Absence
Whilst we hope that members will wish to attend every rehearsal, inevitably there will be an occasional event or illness which will result in absence. Please be proactive in comparing CMA and school/family events. Where a clash occurs, inform the ensemble leader as soon as possible. This is particularly important for final rehearsals and concerts. In the case of absence due to illness, please email the CMA office.
Arrival and parking
Wycombe High School (Saturdays)
Please park in the main car park and enter the school to your right into the Forum (school canteen) to find the Welcome Desk. If the car park is full, pass through the barrier at the top, past the Sixth Form Centre, and follow the drive to the left to park on the old tennis courts – the walking distance is not much greater but there is plenty of parking here. Once you get to the Welcome Desk, someone will be happy to direct you to your class.
RGS (Tuesdays and Fridays)
Please park in he Uplyme Car Park on Hamilton Road, opposite the school. (Parking in the Quad, in front of the clock building, is limited to CMA Staff, students with a disability, and those transporting large instruments – double basses and cellos, tubas, baritone saxes, bassoons and percussion.)
Please use the crossing and enter the Quad through the gates, turning right to the Sixth Form Centre and the Welcome Desk where someone will be happy to direct you to your class.
On leaving the Uplyme car park, please TURN LEFT to prevent unnecessary congestion.
Older Students
In order to reduce potential congestion, older students are encouraged to arrive by bus or to walk from a local dropping point. Any stopping or parking on Hamilton Road itself is strictly forbidden. Students dropped in Chadwick Street or Green Road should allow five minutes’ walking time to access the school.
Catering
Hot and cold drinks and snacks are available at the tuck shop on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition, to overcome the “when will I eat?” problem, pizza, pasties, fruit and cakes can be purchased on Friday evenings and toast, fruit and porridge on Saturday mornings.
Code of Conduct
We are proud of all our students who are a delightful group of people. We have a code of conduct which explains our expectations for all of our members – click HERE for details.
Concert Dress
- Junior Ensemble members:
- CMA ‘Take Note’ tee-shirt* in navy, turquoise or orange
- Black trousers or black knee length skirt
- Black socks or tights
- Black shoes
* please email the office if you need to purchase a tee-shirt giving a size and colour preference:
| Child sizes – £7.95 | Adult sizes – £9.50 |
| 3-4 | Small |
| 5-6 | Medium |
| 7-8 | Large |
| 9-11 | X large |
| 12-13 | XX large |
| 14-15 |
- Senior Ensemble members:
- Male: Long sleeved black shirt, black trousers, black socks and black shoes
- Female: ¾ or full length sleeved black shirt and long black floor-length skirt/ trousers OR long black dress, dark/neutral tights and black shoes
| Senior Ensembles | Junior Ensembles |
| Senior Chamber Groups | Sinfonia |
| Symphony Orchestra | Stringchronise |
| String Orchestra | String Stars |
| Concert Band | Academy Wind Band |
| Symphonic Wind Band | Supersonic |
| Big Band | Blast Off |
| Youth Choir | Jazz Band |
| Recorder Consort | Vocus |
| MT Voices | Vocalise |
| Showstoppers | |
| Springboard Choir | |
| Junior Recorders | |
| Recorder Racers | |
| Recorder Ensemble | |
| Percussion Pioneers | |
| All Springers groups | |
| All Find Your Forte groups |
Ear Protection
Any child playing in our wind/jazz bands and percussion ensembles should wear earplugs; children over 6 years old playing in other large ensembles may also like to consider doing so.
There are alternatives:
- Noise attenuation earplugs: these should enable you to experience loud music at safe levels without loss of audio quality and are suitable for all CMA ensembles. £17-£20, available from Strings of Penn.
- Low-density foam earplugs are a cheaper alternative. The wearer will not hear musical balance quite as accurately, but for the louder bands they will be sufficient. They are widely available, and can be purchased at the CMA tuck shop for £1 a pair.
Foam earplugs are most effective and comfortable if they are inserted correctly:
- Always wash and dry your hands before fitting.
- Roll the earplug between the thumb and finger until it is compressed into a thin cylinder.
- Whilst compressed, insert the plug well into the ear canal. Fitting the plug is easier if the outer ear is pulled outward and upward during insertion.
- With the fingertip, hold the plug in place until it begins to expand and fills the ear canal.
- To remove, ease gently and slowly from the ear.
If you lose/forget your earplugs, spares will always be available at the tuck shop for just £1 a pair. Don’t forget to label them though- sharing is not recommended!
Gift Aid
Boost your fees and donations by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate! CMA can claim gift aid on 80% of membership subscriptions and 100% of additional donations. You can complete a Gift Aid form HERE. Please see our Gift Aid FAQs for details.
Instruments
If you need to hire an instrument, please contact us on an individual basis. CMA have instruments available to hire and, if the instrument you need is not available, we can advise you.
Membership fees
You will receive notification of your termly membership fees by email. Payments are managed on ParentPay. Please remember to give half a term’s notice of any intention to leave CMA.
Scholarships and bursaries
The CMA would like to welcome all young musicians, irrespective of their ability to pay. Please contact the office in cases of financial hardship.
Special needs
If your child has special needs, please contact us. We have children with a variety of needs playing and singing weekly in our mainstream groups.
Supervision
CMA is responsible for the children in sessions, but they are not supervised between classes. Unlike a school, CMA is an open site. Younger children will need escorting between classes, and any child can find themselves alone if they are between classes in the event of a fire or other emergency. If you plan to leave your child at CMA, please make sure that you have asked another parent to look out for them. (For new members, this can be a great way of getting to know the other parents!) We do not recommend that young children are left at CMA. Seating and refreshments are available for waiting parents.