Opportunities From: Birthplace of Country Music

Speaker Sessions are the museum’s lecture series, though the “lectures” often include a performance element or can be panel discussions or Q & A events. Topics are related to country music, music history, Appalachian culture and history, or the content of the current special exhibit. Monthly Speaker Series happen in the Performance Theatre; the month of September and Virtual Speaker Series do not apply. 

Two Disaster Trained Volunteers are needed to assist with each in-person Speaker Series to help. 

Please refer to the Volunteer Handbook for further details about this position. 

Assist Frontline staff with daily opperations of the museum. Must be store trained and disaster trained.

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

Lunch Coverage for the Frontline. Must be Disaster Trained and Register training is preferred.

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

There will be 4 separate dates that the Southwest Virginia 4H will be bringing students. It will be a guided tour and we will need a docent for each one. There will be no add ons, just the guided tour. 

On September 9th - 16 guests with 2 leaders. 

On September 23rd - 15 guests with 2 leaders.

On October 7th - 14 guests with 2 leaders.

October 21st - 16 guests with 2 leaders.

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

This is a rental by the Virginia Opry. It will be catered by Good Place Farms with 100 guests for a show in the Performance Theatre with the Learning Center being the Green Room. We will need a few volunteers to help with setting up and breaking down this event. Since this is an after hours event, we will need at least one disaster trained volunteer.

Following the Docent Training on August 16, there will be zoom meetings to check in with Prospective Docents and discuss the homework. Homework is due on the day of the review session. All homework must be completed before you can become a docent. 

Schedule:

August 22 - Technology
August 29 - History
September 5 - Music - 1927 Bristol Sessions
September 12 - Music - Country Music
September 26 - Visitor Experience

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84409390872?pwd=MklpGRsTaqY2Zf6CqAxoLBKQKOMAQ4.1

Meeting ID: 844 0939 0872

Passcode: 478427

This will be a 5th birthday for a little boy. We will need a volunteer to help with setting up and taking down the event. The set up will be 4 round tables with table clothes with 8 chairs at each, 2 rectangle tables with tablecloths for food, and 2 rectangle tables for party crafts in the learning center.

Schedule:

12:30 - Set Up

2:00 - 4:00 - PARTY TIME

1:00 - 4:30 - Clean Up

Assisting the Songwriter Circle leader with anything they may need during their monthly Jam sessions. 

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

Gallery Assistants (GAs) and Frontline Staff are the “face” of the Museum, interacting the most with visitors. Consequently, GAs are expected to be professional, personable, and able to share the museum’s basic information with visitors.

Rotate between The Virginia Museum of Fine Art On-the-Road Artmobile and Ellen Elmes exhibit.

32 Students

10:00-10:30- 16 Students VMFA/Special Exhibit

10:40-11:10- 16 Students VMFA/Special Exhibit

They will bring a packed lunch and will be eating at the Axe and Ale House after the tour.

Rotate between The Virginia Museum of Fine Art On-the-Road Artmobile and Ellen Elmes exhibit.

32 Students

10:00-10:30- 16 Students VMFA/Special Exhibit

10:40-11:10- 16 Students VMFA/Special Exhibit

They will bring a packed lunch and will be eating at the Axe and Ale House after the tour.

The NE TN Holocaust Education Council and VA Holocaust Museum will be holding a professional development seminar for area teachers. They are requesting a protector or TV for presentations. We would like a volunteer to assist them. It is broken into two 3.5 hour shifts in case you do not want to stay the whole time.

This will be a group of about 40 fifth graders from Holston View Elementary. They are requesting a guided tour of the museum and a guided tour of the VMFA bus that will be here from September 17th to 21st. We will need 2 docents to help with the group 

This will be a group of about 40 fifth graders from Holston View Elementary. They are requesting a guided tour of the museum and a guided tour of the VMFA bus that will be here from September 17th to 21st. We will need 2 docents to help with the group 

This group visits the museum every year for a tour before enjoying the festival. 

Itenerary:

9:30 breakfast in Learning Center

11:00 Leah Ross greeting and talk

11:30 tour of museum

This group visits the museum every year for a tour before enjoying the festival. 

Itenerary:

9:30 breakfast in Learning Center

11:00 Leah Ross greeting and talk

11:30 tour of museum

Bristol Rhythm and Roots Green Team helps collect all the recycling from the recycle bins around the Festival Footprint. 

**NOTE: The last shift of the weekend (9/19/2025, 6:00-11:00 pm) includes breakdown of all the recycle locations.** 

Parking Lot Attendant - Gravel Parking Lot

Parking Lot Attendant at Bright Speed - Lower

Parking Lot Attendant at Bright Speed - Upper

Check hang tags

It's Rhythm and Roots Weekend!! This position is for TRAINED MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS ONLY. 

Rhythm and Roots Positions will be anywhere from Gallery Assistant, Special Exhibit Gallery Assistant, Raffle, Frontline Assist, and Store Assistant.

For every two hours that are worked, you will get a day pass. Dress code is more laxed for this weekend, you just need to wear your lanyard. 

Positions:

Gallery assistant is as normal. We will need two upstairs to help with the high traffic. 

Special Exhibit Gallery Assistant will be someone in the special exhibit to answer people's questions. It will still be Ellen Elmes: The Art of Music and Mountains and we will need one person here.

Raffle will be someone assisting with and filling out raffle cards. This position is tentative and depends on if we have sold out of tickets yet. It would only be on Friday and Saturday and would be one person

Frontline Associate will be someone standing by the front desk helping to direct people, telling them when the next film starts, where the bathrooms are, etc. We will need one person for this.

Store Assistant will be someone who is store trained and will be helping with the register and checking people in. We will need one person for this. 

Bristol Rhythm and Roots Merch Tent that includes Festival Merchandise as well as Artist Merchandise

Festival Floater for Bristol Rhythm and Roots

Beverage Garden near the State Street Stage - Server

Collecting money and opening cans for guests

Parking Lot Attendant - Gravel Parking Lot

Cumberland Park Beverage Garden-Moonshine Server

Cumberland Park Beverage Gardens-Server

Opening bottles and cans for guests.

This is a regularly occurring training

July 28 - Museum Store Training - This will involve training on the registers and provide lunch coverage. 

August 25 - Office Administrative Assistance - This is for anyone interested in helping out at the administrative office with tasks such as festival fulfilment, mailing (envelop stuffing and addressing), supplies inventory, and generally supporting the office staff with daily administrative tasks and needs. The training will include a tour of the office focused on where people and things are located and how to use some of the relevant appliances. This will be held at the office.

September 29 - Outreach Events

There will be 4 separate dates that the Southwest Virginia 4H will be bringing students. It will be a guided tour and we will need a docent for each one. There will be no add ons, just the guided tour. 

On September 9th - 16 guests with 2 leaders. 

On September 23rd - 15 guests with 2 leaders.

On October 7th - 14 guests with 2 leaders.

October 21st - 16 guests with 2 leaders.

Assisting the ETNBA (East TN Bluegrass Association) with anything they may need during their monthly Jam sessions. 

All volunteers are required to complete Disaster Training once a year. Please email the Volunteer Coordinator to see if you are due for Disaster Training or not. Disaster Training includes the Disaster Training Presentation and Disaster Walk-Through.

Erika and Sam will be assessing the education collection with the help of local luthier, KT VanDyke. It is setup in 2 shifts. The first will involve pulling all of the instruments out and putting them in the special exhibit. The second will involve updating the inventory records with noted damage and expected cost and then putting everything away.

Museum Story Time recurring on the first Friday of each month. 

Community Square Dance!!

Dress code is standard Volunteer Uniform. 

This Zoom meeting for Docents is held on the first Monday of every month at 4:15. We will start with "tour stories" where docents can share interesting moments from recent tours, then spend about 20 minutes discussing a museum content-related topic, and end the meeting by planning ahead for the next month's tours. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85439207825?pwd=pueXqExWujRxMbpFxTy6a0jD9IfBDj.1

Meeting ID: 854 3920 7825

Passcode: 702017

Speaker Sessions are the museum’s lecture series, though the “lectures” often include a performance element or can be panel discussions or Q & A events. Topics are related to country music, music history, Appalachian culture and history, or the content of the current special exhibit. Monthly Speaker Series happen in the Performance Theatre; the month of September and Virtual Speaker Series do not apply. 

Two Disaster Trained Volunteers are needed to assist with each in-person Speaker Series to help. 

Please refer to the Volunteer Handbook for further details about this position. 

For Docent's to assist the Volunteer Coordinator with New Volunteer Orientation. Orientation covers going over the Volunteer Handbook and a quick walk through of the museum.

For new volunteers who would like to do the New Volunteer Orientation. Orientation covers going over the Volunteer Handbook and a quick walk through of the museum.

1927 Society Concerts. These include heavy hors d'oeuvres and an open bar before the show.

Volunteers must be 21+ to volunteer for this event.

This event will be featuring the artist Jontavious Willis.

This is for Interns to record their hours.

Shadowing, or learning by observation, is one of the best ways to train for a new role and become comfortable within the museum. Sign up for this shift when you intend to be in the museum in a learning capacity.  

Please email the Volunteer Coordinator after signing up for this flexible shift with the exact date and timeframe that you intend to shadow. Specific hours must be entered manually in order for you to receive proper credit for your time. Learning is working!