Governance and finance

We have developed a template Data Protection and Retention policy for use by our member groups. It has been designed in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and can be used as it is - with just your specific details (e.g. group name) added in, or taken as a starting point with changes made to suit your specific activities and circumstance.

This is a template agreement for the hire of a musical Instrument for use by Making Music members. It is designed to be a starting point for your agreement and can be adapted to suit your group’s circumstances. As with any agreement, it may be appropriate for the parties to the agreement to negotiate amendments and modifications to suit their own particular circumstances. If the parties are in any doubt about the suitability of the agreement for their particular circumstances, they should seek their own legal advice.

This audit tool is part of our GDPR toolkit. It is intended to help you think about the questions you need to ask about the data your group holds, asks for and uses, to help you meet your data protection responsibilities.

How to use the audit tool

GDPR is a meaty topic with lots of information, not all of which will be relevant to you. This tool is designed to help you filter the information to what is relevant for your group.

Data protection is becoming an increasingly prominent issue. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018 tightened up the data laws and led to the Data Protection Act 2018, getting a fair bit of media attention in the process.

The new rules can appear complex, hard to apply and perhaps a bit restrictive. For leisure-time music groups though, it’s mostly about common sense and simple reasonable measures to make sure you are using the data you hold in a fair, reasonable and secure way. 

We have developed two new template governing documents for music groups. They are both for non-charitable unincorporated associations:

• Non-charitable unincorporated association - with a wider membership
• Non-charitable unincorporated association - without a wider membership

Each document is available below as a PDF with notes and guidance on how to use it, and as a Word doc without notes to make it easy for you to use and insert your group’s details.

Before you use the document we suggest you read:

When you are starting a music group thinking about the formal structure is not necessarily top of the list. But as groups grow and become more stable it is a good idea to start thinking about how your group is structured.

When you are starting a music group thinking about the formal structure is not necessarily top of the list. With finding venues, members and music you have plenty on your plate without creating more paperwork and admin - and to be honest an informal, flexible approach can be useful when you are getting things off the ground. But as groups grow and become more stable it is a good idea to start thinking about a formal structure for your group.

This model contract has been developed to provide a starting point for negotiations when engaging a Music Director.

This online webinar will introduce you to Orchestra Tax Relief, a new source of income for instrumental groups with 12 or more performers, explaining what it is and how your group can benefit from it.

You can find out more about OTR, including whether you are eligible and how to claim, in our resources:

Health and Safety is one of those terms that can bring dread and derision in equal measure. With some of the stories you hear it’s easy to see why it has a bad reputation. In practical terms though, all it really means is spending a little bit of time thinking about what risks exist in a particular situation and what can be done to minimise them.