The Academy

Cambridgeshire Music has established an exciting new music provision aiming to provide all young musicians with a full package of activities designed to give them a comprehensive musical education. Through 3 stages of progression, students will gain skill development in their chosen instrument alongside complementary classes including musicianship, theory and aural as well as the opportunity to play in weekly meeting ensembles. At the early stages the cost of instrument hire is also included in the convenient monthly subscription package. All activities take place on a weekly basis throughout the academic year at our new centre in Histon.

For students studying through lessons in settings, there is the option to continue with tuition in school and access the additional activities via the centre within the same package.

For further information on each of the stages and to see the dates for the full academic year, please click the links below:

Stage 1 dates & info

Stage 2 dates & info

Stage 3 dates & info

Sign up for the Academy here!

This provision is supported by the Arts Council England Music Education Hub funding and limited spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis.

A monthly subscription of £62 per month with a commitment of 12 months

Included:
- Instrument Hire (Stages 1 & 2)
- 34 Weekly individual instrumental lessons with a specialist teacher
- Weekly complementary classes appropriate to your area of study
- Weekly ensemble activities

Booking is available now!

Sign up for the Academy here!

We recognise that affording this type of activity can be a barrier and our objective is to ensure any child or young person can have the chance to explore the musical creativity regardless of barriers.

If you are eligible for pupil premium support in school or free school meals, it should be possible to obtain support if you are having your lesson in school and join our academy separately.

If the cost of academy participation is difficult to afford, we provide scaled support depending on family finances which reduces the cost per month of taking part. We know how difficult supporting young people to have these opportunities can be and encourage you to get in touch in confidence with us so that we can help ensure they do not miss out.

In addition, if your child has additional needs or there are barriers to engaging with musical activities we can help to obtain equipment or design academy packages to remove these barriers to participation. Please contact us to discuss requirements that will enable your child to take part.

Bursary Information Here!

- What if I only want a single instrumental lesson?
It will still be possible to book a single lesson but we would encourage you to take full opportunity of the complete package as we believe this will make you a more rounded and confident musician.

- What if I only want to join the music centre ensembles or bands at the Stage 2 level?
It will be possible to just join the Stage 2 ensembles (Cambridge Music Centre) at a cost of £79 per term. Spaces are limited.

- What happened to the County Youth Orchestra and County Chamber Ensembles?
CCYO and the County Chamber Ensembles still exist but will be meeting on a weekly basis as part of the Stage 3 provision which we are now able to provide at our new centre. Our end of term course weekends will still happen so if you’re unable to join us weekly then you can still opt to join us for the final rehearsals before the concert. You will receive your music at the start of the term so that you can work on your part remotely. We do encourage you to consider joining us weekly for the full experience though and to build relationships with your fellow orchestra members. Access to the Stage 3 ensembles without Academy membership is £89 per term and spaces are limited.

- What if Histon is too far for us to travel on a weekly basis?
It will be possible to incorporate a hybrid approach to your lessons if that suits you better, instrumental lessons and classes can be delivered online but not the ensembles. We ask that you attend the ensemble in person at least once a month in order to get the most benefit from the package.

- I have my lessons through Cambridgeshire Music at my school, can I still be an Academy member?
Absolutely you can, you can still attend the classes and ensembles at the centre to get the full benefit of the package.

- Is an instrument provided at Stage 3?
We envisage that most students at a higher level will want to invest in their own instrument. However, we can assist with this purchase or offer a CM instrument (of a higher quality and value) at an additional monthly fee which will be added to your subscription package.

- Do we have to do Grade exams?
Absolutely not. Grade exams are not a compulsory part of learning an instrument. However, this can be arranged at the centre and we offer exam opportunities with the major external exam boards. Music exams can be a useful goal and Grade 6-8 qualifications are awarded with UCAS points. Please note that an additional charge will be payable directly to the appropriate exam board.

- I’m a Rock & Pop musician, what is there for me?
You can take full advantage of this package with a weekly instrumental lesson, popular music theory, musicianship and aural classes are also provided. During the ensemble time, you’ll be working with other musicians to create your own band working on covers and original work (if you choose), they are also a couple of gig opportunities throughout the year. We will also help you to promote your original music through our YouTube and social media channels.

- Do you offer lessons in creative music technology?
Yes, we offer spaces for music technology lessons (in Garageband or Logic Pro X) at all 3 stages. You can build your theoretical and musical understanding in the classes and learn how to produce with confidence and score to picture. At Stage 3 you will also have the opportunity of taking your project from DAW to score to be played by our County Youth Orchestra or Chamber Ensembles.

Sign up for the Academy here!