Setting up a group

This guidance explores how to go about starting a new group. It is a collection of ideas and tips structured in a way that we hope will help you to move forwards with your plan from the beginnings of an idea to your first rehearsal and beyond. This is the second of four sections and focusses on the practicalities of setting up a group.

If you’re thinking of starting a new leisure-time choir, band, orchestra, or music group of any genre, our tips and guidance will help you move from the beginnings of an idea to your first rehearsal and beyond. This is first of four sections and outlines the process for deciding upon a clear vision for any amateur music group.

Committee or management teams tend to work best with clear and defined roles. The simplest way to do this is to have a role description for each position on the committee or management team. It means whoever is in the role understands what their job is and what they are responsible for, helps all members to understand what everyone does and can be invaluable if an occasional territorial disputes crops up.

The SCIO is a legal structure for registered charities in Scotland. It provides limited liability and separate legal identity to organisations which do not wish to incorporate fully. This guidance outlines the benefits and obligations of becoming or converting to an SCIO

We can help advise music groups on establishing charitable status. There are advantages to gaining charitable status and also some consequences to be aware of that are covered in this guidance.

The Making Music members’ insurance scheme is run by Finch, specifically for our members. It is offered to those members of Making Music which operate on a voluntary (ie non-professional) basis, for ‘activities associated with the general promotion of music and the performance of musical works’.

This guide gives a simple, step-by-step guide to getting set up on the most important social media platforms for member groups: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

Looking to use your musical (or non-musical) talents to get involved in music making? Use our simple search filters to find opportunities with amateur music groups near you.