Music Volunteering Opportunities

"Volunteering for Electric Umbrella has been so wonderful. Meeting people 'where they are' and getting to know them properly, seeing past disabilities and difference has taught me so much" Rosie

FANCY GETTING INVOLVED? IS IT FOR YOU?

Are you a human being?


To volunteer with Electric Umbrella, being a human is the only prerequisite. An open heart and an open mind is ideal. Hands, legs, feet, eyes and ears are useful but absolutely not essential!

Have you worked with learning disabled people?

It is absolutely not essential that you have. In fact, this could be a great way to gain some experience that may benefit you in the future.

Are you musical?

Again... to volunteer with us you don't even have to have a musical bone in your body! There are lots of other ways you can get involved and who knows, you may even find the music in you!!

If the answer is YES to ANY of these questions

then volunteering for ELECTRIC UMBRELLA might just be for you!!

WHAT HELP DO WE NEED??

Session Support

Dancing, smiling, welcoming, talking, chatting, connecting, looking out for people, filling in registers, helping spot things others miss... sound like fun? get in touch!

Musicians


From keen amateur to the finest session musicians in the country, we need people for live and on-line sessions, singalongs, live gigs, recordings and writing.

Production assistance

Keeping our hosts on track, muting, unmuting, spotlighting, sound-checking, managing the chat, including people where possible... a lot goes into putting on one of our Zoom shows and we need your help!

Admin and behind the scenes

Anything from stuffing envelopes, to calling around potential donors, collecting instruments to filling in forms... there is no end of 'behind the scenes' help we need!

Build, fix and make

Handy with your hands? Get in touch. As a part of our 'Instruments For Change' project we fix up, re-purpose and adapt instruments for sale or use by Electric Umbrella.

Technical support

Our live gigs and sessions require an army of technically minded folks to make happen. Sound, lights, stage management, backstage. The black T-shirts are just as important as the yellow ones!!!

Events

Sell merchandise, run the raffle, put up bunting, move chairs, build ramps, take photos... there's no end of the list of jobs that need doing to make a great gig happen!

And the rest...

We are certain that there are skills you have or ways you can help make the world 'more Electric Umbrella' that we haven't even thought of yet...

MEET SOME OF OUR VOLUNTEERS

This is Sandi

Sandi has been a rock for us at Electric Umbrella for several years now bringing a blend of musical craziness with a calm, professional manner at our live sessions, gigs and now online too!

"I am SO proud to volunteer for this  group of wonderful people. They have risen above the pressures of lockdown & ridden the many bumps along the way with humour creativity community & so much support for each other it brightens my heart. The tougher things got the brighter they shone & continue to shine. Amongst the mix of smiles and at times tears & anxieties the  Electric Umbrella family have grown & formed not just an amazing band of people but a bond that has been just amazing to witness"

This is Tim

Tim Oliver is a professional musician with a list of cool credits as long as his keyboard! When he's not playing The O2 or Royal Albert Hall with people such as Tony Hadley, Neneh Cherry or Robert Plant you can find him head to toe in yellow, crashing away on his piano with an Electric Umbrella sized smile on his face...

The gigs, recordings, and writing I've done with Electric Umbrella are up there as some of the most enjoyable and fulfilling moments in my life as a musician.


For me music is all about connection and NOTHING does this better than EU. Their values create a level playing field where everyone, including me with all my weirdness, is not only welcome but celebrated. Anything is possible with an environment like this, I love it.

This is Matt and Elaine (Sound and Lights)

Professional sound and lighting is what gives our shows and events that BOOST over the edge and ARMER SOUND AND LIGHTS have been responsible for this almost from the word GO!

The can-do spirit and enabling power generated by everything that is Electric Umbrella is genuinely life-changing. So much love and joy... It's top class musicians playing beautifully with heart, soul and open minds.

  • An amazing demonstration of what CAN be done.
  • Heartfelt performances from the most eclectic and loveable bunch of individuals.
  • An audience hanging on every beat and word and getting deeply moved by the experience.
  • And a real rush and a challenge from a tech and mixing perspective, which we love. Predictable, it is NOT!!!!


This is Noa

Noa started volunteering at our live shows and weekly sessions back in 2017 throwing herself into a completely new experience and wasn’t sure what to expect!

I had always had connections to adults with learning disabilities and wanted to explore further to help me determine my future career path. From day 1 of volunteering I felt at home and a part of this community and now 4 years later I am still loving it as much as I did on the first day.


I will forever hold a piece of the EU family in my heart and continue to 'meet people where they are' and learn more and more through engaging with people in the Electric Umbrella way .

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