Maryland State Music Teachers Association

MSMTA

Maryland State Music Teachers Association

Cancellation or Postponement of Any Competition

  1. If a Chair decides to cancel or postpone the competition for any reason, he or she must first contact the President to discuss the situation and obtain permission as soon as possible. The Chair must then contact all competition participants to notify them that the competition is cancelled, and of a new date, if applicable.
  2. In the event the President is unavailable to give timely permission to cancel a competition, the Chair may not cancel the competition but must continue as planned. Exceptions to this rule are limited to the following:
    1. The judges agree that the piano is unplayable.
    2. The judges agree that the venue prevents the competition from proceeding in some fashion.
    3. Inclement weather would jeopardize the safety of the participants.
    4. A regional emergency.
      5.  If any of these exceptions apply, and the event is cancelled, the Chair must still attempt to contact the President to get prior authorization and a report must besubsequently written and submitted to the President.
  3. In the case wherein the Chair has decided that the competition may not continue, but not because of the exceptions enumerated in Paragraph 6, and cannot obtain the President's permission in a timely manner, the competition will nonetheless continue as planned. However, the judges will be instructed to finalize the competition results and must either sign a Judge's Certification or decline to sign, with a written statement from each judge as to why they do not believe that the competition afforded a full, fair andequal opportunity to hear each contestant. The competition results will not be made public or final until the matter is brought to the attention of the President, who will then consider the Chair's written report made in accordance with these Rules, the judges' statements, and any other information the President deems relevant. The President will then, in a timely manner, issue a statement either certifying the judges' results, making them final and public, or cancelling the competition and the results altogether. The President's decision will be final and binding on all parties.
  4. Any competition participant who remains unsatisfied with the President's decision must proceed in accordance with Paragraphs 9-11 of these Rules.