When you’re standing for election to a Musicians’ Union Committee, it is important other members in your Region or Section understand what you stand for and what experience you have so they can decide who to vote for. That’s where your candidate’s statement comes in.
To be clear, there is no specific experience needed to stand for any MU Committee. The important thing is to be yourself and as a professional musician, it is that experience you bring to our democratic decision-making meetings.
Whilst you don’t have to submit a statement if you are putting yourself forward as a candidate, you are more likely to be successful if you do provide voters with some information about yourself.
MU staff must be impartial when there are ballots for our committees and that is why we have an independent scrutineer to count votes, i.e. an outside organisation who oversees the election process and makes sure rules are adhered to.
Because we must be impartial, our staff can’t advise on individual statements.
However, below is some general guidance on what members might typically include. Don’t worry if you don’t have something for all the below, it’s just to show the range of things members often choose to include. What you put in your statement is entirely up to you – it must be in your own words and should be what you think fellow members should know about you.
- Information on your musical activities, career, and achievements and how that relates to the Committee you’re standing for.
- Information on your motivation for standing for the Committee.
- Areas and issues you are passionate about, or think are important for the MU to address.
- Information on your wider skill sets, activities and experiences e.g., campaigning, activism, representing others, helping people, time on committees or boards (in or outside the MU).
- Anything else that might be relevant or interesting about you.