Looking for a way to be part of the theater world without worrying about stage fright? Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley needs volunteers.

The ballet is looking for help in a variety of ways that range from marketing to staffing a booth at street fairs. The ballet company is also looking for children and adults who are willing to don a Nutcracker costume to participate in parades and special events.

If you are interested in volunteering and want to be part of the world of dance, please contact Lee Kopp at 408.288.2820, ext. 210, or at lkopp@balletsanjose.org.

Locating printed music,
available with a click

Have you ever wondered how to get hold of the big-band rendition of "Who Let the Dogs Out" or just how many versions there are of "Ave Maria"? San José Public librarian David Kravitz has made that possible by placing the printed music versions online at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

Kravitz's creation replaces the old "title-only" card index with a flexible and extensive database that allows users to search with more specificity. Now music fanatics stand a chance of locating the obscure scores they crave without ever leaving home.

To use the database, a patron just logs onto the library website and clicks on Research. The user then clicks on Special Research Collections and then on Music Collections and taps into the mother lode, a database containing more than 21,000 entries.

After locating the information, a library patron can pay a visit to San Jose's main library and make a photocopy. The library does not lend music or mail copies to individuals from the printed music collections.

For more information, log onto sjlibrary.org or contact the King Library Reference Connection at 408.808.2100.

Getting locked up for
a good reason, cause

Numerous citizens are going to be locked up and taken to jail on Aug. 18­19, and these "jailbirds" will be arrested willingly.

The annual event, "Stars behind Bars," which raised close to $170,000 last year, is sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It is also the kickoff for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon.

Each "jailbird" agrees to raise $2,400 bail to be out of "jail," which is housed in downtown San Jose at AP Stump's. Those who raise the amount have an chance to be on the telethon, which is broadcast locally on Sept. 6 on KTVU/FOX 2.

Funds raised at the event support research projects, summer camps for "Jerry's kids," clinics and other medical needs.

For more information, contact Randy Breen at 408.423.9345 or go to sanjosedistrict@mdausa.org.