Program Information and Student Handbook

Please read and bookmark this program information and student handbook for your family’s review, and please be sure to inform your family of this information and their responsibilities for participation. Thank you for helping us to maintain this program honoring to the Lord and each other. We also covet your prayers for the teachers, the board, the students, the families, and all who we may interact with.

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Mission, Vision and Values
Schedule and Enrollment Fees
Attendance
Supervision
Facility
Dress
Information
Choir Students
Band Students
Recorder Students
Communication

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• Mission, Vision and Values

The mission of Cascade Academy of Music & Arts (CAMA) is to serve our communities by providing a music learning experience for students in a manner that is consistent with Christian doctrine.  The vision of CAMA is to provide a quality, affordable service to the community, through learning, rehearsing, performing and fellowshipping in a manner that strives for excellence to glorify God.  CAMA strives to: 1) Glorify God: Our primary reason for being is to glorify God and to make disciples in our community through music.  We serve God by providing a music learning experience for our students that is consistent with Christian doctrine, 2) Serve Students and Families: Our secondary reason for being is to serve our students and families.  We serve them by providing a safe, fun, music learning environment to supplement their education, 3) Value Each Individual: Each student, family, employee, teacher and director is a valued and respected member of CAMA, 4) Musical Excellence: CAMA strives for musical and artistic excellence for the purpose only of teaching our students good stewardship through the development of the gifts and talents of music given to all of us by God.  Copies of the Mission, Vision and Values, Conflict of Interest and Racial Nondiscrimination policies are available upon request.

CAMA is a non-profit organization, and as such, our fees are kept at a very low rate.  We have been blessed each year to receive donations, which has enabled us to have our performances at the Arlington Performing Arts Center.  We continue to rely on the Lord to meet our financial needs.

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• Schedule and Enrollment Fees

The classes offered, rehearsal schedule, age requirements and enrollment fees are listed in the Classes and Fees section on the Student Registration Form.  Student age is calculated as of September 1. Each class is one year long and students remain in their class for the year, and change the following year as age dictates.

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• Attendance

Regular attendance is expected. While things do come up, we ask that you please inform us of any anticipated absences. If there are continual absences, please consider discontinuing the class so that students on the waiting list desiring to participate will have the opportunity.  If more than three (3) rehearsals have been missed in any semester, the student may not be able to participate in concerts and/or recitals, as fellow students are greatly impacted by sporadic attendance and the group suffers as well as the individual missing class.

We expect students to make our planned performances a priority. Attendance and participation in concerts and/or recitals is expected unless unavoidable due to illness or family emergency.

• Weather cancellation policy – Our families come from many different areas, and as such, we cannot know the road conditions in all locations. For this reason, we encourage families to travel when the road conditions are safe in their community. Our classes meet in Mount Vernon, so we will cancel music classes if the Skagit School District reports a cancellation OR delay due to weather conditions.

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• Supervision

Students AND siblings 12 years old and under need to be supervised at all times when they are not in class. This involves waiting with your students only in designated areas, directly supervised BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. Students over 12 years old may wait quietly in designated areas, however they are not considered parents or guardians over other students.  Parents, avoid early drop-off or late pick-up, as we don’t have the staff to supervise students outside of class time.
 

• Facility

While using the facility that God has so graciously blessed us with:

• Please RESPECT the facility.

• Clean up after yourself, including the restroom.

• Only closed water bottles are allowed in the practice facility.  No other drinks are allowed.

• No students or siblings should be wandering anywhere un-supervised.

• Parents, students and siblings may wait in the foyer, but they need to remain QUIET so as to avoid disruptions.

Cell phones and other electronic devices are not permitted to be used by the student during class, and we ask that they be turned off during class. If students use such devices during class, they will be collected until class is over. 

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• Dress

We ask that students dress modestly at any music program rehearsal or function. For this purpose, please avoid tight, form-fitting clothing, low-cut shirts, tummy/backside showing, bare shoulders, shorts or skirts above the knee.

• CAMA has a uniform for concerts. Please plan ahead to have your students’ uniform ready for performances. Any student not properly attired for a performance will not be able to participate in that performance. 

• The uniform is as follows:

       Boys:  Black slacks, black socks, black shoes, black neck tie (not bow-tie), white button-up shirt

       Girls:  Black long (ankle-length or to the floor) skirt, black tights/nylons, black shoes, white blouse/shirt (no t-shirts, please)

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• Information

CAMA does not endorse any particular schooling method, homeschool support group, co-op, curriculum, activity, or program, as we are an independent, non-profit corporation. We do, however, know that many families are looking for opportunities, or have information they would like to share. For this purpose, there will be a table set up in the entrance where families can share information.

For families who wish to have their personal information shared and printed in a directory, we will make one available that includes family names, addresses, phone numbers, and students’ names. This is NOT to be used to for any soliciting, as our families do not wish to be subject to phone calls for anything other than that of a personal nature.

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• Choir Students

Music will be provided in a folder for Jubilee Singers and must be returned at the end of the year in May.  The student will be responsible for the cost of replacing unreturned music. The student will receive their folder of music the first day of class provided payment has been received or arranged.  Joyful sound students will receive a folder with lyrics that need not be returned.  Melody & Harmony students will have lyrics to their songs available at the parent resource table or sent to parents via e-mail, and may be printed, if desired.

All choirs perform without music, so the student is responsible to have their music memorized. The Joyful Sound, Melody & Harmony will likely be able to do that during class time if they are attentive and work hard. The Joyful Sound may need some additional work at home in memorizing some of the words, though if few classes are missed they should have adequate time to learn the words.

The Jubilee Singers WILL need additional work at home in memorizing their parts. They will be encouraged throughout the year to work at home, at least a few minutes a week, on memorizing their parts. We ask the parents to encourage this, as well.

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• Band Students

All bands will be using The Standard of Excellence band book which can be purchased from Kennelly Keys (there's one in Everett, WA) OR most band books are available from CAMA for approximately $10.  Most are also available on Amazon.com.

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The bands use the Standard of Excellence as follows:

Beginning Band (Book 1)

Intermediate Band (Book 2)

Advanced Band (Book 3)

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Please have your student bring their band book the first day of class. Sheet music will be provided for each student during class and must be returned at the end of the year (May).  The student will be responsible for the cost of replacing unreturned sheet music.

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Practice Expectations:

All band students are expected to practice a minimum of an hour and a half each week. This is approximately 15-20 minutes five days a week.

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For advanced band, two and a half hours of practice at home is required each week (30 minutes five days a week), and practice sheets will be turned in each week for the Advanced Band.  If the student is new to CAMA and wishes to audition for the Advanced Band, please schedule an appointment time to play for Mrs. Riley. No audition is necessary for returning Advanced Band students.

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• Recorder Students

All eight and nine year old Melody & Harmony recorder students will be using Alfred’s Recorder Express book, which may be purchased for $5 before or after class.  This book can also be ordered on-line at www.sheetmusicplus.com. Please also help your recorder students find a little time each week to practice. The recorder class helps prepare for Beginning Band!

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• Communication

Electronic mail will be the primary means of communication for classes, cancellations, concerts and announcements and will only be used for this purpose. If you do not have e-mail, you’ll want to coordinate with a family who does to keep you updated. Parents can also check the Parent Resource Table for updates or announcements. Please check our website regularly, as updates will be included on the website.