It takes a village to make the band programs a success, so any part you can play, any role you serve in is an essential contribution. Give a little time once, or find a role where you can dedicate more time and effort and provide some leadership – it all counts!  Clicking on the major category links below will take you to the section of this page with more detailed job descriptions.  Maybe you have some skills and expertise to share that isn’t listed here – that is welcome, just contact the band director or a band booster officer.

When you are ready please click here to open a new window/tab with the signup form.

(Note - time slots for individual activities/shifts are managed through CHARMS signups) 

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Sections on this page (there are links in the sections to bring you back to this list, too):

CORE FUNCTIONS – lots activities that make the band programs a success:  lead one of these or just help out!

COMMUNICATIONS – promotion, visibility, and student recognition activities

PROGRAM PREP –pre-season camps & rehearsals,  and core design elements

PARADES & PERFORMANCES – the big moment!  Help our kids succeed!

HOME SHOWS (MOTK & WMOTK) – competitions we host on our home turf

BAND BOOSTER LEADERSHIP – be a part of the elected executive board

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CORE FUNCTIONS​

• Volunteer Coordinator - Works with Band Director, Staff and Board to understand volunteer program needs. Creates and updates job descriptions. Maintains roster of volunteers along with their time and talents, and responsible to ensure volunteer needs are met. Manages volunteer data in Charms. 

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• SCRIP Coordinator – This person manages the SCRIP gift-card-based fundraising program execution by promoting the program to band families, assisting with registration, providing technical support, and coordinating all Scrip card delivery and pick up.  Coordinate with Treasurer to tracks program participation and revenue received, and coordinator helps with reporting and disbursements.

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• Business Sponsorship Coordinator - Fundraising covers about 60% of the program costs, thus is vital to the sustainability of the extra-curricular band programs!  Coordinate solicitations to local businesses to support the Irondale Band Programs via one time or recurring sponsorships.  Determine the giving/recognition levels and contacting businesses to secure donations.  Ensures sponsorship dollars are accounted for, and that sponsors receive adequate recognition, including via MOTK/WMOTK/performance program ads, banners, t-shirts, equipment trailer logos, and the band booster website. May collaborate with Alumni and Executive Board to fundraise for special programs such as uniform replacement

 

• Sponsorship Day – This occurs at the beginning of Marching Band season (usually in May with the first rehearsal).  All students are required to go into the community to solicit cash donations.  Tasks include: identifying parent/volunteer drivers (who must also be background checked);  assign kids to fundraising teams; provide maps/routes to all teams; track all donations on electronic records; manage cash received w/Treasurer; and report results to Executive Board.

 

• Mega Raffle Fundraiser  - This fundraiser generates significant income for the band, and year-end competition trips are not possible without it!  Students sell raffles to the community, where there is a cash prize winner for every day of the year (announced on irondalebands.org).  Tasks include determining the student sales incentives, coordinate and arrange the design & printing, organize the kick-off presentation to parents & students, and organize group sales days.  Also, the distribution of raffle cards to students, such as nights students can pick-up raffle cards and drop-off money. 

 

• Recruitment/Retention – Collaborate with the Band Director and Executive Board on recruitment and retention program activities.  Coordinate Information Night (sign-up meeting) and other parent outreach events. Create collateral (flyers, banners, posters, social media) with help of graphic designer and Communication leads. Work to develop staff and student leadership and promote a positive culture in the band programs. Collect legend and lore for all programs.

 

• Transportation Coordinator (performance units) - Band students are required to be transported via school or coach busses to all events not held at Irondale HS.  This person works with staff to determine bussing needs, for how many kids, solicits competitive bids for services, and manages all contracts for bussing.  Ensures bussing invoices are routed to the Treasurer and are paid timely. Manages all out of town lodging plans and reservations (i.e. Regional/Super-Regional).

 

• Local Driving (student fundraising) – Parents are needed to help student squads get around town for key fundraising activities like Sponsorship Day, group mega raffle sales days.  All volunteer drivers are subject to background check.

 

• First Aid - Duties include monitoring student health forms to ensure they are up-to-date (Summer, Fall, & Winter), be aware of students with special health issues, coordinate First Aid support for the band at all events (on premises, for parades, for away shows, and during travel).  Ensure all first aid supplies are adequate and are available at all times.  Report health incidents to appropriate party.  

 

• Mattress Sale Fundraiser - This fundraiser, typically held in winter at Irondale HS, is a partnership with a Mattress Fundraising company.  The band boosters publicize the event and get people to the school, the mattress company provides the staff to make any sales, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Band Boosters.  Lead coordinates the dates, times, and details with the school, the Boosters, and the Mattress company. 

 

• Drive 4 Your School Fundraiser - This fundraiser, usually in April at Irondale HS,  is a partnership with New Brighton Ford.   The band boosters publicize the event and the dealership provides the vehicles and staff to coordinate the test drives.  Adults are invited to test drive a new car, and in return, for each test drive taken, the dealership makes a donation to the band program.  

 

• Grocery Bagging/Dine Out  - Fundraising opportunity where students bag groceries at an area store (ie. Cub) for tips.  Typically held immediately prior to a large holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day).  Coordinate dates, times, and locations with grocery store/s, with parent volunteers, and with band students. Dine-out events are held in partnership with local restaurants that donate a portion of the proceeds from a given night’s revenue to the band program. Lead coordinates event times, locations, proceed goals, and promotes event to the band parents and school community.

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• Google Suite/Workspace Admin – This is one person, approved for the role by the Executive Board, serves as technical support for Executive Board to coordinate role-based emails, email forwarding/mapping, Google site functionality and organization (e.g. Forms, Drive folders & files, etc.), and password maintenance/recovery for Google Suite and other applications (as applicable).  Often also serves as website admin, including design and maintenance.

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Communications

• Photography/Videography – Ensure that a photo & video history of the band programs are created and uploaded to the appropriate storage website on timely basis. Work with photography/videography helpers to collect specific photos as well as candid or ad hoc photos of the students and staff. Edit media collections.

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• Program Yearbooks / Awards Nights - Plan and execute end-of-season student recognition nights (i.e. marching band, drumline, winter guard) including coordinating students to create memory pages for the unit yearbook. Coordinate video slide show. Work with graphic designer to create yearbook. Manage all printing.  Work with Band Director and Staff to plan awards night. Coordinate awards, prizes, recognition, treats, etc. 

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• Publicity / Social Media  - Responsible for the Irondale Boosters-owned social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube). Establish social media posting guidelines, and with helpers, ensure the social media feeds have appropriate content and photos, and that content is pushed timely. Ensure performances and fundraising events are promoted prior to the event. 

 

• Website Design/Maintenance  - One person to be responsible for the IrondaleBands.org website which is the primary promotion & communication vehicle for all band programs. With the help of a sub-committee and technical resources, ensure the website has appropriate content and photos, and that content is updated on the site timely. Ensure events and fundraising information is current, and that they are promoted prior to the event. 

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Program prep

• Band Camp  (Wk 1, Wk 2;  General & First Aid) - Week-long student intensive training camps held in late July, where the heart of the marching band competition show is put together.  It starts with a “mini-camp” partial day rehearsals for Week 1, and then longer rehearsal days/blocks in Week 2.  Coordinate with Band Director and Band Staff on all aspects of these weeks to manage schedules, equipment, water/snack breaks for the students, and other logistic needs.  First Aid help is needed for activity- and/or heat-related issues.  Often times, props crew does intensive design/build work to get at least some prototypes on the field for rehearsal.  Historically, week 2 had been in residence at an in-state university which required site liaison, parent chaperones, and a number of additional logistical needs.

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• Uniforms (Sewing, Ironing, Fitting/Measuring, Assembly, Laundry) - Maintain marching uniform condition (fitting, repairing, replacing, storing, cleaning) and alterations as needed.  Assign and fit marching uniforms, including shoes and gloves, to students. Responsible for uniforms at performance events (fitting, repairing, replacing, storing, cleaning). Coordinate parent volunteers to assist. Help Band Director or staff with consignment sale of old uniforms.

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• Props   (Design, Construction, Painting) – Work with the staff to design, build, and maintain props for Fall & Winter programs, including designing and painting floors used by Winter Guard & Drumline. Work closely with Equipment Crew for cart building and maintenance, prop storage and field logistics.

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• Equipment (Maintenance, Band Cave) - Responsible for maintenance & replacement of rolling equipment (golf cart, trailer, equipment carts, scaffolding, etc.).  Ensure trailer is licensed & insured.   Responsible for transportation of equipment for practice, competitions, and other situations requiring equipment to be moved or taken care of.  Recruit people to tow stuff (as needed) and other volunteers to help with equipment movement (performance & practice).  Work closely with the Prop Crew for prop movement and storage and competition field logistics.

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parades & performances

• First Aid - Duties include monitoring student health forms to ensure they are up-to-date (Summer, Fall, & Winter), be aware of students with special health issues, coordinate First Aid support for the band at all events (on premises, for parades, for away shows, and during travel).  Ensure all first aid supplies are adequate and are available at all times.  Report health incidents to appropriate party.  

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• Meals (Cooking, Setup/Cleanup) - Provide meals for Marching Band, Drumline and Winter Guard during practice season, events/competition days, overnights/long travel, as needed.  Purchase beverages, food, and serving supplies. Coordinate parent volunteers to prep and serve meals and to donate money when no donations are required.  Manage all spending to allocated food budget.  Food Lead will be holder of Sam's Club credit card; manage use of credit card, ensure all receipts are turned in to the Treasurer.  Ensure all expenses put on Booster card are to help feed the band.

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• Parades (Water) - Coordinates helpers to ensure bottled water and water jugs are available for the marching band students before and after parade.  Sometime will walk along parade route with band to offer water as needed.  

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• Performances

  • First Aid (see above)​

  • Water (see above Parades)

  • Driving Truck:  The marching band often engages the services of a professional driver w/CDL and semi-tractor to move the semi-trailer (equipment, props, pit instruments.  During the winter season, often one or two 26’ Penske trucks are rented to move instruments and props to competitions and can be driven by holders of regular Class D license (common driver’s license).  Volunteer drivers should have clean driving records and are subject to background checks.  Please be aware that volunteering to drive can involve truck pickup / drop off the day before or after competition days.

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• Prop movement:  Volunteers are needed to unload/load, assemble/disassemble props at rehearsal and competition sites, as well as assist in moving large props/tarps to the performance field/venue.  Students also can be assigned by staff (not volunteers) to props for immediate entry/departure from competition venue. Volunteers should be able to repeatedly lift heavy loads and have a collegial and cooperative attitude to work as a team for safe and timely action.

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• Uniform Assistance:  On the day of show there is often a rehearsal at Irondale prior to departure.  As students depart, volunteers help them receive their uniforms to take onto the busses.  At show site, volunteers help coordinate distribution of feathers for shakos, and standby for any uniform emergency repairs.  After the show, back at the high school, volunteers help coordinate the students returning their uniform components to their proper place, as well as gathering any items that may need repair and/or cleaning.

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• Photography:  Volunteers are needed to take still and/or video images of the Irondale performances for archive, website, promotional, and other purposes.  Volunteers use their own equipment to provide digital images, and transfer ownership and rights of the images to the band programs.

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home shows

These competitions hosted at Irondale HS are major fundraisers for the band programs

Music of the Knight (Marching Band Competition – September):  
Planning work begins in May/June, accelerates in Aug/Sept, everybody should help week/day of show

Winter Music Of The Knight (Drumline/Winter Guard competition – February):  
Planning work begins in November, accelerates in Jan, everybody should help week/day of show

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• Event Co-Chair – project management leader(s) to ensure that all event functions and elements are properly managed by sub-committee chairs and support as needed to sub-committee chairs.  Work closely with Band Director and staff.  Ensure that event is publicized in applicable marching arts postings/web directories that attract competing units, and ensure that invitations are sent in a timely basis to units which usually attend.

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• Field & Show – Ensure that the competition site is prepped and ready to accept competing units and audiences, including but not limited to coordinating arrival/rehearsal spaces, routes for units to/from competition field/venue, detailed competition schedules (warmup, gate, step-off, exit from field), and other logistics.  Works closely with parking/security, unit hosts, stadium ushers, and setup/cleanup crews for an efficient show day.  Lead may serve as show director, telling units when they may enter the field for competition. Irondale has maintained a reputation of providing one of the smoothest running competition sites in the circuits.

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• Parking/Security – Identify parking areas for audiences, including handicapped parking/transmitting from parking area to seating areas.  Also, in close coordination with field and show, identify areas for units to arrive (busses & trucks) to drop off students/equipment, park, and retrieve students/equipment.  Also provides general security for “back stage” areas to ensure only students and staff of competing units are in these areas.

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• Publicity / Program – Works to arrange design, printing, and distribution of flyers, posters, mail cards promoting the event.  Ensures competing units are appropriately represented in the event program.  Also coordinates the sale of program ads from area businesses and individuals, as well as often from parents honoring their senior students – this includes working to determine ad sizes, delivery of artwork, collection of payment (which is transmitted to Treasurer).

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• Tickets/Admissions – Determines ticket prices (in coordination with event co-chairs and Treasurer), including price levels (general admission, student, special, etc.), policy for comp tickets (for VIPs, school district staff, select individuals), method of ticketing (printed, hand-stamp, etc.), ensuring enough volunteers are available to sell on day-of-show.  Ticket Lead will also arrange petty cash/cash box requests and credit card sales functionality with the Treasurer in advance of the event, and on day-of, transfer excess cash/provide change to/from cash boxes to Treasurer (who will be in private location on site).  Provide final audit after event of ticket sales/revenues.

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• First Aid - Provide first aid find medical solutions for any injured or ill participants or attendees at the event;  first aid training is strongly preferred.  One (max two) first aid leads are required, with additional volunteers (first aid training preferred) to staff four-hour shifts (max 3 per shift).  Coordinate with Field and Show, Parking/Security, and Unit Hosts as needed. 

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• Stadium Ushers – responsible for staffing audience entry points to collect tickets and/or validate admission, including taking tickets and/or checking hand stamps (as applicable). Provide general assistances to attendees in audience area as needed (events are all general admission).

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• Unit Hosts – Chaperone/guide competing units from their arrival to their warmup/setup areas, from warmup area(s) to field for competition, and help guide unit after they exit competition field/venue.  Closely coordinates with Field & Show to ensure competition schedule runs on time.

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• Judges Lounge – Provide hospitality (food, beverage) for competition judges and key competition staff (including and circuit officials in attendance).  This area is the “green room” for judges to arrive and get ready, as well as to take a break during intermission, and/or convene after competition.

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• Setup/Cleanup – A lot of help is needed to ensure the event venue is ready to receive competing units and audience members.   Work starts the day(s) prior to the event cleaning the stands and entry ways, setting up signs and decorations (e.g. extra color guard flags/props to provide festive environment), lighting for entryways and/or decorations (like senior boards), as well as tables/tents/chairs for various areas.  After the event, volunteers ensure venue is left in better condition than it was found prior to the event.

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• Volunteer Sign-in – On day-of-show, volunteers must have a place to report in for their shifts, receive name tags, and have their questions answered about where to go to perform their duties.  Also provide some basic refreshments.  Prior to event, work with Field & Show and co-chairs to determine number of portable radios required (generally to co-chairs and subcommittee leads, based on roles), arrange rental and on day-of distribution and collection of radios.

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• Merchandise – Coordinate sale of MOTK/WMOTK (including that year’s show shirt design & printing) and other merchandise, as well as any provide areas for any circuit-sponsored merchandise sales (as applicable).  Includes setup of tables/tents/sales equipment prior to event and breakdown after event.  Coordinates with Treasurer on modes of sale, cash boxes, collection of money, and audit/report of sales.

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• Concessions – Identify the menu items, prices, and staff sufficient volunteers to ensure a quick and efficient sale process, as most refreshments are purchasing in between unit competition slots and/or intermissions.  Requires patience and teamwork, as well as good crowd management skills.  Responsible for coordinating with Treasurer for modes of sale, cash boxes, collection of money, and audit/report of sales.  Also works with Volunteer Coordinator and Member-At-Large to solicit donations of pre-packaged, saleable items from parents/guardians as necessary, as well as shopping for any other items necessary.

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band booster leadership

Executive Board members work with Band Director and staff to determine an operating budget, program schedules for volunteer support, and coordinate all activities required to support the band programs. The Board provides oversight and direction to parent volunteers, and will approve or appoint committee chairpersons. Board members also volunteer their time for and at events and programs throughout the season.  Neither the Board, nor the booster organization, has oversight of any program staff (they all report up through to the Band Director).  The Band Director is an ex-officio member of the Executive Board with full voting privileges. 

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Terms run twelve months from November 1 to October 31, and any executive board member should have at least one student in any band program during that time frame (with certain exceptions for vacancies, per organization constitution and by laws).
 

• President - Call and preside at meetings of band boosters and is an ex-officio member of any committee (of the band boosters or any event committees).  Works closely with the Band Director to ensure that the band booster organization is in harmony with the Band Director’s vision and that the boosters substantially support the band programs.  In general, the President serves as Vice President the prior year and transitions to the role of Past President immediately upon completion of their term.

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• Past President – advise and assist the Executive Committee and the President with the formulation of the budget for the next year, as well as serve as a co-chair for MOTK and WMOTK.  It is expected that the President assumes this role immediately upon completion of their term as President.

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• Vice President - shall support the President and assume all the duties of the President in their absence.  The Vice President shall prepare to immediately succeed the President the following term (and serve as Past President immediately thereafter). 

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• Treasurer - Record all receipts and disbursements and provide the lead on budget development and management, as well as maintain all banking/credit card relationships.  Also responsible for ensuring any applicable tax forms are filed and any applicable taxes are paid on a timely basis.   The Treasurer shall also prepare and present an annual financial report upon request.  A major responsibility includes maintaining the student billing accounts, issuing invoices, and processing payments for member dues, donations, event/merchandise/concession revenues.  Works with the Secretary to ensure all non-profit paperwork is filed in timely fashion on behalf of the band boosters.

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• Secretary - Keeps the records and minutes of all meetings (executive board and parents) and attend to any necessary correspondence.  The Secretary works with the President to set and distribute agendas and minutes for all meetings, as applicable.  Also responsible for maintaining the calendar on the website which tracks rehearsals, competitions, special events, and other activities.

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• Mem​ber-At-Large - This parent/guardian is a primary liaison between the band booster leadership (the Board) and rest of the parents/guardians. The role is further defined at the discretion of the President. This person also is a primary manager of CHARMS, the band management software which tracks membership, parent/guardian, and volunteer information.  Therefore, this person updates/maintains accurate membership lists/band program affiliations within CHARMS.  An important responsibility is to distribute messages on behalf of the Band Director and Executive Board to the parent/guardian membership via the CHARMS email function.  This person may also serve as one of the primary social media leads for the band booster program accounts.

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