As a volunteer sound technician at the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society (BMDS) Rasheeda Raines is able to do the two things she loves on a daily basis – help people and learn about music and sound production.

Rasheeda has been volunteering her whole life.

'I have volunteered in nursing homes, at MWI (Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute) and at King Edward (VII Memorial Hospital)," she said.

"I don't really mind what it is that I am doing as long as it is helping someone else.

"If I don't have other responsibilities I make sure that I fill my time helping others. I just love helping people and the feeling you get when you know that you have done something for someone who really needed it."

She added: "I volunteered to work at BMDS through volunteer.bm because I want to get into music and I thought it could be a great place to start. Everyone at BMDS is a volunteer."

Rasheedah wants to be a professional songwriter. And with an extensive catalogue of original songs ranging from reggae to gospel to pop, all she needs now is someone to sing them. Ironically, Rasheeda claims she cannot sing and has no desire to – she just loves to write songs.

"I am a shy person and don't really enjoy putting myself out there or performing. I would rather be behind the scenes," she told The Royal Gazette.

"I have tons of songs but I don't sing – I just need someone to record them. I want to break into the music scene and write for artists, locally or wherever.

"Right now I have a huge catalogue of different styles and genres for someone to choose from – or I can write from scratch. I dream of writing songs professionally."

Rasheeda is also able to read music and plans to go abroad to study music production and business but in the meantime, she has volunteered with BMDS' sound man Tommy Smith to learn some of the basics she will need in the future.

Mr. Smith has been volunteering with BMDS for nearly a decade and has created sound effects for countless plays and productions.

"I am the man behind the scenes responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly," said Mr. Smith, who is acting as a mentor to Rasheedah. "It is my job to ensure that all the sounds are in synch with what is happening on the stage and collecting or creating the sound effects that can make or break a production."

He added: "Rasheedah has joined us at an interesting time because the play that we are currently putting on 'Fahrenheit 451' is extremely demanding when it comes to sound.

"What normally takes a week or two to put together has taken a month. She is definitely learning a lot and I have been quite impressed with her ability.

"She is definitely still learning but has been working very hard at it – I have seen her break out of her shell."

Currently Rasheedah's responsibilities are limited in that she works solely with Mr. Smith but when BMDS puts on their next production she plans on being more involved.

"This has been a tough play to start out on, but I am glad because now I know what to expect in the future," said Rasheedah, 22.

"Next time around I will be learning how to edit sounds, work and communicate with the stage manager during the play as well as learn how to run the lights.

"There is a lot of pressure and a huge amount of responsibility that goes into putting together a production, everybody and everything must work in cohesion."