Volunteer Spotlight: Judy Pond

How did you first get involved at Upper Valley Music Center? I was ushering at the Lebanon Opera House for a Quebecois Folk Group. Their CD I bought had a simple countermelody in one tune. I thought, “I wonder if I could play that on the old violin my aunt gave me in 1974?” I could! So I wanted to find a fiddle class, and that was how I found the Upper Valley Music Center. I started going to jams and workshops right away.

What volunteer projects are you involved in? As the recording secretary for the Board of Directors, I do the minutes and send a lot of thank-you notes. I find that important, because I want to support the organization and those who make it thrive. I also volunteer when there are concerts. I come and help at the door, bring food, things like that. I’ve made many dozens of deviled eggs!

Why is volunteering at UVMC vital to you?  Because this place is like a second home for me. And the staff does phenomenal work organizing so many events here and in partnership with other organizations! So any time they ask for volunteers, I just want to make their life easier.

What have you learned from volunteering at UVMC? I’ve learned how hard our faculty members work. When you’re volunteering, you get to go behind the scenes to help people pull events together, and you see how much effort it takes.

What’s your advice for someone considering becoming a volunteer? Give it a try! Have fun! Know that you are appreciated.

When you’re not volunteering, what musical activities can we find you participating in? I am in fiddle class and English Country Dance class, and take violin lessons, play in a string quartet, and attend slow jams and chamber music parties. Sometimes I play at church, and I play piano and violin weekly at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon. And I go to fiddle camps and vocal ensemble workshops.