We are an all-volunteer organization. All that we do to book artists, arrange venues, provide refreshments, run our website, and publicize our series is done by dedicated volunteers who want quality folk music to be played live, the way music was meant to be shared and enjoyed.
We welcome new folks to join our teams so we can work together to keep the music coming and keep the (fun) volunteer work moderate so it fits into a well-balanced lifestyle.
Have a skill and you’d like to help?
If you’d like to help and you have a skill in publicity, tech, concert management, community relations, non-profit board work, connections in the folk music world, fund-raising, or something else to offer, please email us at info@pasadenafolkmusic.org.
We’re Seeking Assistants to the Sound/House Manager!
What does this volunteer role entail? Our Volunteer Sound/House Manager would love to have one or two new people apprentice and learn his role, so we can have more of a team helping behind the scenes and have back-up team leaders for the few occasions when he can’t be there. Knowledge of sound equipment would be helpful. Here are some things this team does:
- Communicate with our pro sound techs and get their commitment to work on concert nights when we use our own equipment.
- Communicate with artists to get their sound requirements and communicate those requirements to the sound techs.
- Oversee sound and communicate with sound personnel at venues where we don’t use our own sound equipment.
- Communicate with the artists about their miscellaneous concert night needs and be available to help.
- Order and pick up dinner for the sound engineer and artists, if they want.
- Select recorded music to play during intermission.
- Communicate with security personnel at the venues as necessary.
- Show up early on concert nights to help/oversee pickup and set-up of equipment, and stay for tear down and return of equipment to our annex.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sound/House Management Assistant role, please email us at info@pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org. Our Volunteer Sound and House Manager would love to hear from you!
Concert Night Volunteers: Expectations and Duties
General Information
- Concert Night Volunteers receive one complimentary ticket so they can enjoy the concert at no charge.
- We welcome suggestions and concerns from our volunteer teams. Please submit them to info@pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org, even if you have mentioned them on concert night. Your message will be seen by our board of directors and key volunteers in publicity and house management.
- We have two types of concert night volunteer opportunities, Sound Equipment/ House Helpers, and Ushers (Safety and Hospitality Helpers).
Expectations and Duties for Sound/House Helpers
- We need one or two able-bodied strong people, on some of our concert nights, who can lift and carry heavy sound equipment (only at venues where we use our own sound equipment).
- If you have a pickup truck, that would be ideal.
- You would need to be able to meet us at our “annex” (close to Caltech) where we keep the equipment at around 5 PM, and help load, carry, and place the equipment in the auditorium in time for the sound check.
- Post concert, we need you to help pick up the equipment, load it, and take it back to the annex.
- We have a Team Leader who will give guidance for individual concerts.
Expectations and Duties for Ushers (Safety and Hospitality Volunteers)
Ushers are our Safety and Hospitality Volunteers. They interact directly with our guests and are integral to the overall experience of our audience.
We are looking for ushers who have the following qualities:
- Enjoy being outgoing and cheerful with our guests.
- Able to be calm and clear-headed in case of an emergency requiring guests to exit the hall (such as a fire emergency).
- Willing to proactively notice when guests seem to have a question or need something, and take the initiative to help or find someone who can help.
- Can take directions from a team leader and offer constructive suggestions for improvements to our process.
- Willing to be flexible and help with various concert night tasks as needed.
- Able to stand and walk around as needed for a full hour before concerts and during intermission.
Expectations:
- Ushers are usually expected to be at the concert venue ready to work one hour before the concert.
- If you are a new volunteer or if you are new to the venue we are using, then we’ll need you to be there a little earlier for an orientation/brief tour.
- Ushers need to be readily visible and identifiable among crowds of up to 200+ people, both indoors and outside, including at dusk and dark hours. For this reason, the Usher Team wears orange vests, which we provide, and volunteer tags on a lanyard. Our lanyards can light up at night to provide extra visibility.
Typical duties include the following:
- Safety: In case of fire emergency, be first to go to the doors, and open them so people can safely exit as quickly as possible.
- Safety: In case someone needs an ambulance or emergency medical care, assist by going outside the concert hall with your cell phone and call 911.
- Safety: Escort guests to wheelchair access and wheelchair seating making sure they have a clear path to exit should they need to leave early.
- Safety and Hospitality: Stand at a curb in the dark with a flashlight, greet guests and caution them to watch out for the curb.
- Hospitality: Greet guests at the door and check their tickets or point them to the ticket sales table.
- Hospitality: Be able to answer questions about the evening and venue such as location of restrooms, availability of CD sales, and similar.
- Hospitality: Stand at the auditorium doors to make sure no one enters until the sound check is complete.
- Hospitality: Stand at auditorium doors making sure people enjoy their refreshments outside the auditorium.
- Hospitality: Stand outside the venue and point guests toward our building entrance.
- Hospitality: Conduct CD sales for the artists during intermission and after the concert.
- Hospitality: Occasionally help with refreshments if our usual Refreshments Team is out of town.
- Hospitality: Assist with other duties as needed such as passing out and collecting survey forms or flyers.
- General: After the concert, walk through the auditorium and make sure no trash is on the floor, and help us gather signs.
If you’d like to be a concert night volunteer, please click here for our interest form.