Please consider supporting the orchestra program and students by gifting your time!
It’s only with the support of parents and community members that Austin High Orchestra can offer such an incredibly enriching experience to all interested students. We need event and activity volunteers throughout the year, such as fundraising events and UIL competitions (sign up below for alerts).
We also have steady volunteer positions, with different time commitments or busy periods. Read on to find an opportunity that works for you and then use the form to let us know what you’re interested in, or contact Joy Lobb to learn more.
Board Positions
President: Joy Lobb, 24-25
The president provides an agenda and presides at all meetings of the Booster Club, serves as the official liaison to the Orchestra Director, and coordinates activities of the Booster Club.
Vice President: Stacie Mitchamore, 24-25
The vice president performs, when the president delegates or is unable to perform, the duties of the president, but also takes the lead on organizing certain events and activities throughout the year.
Treasurer: Mike Sabisch, 24-25
The treasurer receives and deposits all funds, pays vendors, maintains accurate records of all income and expenses, manages various payment accounts (PayPal, Venmo, etc.), provides monthly reports, and generally manages the finances of the Booster Club.
Secretary: Heidi Gysan, 24-25
The secretary keeps minutes of board meetings, sends communications, updates, and reminders to parents and students, distributes information to the Austin High PTSA and other organizations, and helps keep the orchestra’s database up to date.
Publicist: Barbara Starke, 24-25
The publicist helps share information with other schools, with the media, through our social channels, and with local arts organizations about events, camps, and fundraisers.
At-Large Board Members
At-large members attend most board meetings and participate in discussions and decision-making. They provide valuable support in planning and executing events and activities, for example helping plan and run the summer camp, technology support, researching classroom needs, and more.
Other Volunteer Roles (* indicates a current need)
*Fundraising, Sponsors, and Merchandise
The fundraising team helps seek out sponsors and organize multiple fundraisers throughout the year, including our Mozart’s Coffee sale in the fall, silent or online auctions, annual giving drives, online merch sales, and more.
*Food Planning and Serving
We feed the orchestra students dinner before every evening performance and provide breakfast or snacks for daytime performances and camps. Volunteers will buy food, seek out donations from local restaurants and grocery stores, and serve students.
Graphic Design
The graphic designer(s) create posters, event signage, website graphics, merchandise graphics, social images, and more to help us promote events and fundraising activities.
Website Management
The website manager keeps the website (built in WordPress) up to date each week, using content and media provided by the secretary or communications team.
*Trip Planning
Every year, we take a spring trip and need a volunteer to help research possible locations, work with trip planning companies, and communicate schedules, fees, and more to the board officers and parents.
*Uniform Organization
Ms. Solis needs volunteers who are available throughout the year to keep the uniform room organized, determine how many uniforms need to be ordered, and assist students on days/evenings when they have orchestra performances.
*Clerical and Database Help
The director is always in need of clerical help in the orchestra office or classroom to file, purge old paperwork, enter information into the database, and more.
*Photography and Video
We can always use more and better photos and video, as well as edited video excerpts that we can use on the website and elsewhere to showcase our amazing students and program.
*Orchestra Festival Committees
Dia de los Muertos Festival of Orchestras is our biggest event of the year, designed to bring the orchestra community together, give orchestras from area schools a chance to perform at AISD’s Performing Arts Center, and more. It’s a big event that requires a lot of planning and preparation (in addition to lots of volunteers on the day of). The teams include games, food, ticket sales, decorations and signage, T-shirt sales and distribution, sponsorships, with more to come as we finalize the plan for the next concert.
*General Event Support
Throughout the year, our director often needs a couple of parents to help with events like our string camp for 4th & 5th graders in January, accompanying orchestras to UIL events, etc. These often require daytime availability. We send requests for volunteers in our newsletter, but if you would like to be a go-to volunteer, please let us know.