We are delighted to announce that Shruti Laya is an official Certifying Organization to issue the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards! Volunteer work for Shruti Laya or Bala Shruti will count towards the requirements of this award.
Conditions for Earning the PVSA Award from Shruti Laya
Must be a member of Bala Shruti (Note that Bala Shruti membership is free of charge)
Must have volunteered at least 10 hours for Shruti Laya / Bala Shruti over the award year.
Must meet the critera for awards by volunteering for the required number of hours over the award year (Sept.1 to Aug 31) Note that age is determined at the end of the award year i.e Aug. 31
Volunteer hours for other organizations will be accepted for award tallies under similar rules, provided they are certified by an officer of the organization. All types of volunteer hours including service or other activities unrelated to music will also be accepted.
Practice times for performances at other organizations may be claimed as volunteer hours either by documenting actual practice times if you have had organized practices in a group (eg. Group practices for dramatics, group rehearsals for dance performances etc.,) or as 6 times the performance duration similar to the rules above
Must meet all the Volunteer Award Eligibility Criteria listed at http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/terms
Procedure for earning volunteer hours from Shruti Laya Starting from January 2020, the procedure for logging volunteer hours (other than music/dance performance related hours) will be formalized as follows. Please note that volunteer hours will no longer be allowed if these steps are not followed. As of now, the officers to report to will be Sreenadh Jonnavithula and Suhasini Jonnavithula. (Other officers may be added later)
Volunteers must inform Shruti Laya of their intent to volunteer by email before the program. For all-day programs like Composers Day, they may also indicate their available time slot
Volunteer must report to an officer upon arrival. Their name and start time will be noted in the Volunteer Record Book which will be maintained by Shruti Laya. (Please note the punctuality requirements below).
Volunteer must report to an officer before leaving duty. Volunteer hours will be reduced if they leave before end of program.
Volunteer hours will be awarded as follows
Full length Performances: Actual performance time + 6 times the actual performance time as rehearsal time.
- For a 90 minute concert at Bala Shruti, you can claim 1.5 + 6 x 1.5 = 10.5 hours
- For a 30 minute concert at Bala Shruti, you can claim .5 + 6 x .5 = 3.5 hours
Short performance (eg. composers day): Performance slot time + 6 times the actual performance time as rehearsal time.
- Eg. you have a 15 min presentation but were told to be present from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. You can claim 2 + 0.25 x 6 = 3.5 hours
Bala Shruti MC/Announcements: Scheduled duration of program (volunteer is expected to stay for the duration of the program)
Front desk volunteer: Scheduled duration of the program + 1 hour (volunteer is expected to stay for the duration of the program)
Program setup/packup volunteer: Scheduled duration of the program + 2 hours (volunteer is expected to stay for the duration of the program)
Part Day volunteer (eg. at Composers days) : Actual time spent + 1 hour
Artist interviews: 1 hour per interview (awarded to the interviewers)
For one off volunteer opportunities (eg. work on website), hours awarded will be equal to actual time spent.
Volunteer Code Of Conduct Volunteers represent the public face of Shruti Laya and are expected to conduct themselves accordingly while on duty. In addition, Shruti Laya depends on you, and so you are expected to be present on time, and stay in your assigned role for the duration of your volunteering period.
Front Desk Volunteers
You must actually be present at the front desk for the entire duration of the program. Brief bathroom breaks are fine but you must not leave the desk and congregate in the cafeteria or in the hallways. You must ensure that there is at least one volunteer at the desk if you do need to take a break.
Be helpful and answer all questions from rasikas politely. If you don't know the answer to something, ask Sreenadh. If there is a disagreement with a guest (eg. over membership status) make a note of it and give the guest the benefit of doubt.
Please only engage in quiet activities. Refrain from conversation, arguments, loud laughing, music etc.,
If you are handling money (eg. at paid Shruti Laya programs) you must hand the box over to someone before leaving your post. Do not abandon the front desk materials and leave
Do not leave any sensitive materials (like member lists etc.,) lying around unattended.
All Volunteers:
Be punctual. This is even more important in long programs like Composers Day, when the day may be divided into shifts. NOTE: You will lose volunteer hours if you miss these times. If you are more than 1 hour late, you may not be allowed to volunteer for that day
Front desk volunteers: must be present at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the program.
Program setup volunteers: must be present at least 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the program.
All other volunteers (MC, performers): must be present and ready at least 15 minutes before the start of the program