WSMA is a member school organization, with membership open to public and private schools. School membership is required for students and teachers looking to access WSMA offerings.
(Note: Private studios are not eligible for membership. To nuclear families of homeschooled or non-WSMA member school students, we offer family membership.)
To join us:
- (Re)Enroll your school – Become a member school! Enroll & pay dues annually
- Complete your personal profile – Tell us who you are & how to contact you
- Review our resources – Start benefitting from your school’s membership ASAP
- Ask questions – We’re in this together!
(Details below.)
Thank you for your membership!
WSMA is committed to providing your students with access to high quality, rich and rewarding musical opportunities and experiences, which continue to be critical the well-rounded education of today’s youth. Thank you for your support and for partnering with WSMA to ensure that music continues to play an important role in the lives of Wisconsin students.
1.(Re)Enroll your school
Become a member school! Enroll & pay dues annually
—> For returning schools (i.e., schools that were members in the previous school year): As a courtesy, schools that were members in the previous school year will automatically receive pro forma (i.e., validity is dependent upon intended membership status) dues invoices for the next school year at the beginning of July.
—> For new schools (i.e., schools that were never members or haven’t been for at least one school year): Contact us before enrolling for membership, so that we can assist you with determining the appropriate dues rate(s) for your school(s) and ensure that any accounts are configured properly.
Important info for all schools:
- Memberships are valid for one school year, running July 1-June 30.
- While enrollment can be done anytime during the school year, current membership is required before accessing WSMA programs and resources.
- Dues rates are discounted through October 15, so it pays to enroll early!
- Dues invoices are emailed to the billing contact listed on the school’s record, so it’s important the information is current.
- We recommend ensuring that we have on record for the billing contact a general department email address that will filter to an individual but stay current through personnel changes, such as something comparable to “accountspayable@schooldistrict.k12.wi.us.”
- Dues invoices contain a direct pay link that can be forwarded to and paid by anyone, but they can also be printed to accompany a snail mail payment paid by purchase order/check for our identification purposes.
FAQs
Each WSMA membership is assigned a unique account number to be used for record identification. Because multiple WSMA school memberships may be tied to your personal record, you will need to know the account number for each. Find these account numbers at wsmamusic.org/account or in the “My Organization Information” area of your school’s profile in the account portal. Keep these handy throughout the year for use on registrations and other important documents. It is important to use the correct account number each time it is requested to ensure accurate records.
How do I determine the correct dues rate?
Dues are based on total student enrollment in grades six and above at your school. The dues rate is auto-calculated using the total student enrollment number listed on your school’s account (see the “My Organization Information” area of your school’s profile in the account portal, and edit as needed). Memberships are based on “grade level groupings” (i.e. high, junior high/middle, elementary). This means that some schools require the creation of multiple memberships, even if two or more grade level groupings compose a single school or share physical space. For example, if a school serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, and both middle and high school level students wish to access WSMA programs, two memberships will need to be created: one for the “middle school” and one for the “high school” (even if the school does not make that distinction or use that terminology). At this hypothetical school, fifth through eighth grade students are considered middle school level, and ninth through twelfth grade students are considered high school level. When enrolling the middle school, a teacher would count only grades six, seven, and eight in the total student enrollment number. When enrolling the high school, a teacher would count grades nine, ten, eleven, and twelve in the total student enrollment number.
What is the difference between total student enrollment and music program enrollment numbers?
All students at your school have the potential to participate in the music program, and WSMA dues are based on this potential. Your school’s total student enrollment number refers to all of the students enrolled at your school (or in each “grade level grouping”) in grades six and above. WSMA sometimes requests music program enrollment numbers (or best estimates, depending on the time of year) for the concert bands, choirs, and orchestras at your school to collect data that can be used to better serve our members, so it is important to provide complete information.
Can you extend the early bird discount for enrollment submitted after October 15?
Sorry, we cannot. WSMA membership enrollment dues rates are shared in the spring before the school year begins to give schools plenty of time to budget accordingly. The WSMA board offers the early bird discount to thank schools for prioritizing this important part of their school budget and views the early bird dues rates as discounted rates and the standard dues rates as regular rates.
2. Complete your personal profile
How to tell us who you are & how to contact you
All member school music teachers should review their personal and school profiles in the account portal to verify that all information is correct and edit accordingly. What you see reflects the content of our records, and user edits change that content. This makes it especially important that the information is regularly reviewed and updated.
If you have a previous affiliation with WSMA, WMEA or WFSM, an account for you probably exists. If you have forgotten your username and/or password, try clicking the corresponding link to receive reset instructions via email (messages are sent to your primary email address on file). If you cannot login at all, please do not create an account, as it could create a duplicate record and cause confusion — contact us instead!
Those who are brand new to WSMA, WMEA or WFSM and are sure that they do not have an existing account portal profile may click “Sign Up” found on the login screen and follow the prompts.
Note that only accounts with primary contact/admin privileges (such as one associated with the school’s music department chairperson) for their school may “Manage School Contacts,” which is how to add or remove teachers and principals or edit their information. If you do not have this ability and need it, contact us with your request.
FAQs
On personal profiles, you can select only one “Primary Organization” (school membership). Choose the membership that makes the most sense to you. Accounts with primary contact/admin privileges (such as one associated with the school’s music department chairperson) for their school may “Manage School Contacts” and add you to another school membership. For instance, if you primarily teach at a high school but sometimes teach at a middle school, request that your colleague with admin privileges for the middle school account adds you to the contact list found on the middle school’s profile. If you do not have this ability and need it, contact us with your request. This will ensure accurate records in our system.
Who is eligible to access the WSMA Festival Music List and other protected membership benefits?
Music teachers employed by WSMA member schools are eligible. These teachers may choose to share the WSMA Festival Music List (or portions thereof) with private music teachers who request it, but they are not required to do so.
Are account portal profiles shared? Should I share my login credentials with my music department colleagues or the teacher who is taking my position next year?
No. Accounts are intended for individuals to access, and as such, accounts and the login credentials for them should be kept private and should not be shared.
Do I need a new account portal profile / login credentials after switching schools?
No. As long as you continue teaching at a WSMA member school, the same account will follow you throughout your music teaching career and possibly beyond. Unless you or WSMA intentionally change your login credentials, you will be able to log in to your account no matter where you teach. However, remember to update the primary email address listed in your profile before the deactivation of an email account (such as when you are preparing to leave a school), as login credentials reset emails and other communications require a valid and active email address in order to be useful to you and WSMA.
How do I change my account portal password?
As long as a valid and active email address is listed as the primary email address on your account (this is also your default username), you can change your password to whatever you like at any time by following the password reset prompts on the account portal login page.
3. Review our resources
Start benefitting from your school’s membership ASAP
You are able to log in to the account portal, your school membership(s) is/are activated and all information is up-to-date…now what?
It’s time to review:
- Festival rules, the WSMA Festival Music List, and changes to both
- District, state, concert festival dates to make sure yours appear
- This helpful timeline to help plan your year
- This website (also follow WSMA on Facebook and Instagram!)
4. Ask questions
We’re in this together!
Your membership is our lifeblood. We appreciate your questions and feedback.
Get to know our team >>
