Volunteer

Why Volunteer with Aeolian Hall

At the Aeolian, we are grateful for our volunteers who help facilitate public events and assist in numerous other ways the ongoing success of the hall.

The artistic community relies heavily upon a strong volunteer base to support and aid in many projects and events. The Aeolian Musical Arts Association’s mission could not be accomplished without the community’s support.

  • Do you love music?
  • Have you got a passion for community, culture and education?
  • Ever dreamed of being a bartender?
  • Do you have culinary inclinations?
  • Have you ever considered being Judy Collins’ wardrobe assistant?
  • Would you like to help children and youth?
  • How would you like to serve dinner to Buffy Saint Marie?
  • Do you love to clean floors?
  • Handy with a paint brush?
  • Would you like to assist Royal Wood while he signs his CD’s?
  • Could you be a security guard for Chick Corea?
  •  We have a role for you.

Volunteer Roles & Experiences

Aeolian Volunteer Support Areas:

  • Ushering at events
  • Box Office Assistance
  • Bartending at events
  • Set-up and take down of events
  • Administrative support in the Aeolian or El Sistema Office
  • Street team and postering
  • Hall restoration
  • Hall cleaning and maintenance
  • Hall Repair

El Sistema Volunteer Support Areas:

  • Music Coaching
  • Classroom Support
  • Food Program
  • Office assistance
  • Communications
  • Fundraising
  • Librarian
  • Instrument Care and Maintenance

Volunteering at Aeolian Hall

There are many ways to support the day-to-day life of The Aeolian.  The Aeolian runs a number of programs including Stage Production, El Sistema Aeolian, Aeolian Pride Choruses, Art Show, Aeolian Talks, Aeolian Pride Socials and maintenance of our Heritage Facility.  If you are someone who believes that the Arts can transform and that we are stronger in community than standing alone, please join us.   Fill out the form below and we will get back to you soon!

Volunteer Form

Volunteer Interest Form
  • The Aeolian is a Non-Profit Canadian Registered Charity. It operates with a small number of paid staff and makes up for its lean operations with the help of volunteers. For that, we are truly grateful to our community of dedicated volunteers. The mission and vision of The Aeolian is to offer Universal Access to Music, Education, The Arts and Culture. As a result, we operate a number of free initiatives. The candidate to volunteer at the Aeolian is one who is flexible to its needs. This means more than just volunteering to see a show. The Aeolian is only accepting volunteers who are committed to its overall work and have flexibility to volunteer where the needs exist. We thank you in advance for your consideration of this expansive work!
  • If you are only looking to fulfill your volunteer hours required for school, you will not be considered for a role. The Aeolian makes a huge investment in training volunteers and having a volunteer for only a short period of time to complete "Mandatory Volunteerism" is not useful to our mission.
    The Aeolian will give preference to volunteers who show more availability.

  • You must choose at least one role in three of the following categories of volunteering to be considered (Production, El Sistema Aeolian, Aeolian Pride Choruses, Art Shows etc.)

The Rebelheart Award

The Rebelheart Award is given quarterly to volunteers and friends of Aeolian Hall who possess the highest level of commitment to volunteerism, philanthropy, and community.

Rebelheart: a risk taker. A leader. A joyful soul.

2014

Wally Duffield (July)

Bob Kennedy (July)

Ryner Stoetzer (July)

2017

Kate Ahrens (July)

Christoph Babin (July)

Rod Culham (July)

Jeff Eames (July)

Steve Elson (July)

David Gillies (July)

Bob Heacock (July)

Janice Mark (July)

Bill Sheldon (July)

Lisa Snow (July)

Cindy Thomas (July)

Rickie Schieven (October)

Shelly Siskind (October)

 

2018

Cheri Bryant (January)

Mary-Ann Jack-Bleach (January)

Aeolian volunteer roles

Box Office (during events)

If you’re looking for a vibrant, dynamic and very social contribution, the Box Office is for you!  Your role would includes selling tickets, answering phone inquiries and using record keeping systems.

Front Door Greeter

If you enjoy fresh air and love conveying a warm welcome, this is the perfect job.  This role includes helping clients enter and exit the facility and may include assistance with direction/information and accessibility assistance.

Front of House Greeter

This position helps our clients feel at home.  This role can include giving directions to the main hall or balcony, checking or taking tickets, helping clients out of the elevator, distributing ballots for ticket draws and showing the way to the Aeolian Bar.

The Aeolian Bar

The Aeolian Bar provides a great selection of local wines and beer for our customers.  If you’re interested in this role, your will need to be “Smartserve” trained.  This online course takes a few hours and helps you to understand the role of being a bartender.  We will also provide onsite training to help you learn the practical elements of this role.  It is not only a great place to interact with clients, but frequently the performers will come out for a drink after the show!

Backstage and Hall Security

How would you like to guard a famous artist and protect them from crazed groupies?  This role involves communication with management and artists to ensure safety and security of their personal space and items in the Greenroom.

Ushering

This role requires a smile!  Activities can include taking/checking tickets, handing out programs, helping clients with accessibility issues, bussing bar dishes during intermission and helping cleanup the hall at the end of the night.  If you are looking for a role with the opportunity to burn some calories, this is it!

Merchandise

Like having your own music-centred retail store, you will frequently be sitting beside the artist(s) at the end of the show in this role.

Setup & Tear Down

The Aeolian is fortunate to have a main floor auditorium with a flat floor.  We can arrange chairs and tables in a variety of ways such as rows, cabaret-style and many other configurations.  We do Big Band shows with the dance floor open as well as weddings with seating for receptions.  The stage is often being set up with risers and chairs for large ensembles such as orchestras and bands.  If you like manual labour and being part of the foundation for our activities, this is a great opportunity to assist us and stay in great physical shape!

Facility Maintenance and Repair

The Aeolian is a Designated Heritage Site designed by August Durand, one of the greatest architects of South-Western Ontario.  Volunteers have assisted us with gardening, painting and many activities requiring hammers, saws and nails!

Caretaking

The Aeolian sees tens of thousands of people every year through its doors.  As you can imagine, keeping on top of the dirt and grime is challenging.  Some of our volunteers love to see things shiny clean and help us with general custodial work.

Hospitality Services

Can you see yourself helping to serve dinner to one of our artists?  We’ve done this for many great names like Chick Corea, Buffy Saint-Marie, Jully Black and Royal Wood.  Part of this role could include shopping for the items needed.

Street Team – Posters & Marketing

We have a lot of great events and programs.  Getting the word out to our community is often challenging.  If you have a vehicle and some time, we are trying to get posters and other marketing materials distributed around the city.

Stage & Technical Assistance

Would you like to hang out with one of the greatest sound technicians in Canada?  Are you able to lift and run when duty calls?  Would you like to learn about the inner workings of the technical magic behind a performance?  This is the job for you!

Fundraising

Events are a great time to help people understand the work we do.  Telling people about volunteer opportunities, The El Sistema Aeolian Program, how to help spread the word and asking for support are invaluable tasks.  Help us distribute literature and tell the story of The Aeolian!

el sistema volunteer roles

Music Coach

Do you have music background?  Would you enjoy sharing your knowledge with a group of children and youth working hard to learn and enjoy the aspiration, perspiration and inspiration required to learn to play music?  This free, intensive music program is definitely the place for you!

Classroom Support

You don’t play a musical instrument but would love to be around children and youth encouraging and monitoring their personal progress?  Room monitors help young people with practical needs and advocate for them during rehearsals, meals and performances.  They do anything from helping them find a restroom to building up their confidence.

Food Volunteer

Part of this amazing, intensive orchestral program involves nourishing our participants’ bodies with snacks and meals.  We need help with anything from grocery shopping to meal preparations and serving, to supervising and socializing with the children.

Office Volunteer

Do you have good communication skills and computer skills?  We are always in need of volunteers to help us keep in touch with parents, volunteers, teachers, our funders, and the general public on a regular basis. Other areas requiring assistance include data entry, filing and organizing marketing materials, and updating social media pages.

Librarian

We have an extensive and growing library of teaching resources which need documenting and organizing.  You don’t need a library sciences degree for this task, but a passion for detail and organization!

Fundraising

With growing opportunities to give, our challenge to reach out and ask for support needs people with imagination and the willingness to passionately advocate for our mission.  Research, funding applications, fundraising events and donor relations all need more support.  These are positive skills which can be taught and learned!

Instrument Care and Maintenance

With a growing number of instruments in our instrument bank, we have needs to keep track of their conditions and provide needed assessments, repair and maintenance.  This is also an area where without background, you can learn the necessary skills.

Supplies/Inventory Management

We need help with making sure we have enough materials to teach and can be prepared with shopping lists when we don’t.  This includes everything that supports the program from t-shirts for performance and music stands to pencils, folders and staples.

Volunteer Coordination

With a growing number of participants, our volunteer numbers are growing.  We are also growing the number of different groups/classes and other activities.  If you have experience or a passion to learn how lead and coordinate human resources, this is the role for you!

Volunteer Code of Ethics/Conduct

This document is based upon various volunteer Manifestos, but primarily upon the most comprehensive source found by Aeolian Management, namely, The National Council for Voluntarism in Israel.  This document is not copyrighted and thus free paraphrases and excerpts have been taken from it.

Volunteer

A person working for the benefit of other individuals and society as a whole, out of free will and without expecting any financial reward for these efforts.

Volunteer Work

Contributing time, services, expertise, knowledge, prestige and/or personal connections, for a mutually agreed period, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of individuals known or unknown alike organizations, foundations and societies, community and/or the environment.

Volunteers’ Obligations

Society constitutes the framework within which individuals may fulfill themselves.  In joining the world of voluntary work, volunteers express a personal, human, honest commitment, a fundamental and essential element that enables the act of volunteering.  This commits volunteers to a series of obligations through the contract between them and their organizations.  Without these obligations, the contract is devoid of its mutual nature.

  1. Volunteers must possess a sense of commitment and loyalty toward the organization.
  2. Volunteers must conduct themselves according to the rules prescribed by the organization to regulate the process of volunteering.
  3. Volunteers must act in accordance with the organization’s goals.
  4. Volunteers must protect the organization’s good standing.
  5. Volunteers must respect the organization’s property.
  6. Volunteers must respect and follow the organization’s code of regulations, its rules, norms and accepted manners of conduct, as well as all other organizational demands.
  7. Volunteers must aspire to excellence in the tasks they take upon themselves.
  8. Volunteers must constantly strive to improve the skills required for their work by participating in personal and group training programs.
  9. Volunteers must report in advance any change in their conditions of volunteering.

Confidentiality

Volunteers hereby agree to adhere to the Aeolian Code of Coduct and thus not disclose any information acquired while volunteering, whether written or verbal, to any persons, authorities or organizations, unless specifically instructed to do so by functionaries in charge of confidentiality issues with their organization, or unless so required by a legal order.  In this clause, information refers to:

  1. Information concerning the organization, its paid or voluntary workers, its financial resources or donors.
  2. Information regarding the organization’s clients.

Refusal to Accept Benefits

Volunteers pledge not to receive benefits in any form from the organization’s clients or any other persons.

Avoiding a Conflict of Interests

Volunteers pledge to avoid a conflict of interests and to notify the organization of any such conflict existing between their activities, positions within the organization, or their association with it, and all other activities in which they engage.

Reporting Relevant Issues

Volunteers must notify their volunteer manager of any issue that might affect their ability to perform their functions (health or other factors) or cause harm to themselves or others, as soon as possible and before the commencement of the voluntary work.

Reporting Unethical Organizational Behaviour

Volunteers must report organizational behaviour that fails to comply with ethical criteria, including unlawful conduct (of directors, paid workers or other volunteers), using the organization’s proper channels, or any other legal means.

Obligations Toward Clients

Volunteers must respect clients, treat them in a dignified, responsible, patient and tolerant manner, refrain from discriminating or biased treatment of clients, and respect individual difference.

The desire of individuals to share the gift of “selfless giving”, together with the ever-increasing gaps in society, make voluntary work a worthy framework within which personal needs may be fulfilled in an environment shaped by an age-old tradition that symbolizes all that is good in human interaction.

Other Policies

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

CONFIDENTALITY POLICY

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

WORKING WITH YOUTH POLICY

COMMUNICATIONS POLICY

HARASSMENT POLICY

Volunteer Update

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Rent The Aeolian

The Aeolian is a beautiful, unique, award-winning location to host your event.

While particularly renowned for its acoustic/live music presentations, the Aeolian is a versatile facility and can also host conferences and fundraisers.

Spaces. Rates & Services Rental Application

Give to Culture

Explore the arts. Support your community. Discover yourself.

The Aeolian relies heavily upon a strong base of community support that benefits many projects and events. All contributions, whether small or large, make a huge difference and will help sustain The Aeolian Musical Arts Association’s mission and future.

Volunteer Donate