Remissions Policy

SoundStorm is committed to making music accessible to all young people, no matter what obstacles and challenges young people face. Some of our ensembles are free to attend (eg. Elevate), plus other programmes are funded and aimed specifically towards young people in economically disadvantaged circumstances. Our support packages for schools ensure that young people receive a range of SoundStorm music activities and live experiences that are free to them.

We also have the Access Fund, which any young person facing financial or other obstacles to making music can apply to. Grants of up to £300 are given out to young people aged 18 years old or under, who need extra support to pursue their musical ambitions. Please see below for more details and the application form. We are committed to making all other ensembles we support as accessible as possible. Instruments can also be hired at a reduced rate.

Ensembles and Instrument Hire

For children attending ensembles supported by SoundStorm, and/or hiring instruments from us, remissions can be applied to fees if you meet one of the criteria below under the Access Fund section. We will require evidence to confirm eligibility, and details of the ensemble they wish to attend. Instruments are subject to availability, as our stock is limited. On receipt of appropriate evidence to support the following criteria, we will confirm remissions at a maximum of 75%. Children in Care (LAC) will receive remissions for all activities at 100%.

Grants of up to £300 are awarded to young people aged 5-18 years old, who need extra support to pursue their musical ambitions. Applicants must be resident within BCP Council. Financial assistance is available to young people from families who meet and can evidence their financial hardship or other significant barriers to access musical learning. You must complete each section in full; applications with a lack of detail or evidence will in likelihood be rejected. Please read the notes below which will help you determine your eligibility.

Criteria:

The below list is non exhaustive, however financial hardship or other significant barriers to accessing musical learning needs to be evidenced;

• Universal Credit
• Evidence of child in receipt of Free School Meals
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

This funding cannot be used for:

• Applicants who have received funding during the previous academic year cannot normally re-apply i.e. if you received funding in 2022/23, you will not be eligible to receive funding in the 2023/24 academic year*.   (We would strongly recommend you start looking to find funding for the next year in good time from other sources once your funding starts from SoundStorm).
• Applications from more than 3 members of the same household
• Paying for previous debts
• Applications from candidates under 5 or over 18 years old are not accepted

* In truly challenging circumstances, and if very strong evidence is provided that other funds have been sought but not awarded, we may consider an application even if the applicant has received funding in the previous academic year.  Please contact SoundStorm giving details of why the funding is needed and evidence that other funding was applied for. For all queries please email: info@soundstorm-music.org.uk

Considerations made by the assessment panel:

1) Can financial hardship or other significant barriers be evidenced

2) Does the family regularly pay towards activities?

This can refer to costs such as tuition, attending SoundStorm workshops, instrument hire costs, exam entry fees, membership of ensembles, contribution towards school trips that are coordinated by the Music department.

3) Are there any other factors/extenuating circumstances to consider?

Please explain what challenges you may be facing or the applicants family may be experiencing – these can be financial, personal or circumstantial. This is your opportunity to tell us why the funding is essential to enable the young person to continue to study, and to alert us to any other circumstances we should take into account. We strongly recommend you use the opportunity to strengthen your application.  

4) Has their application been signed by an additional musical referee?
Applicants must have a referee to endorse their application, this must not the same as the person providing the proposed activity e.g. Head of Music in School.

More about the Access Fund: support for young musicians in challenging circumstances

We remain committed to supporting as many students as possible to pursue their musical ambitions.   Most of our work takes place within schools but we’re also here to support young musicians who are making their own music, outside of school.

Our Access Fund is limit is £300 maximum per young person per year and the funding pot is limited; if the allocation is used up, we may not be able to accept further applications that year. It is therefore very important to demonstrate and evidence on the application form the extenuating the circumstances that make it vital your child receives funding. It is also not guaranteed you will be awarded all the grant you apply for. You can download the application form below and submit at any time; we look at applications once per month. We look forward to receiving your application.

Payments

Awards will be paid to either the school or the music provider directly. Payments are never made directly to the applicant. Your application  and all supporting  material is confidential -all documentation provided is stored on an encrypted server and complies with the BCP Privacy Policy, GDPR and data protection policies.

 https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/About-BCP-Council/Privacy/Privacy-notice.aspx

How do you assess applications?

Applications for financial support are welcome throughout the year and there is no deadline for submission but we recommend that you submit an application with due consideration to timescales i.e. when the funds will be required. The review panel meets on the last Tuesday of every month during term time but does not meet during summer (Late July – August). The award can take up to 4 weeks to be paid.

The panel will assess and score each application on merit against four criteria

• Financial need
• Special educational or developmental needs
• Additional extenuating circumstances
• Musical impact, including evidence of a progression pathway, the quality of the offer, and the applicants’ commitment to music (e.g. evidenced through previous activity and memberships)

Please note that the panel will favour applications that demonstrate some financial commitment. Where scores are equal and funding is limited (usually towards the end of Spring or Summer term), priority will be given to applications where the greatest financial need is demonstrated