NLAPW Music Members are composers and arrangers of music.  An applicant for Music Membership shall submit to a Branch and to the National Composer’s Committee at least three original published or unpublished compositions and/or arrangements which she has composed within the last five years, with proof of payment for at least one professionally published composition or arrangement, or proof of at least one public performance of professional significance. An arrangement is an adaptation of a composition to a different form from that in which it was originally written.

In submitting an arrangement, the applicant must include a copy of the composition in its original form along with her arrangement of it, with permission from the original composer to make the arrangement, if the composition is not in the public domain.

·         Proof of payment for a professionally published composition or arrangement shall consist of a copy or photocopy of a publisher’s agreement with composer;

·         Proof of public performance of professional significance shall consist of printed programs, radio logs and/or TV schedules or tapes along with written score.

·         Music sung by a church or synagogue choir made up of volunteer congregants;
Under most circumstances, this music performed in public under any other condition would be performed by paid singers. In many cases, the music director of the institution is a paid staff member;

·         Music which is performed by community or children’s theater.
In this case the performers are not paid, and most of the work was done on a volunteer-basis. The composer is not paid. However, in a regularly scheduled performance a ticket price or a fee is charged to defray expenses for production. This would not include parody lyrics which are written to existing tunes; that is the province of the Letters category;

·         Music which is performed at a benefit or fund raiser.
In this case too, the composition is donated to entertain or to attract attention to the benefit and the performers donate their time. The benefit is sponsored by a recognized organization and the money is raised to support the needy organization.