day, ACF provides one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date listings of contests, commissions, calls for proposals, and fellowships available on the web.

How much does it cost?
The cost for each school enrolled in this program is listed to the right. Please note that fees vary according to the total number of participants enrolled.

In comparison to AMC’s and ACF’s yearly membership fees of $40 per student and $60 per individual, this School Membership Program offers a significant discount at both the individual and institutional levels. Payment for School Membership fees is due at the beginning of the school year and can be paid online or by mail.

Total Number of Participants	Total Fee
< 26	$400
26 – 50	$550
51 – 100	$700
101 – 200	$850
> 201	$1000

In comparison to AMC's and ACF's standard membership rates, the School Membership Program offers a significant discount at both the individual and institutional levels. Payment for School Membership fees is due by August 1 prior to the beginning of the school year and can be made online via the School Membership Program web pages or by check.

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