Join MAGA
The Guild invites full membership from people engaged (wholly or casually) in any facet of the music arranging, orchestrating and copying professions.
Applications for full membership require the successful completion of a competence test in at least one of the Guild's categories: (1) Arranger, (2) Copyist, (3) Electronic arranger. All tests are assessed by the Guild's National Executive.
Certificate of Merit membership is an additional category specifically designed for student members. Alternatively, membership as a Friend of MAGA Inc. is open to any individual or organisation seeking closer contact with the Guild's goals, present and future agenda and activities.
Further information and application forms are detailed below.
Membership Benefits - Why Join?
As a MAGA member you will have the following benefits:
- Your own unique electronic "Arranging" or "Copying" stamp to identify you as a member
- Access to recommended orchestration and copying rates
- Access to our arranger contract plus other documents created by MAGA executive members including on executive member being a Copyright Lawyer
- Copyright, software, contract, and orchestration advice from other MAGA members in the industry
- Being listed and searchable on our “Find and Arranger” portion of the site as an accredited MAGA arranger or Copyist
- Access to regular MAGA Scene newsletter which comes out 3-4 times a year
- Discounted access to workshops and talks from industry leaders
- Access to 25+ hours of previous recorded workshops and presentations by MAGA members and industry leaders including Chong Lim, Paul Murtha (HL), Sean O’Boyle AM and Tim Davies (http://www.timusic.net/debreved/) on various arranging and orchestrating topics as well as contract, copyright and software advice
- Access to list arrangements in our new MAGA Music Catalogue
- Being part of a network of over 200+ like minded professional arrangers/ copyists as well as connecting to other like-minded organisations
- Access to other various online resources as well as our "hardcopy" resources
- You are joining a highly regarded musical body that is dedicated to maintaining a reliable high standard of talented membership.
An Arranger is one who creatively adapts the composer’s ideas for performance, by instruments and/or voices. Arranging is the art the art of preparing, adapting, paraphrasing, developing, altering or adding to, the structure of a musical composition.
Entry Requirements
The applicant shall be asked to submit one or more fully arranged score(s) of their choosing, which must meet these criteria:
Scores must be arranged for the instrumentation of a minimum of NINE (9) players. For instance: Concert Band, Wind Band, Jazz Ensemble (5 frontline and 4 rhythm section), Big Band SATB choir with ensemble, Chamber Orchestra or Full Orchestra for a minimum of 32 bars.
A transposed score shall be prepared with instrumental parts denoted in their respective keys, to show that the applicant is familiar with the particular instrument keys and safe working range of the instruments and transposition.
For more details, see the application kit.
Download the Membership Application Kit.
A Copyist is one who transcribes the individual instrumental and/or vocal parts from a musical score. Copying is the art of extracting the various parts from a musical score and transcribing them into a legible, correct and understandable form for the instrumentalist and/or vocalist.
Entry Requirements
The test includes categories for rock/jazz/pop copying and orchestral copying (either by hand or computer typesetting). The necessary test scores are included in the Membership Application Kit.
Download the Membership Application Kit
An Electronic Arranger is one who creatively adapts the composer’s ideas solely by electronic means. Electronic Arranging is the art of preparing, adapting, paraphrasing, developing, altering or adding to, the structure of a composition by graphic means with audio being the sole component. This category is specifically designed for the non-reader/writer of music.
Entry Requirements
The test consists of a minimum of 60 seconds of finished musical work presented solely in audio format (cassette or CD). No written or computer-generated score need accompany this application
Download the Membership Application Kit
The Certificate of Merit is open to all individuals, but more specifically designed for the Music Student and their possible future interest in the Arranging, Orchestrating and Copying professions.
The Certificate is awarded to persons who successfully undergo the Guild's general admissions criteria and the payment of a special discounted membership fee (partially refundable, if Entry Test is not passed).
As a pre-qualification, successful applicants will have their membership fee deducted from their Full Membership entry fees, should they choose to take this as a later option. Successful applicants will not have to "re-sit" the entry requirements when they choose to "upgrade" to Full Membership within the Certificate's validation period but will be required to submit recent examples of their work for review/approval by the Board.
The Certificate of Merit has a valid and finite 3-year active period (gauged upon a normal tertiary student course length).
This is an ideal opportunity for the music student to enhance their qualifications within the professional industry.
Download the Certificate of Merit Membership Form
Download the Application Test
Membership is now open to all individuals who may like to have closer contact with the Guild's goals, present and future agenda and activities.
This is an ideal opportunity for interested persons to take a more active role in the development of the Australian music arranging, electronic arranging, orchestrating and/or copying professions, which is not being directly employed within our industry.
As an individual member of Friends of MAGA Inc. you receive:
- Secure membership and identification number
- Our periodical newsletter, The MagaScene
- Discounted rates on all merchandising
- Invitations to all Guild activities (including General Meetings)
- Published articles on our Website and in our newsletter
- Waived Entry Fee, should you wish to become a Full Member
- One year's FREE subscription, should you introduce 2 new potential Full Members within one year
- One year FREE subscription, should you introduce 4 new Friends of MAGA Inc. within one year
- A FREE Listing and Link for your Web address on our Website
Download the Friend of MAGA (Individual) Membership Form or
Apply Online
Membership is now open to all businesses that may like to have closer contact with the Guild's goals, present and future agenda and activities.
The Guild's national membership comprises of a comprehensive database of musicians and educationalists. Corporate membership, as a Friend of MAGA Inc., is an ideal opportunity to target a specific marketing group. The Guild's membership is already a large consumer base of stationery, communication media, musical instruments, educational supplies and most forms of computer hardware and software, to name but a few.
The Corporate Friend of MAGA Inc.'s exposure can be tailored for specific needs. However as a Corporate Friend your immediate entitlements include:
- Free advertising exposure in all Guild publications
- Free marketing exposure on our Website
- Free listings as a "preferred supplier" to the Guild's membership
- Direct marketing incentives
- Discounted corporate entertaining
- Leverage and a "sponsor network" with other Corporate Friends
Download the Friend of MAGA (Organisation) Membership Form
