It creeps up on us, sometimes we forget that we need to teach it, and other times we realize we need to teach it differently. Concert etiquette is something that needs to be part of the music curriculum, and it’s not just the students. Here’s some tips for concert etiquette and communicating it to families.
Pick your most important items
The more you list, the more that will get ignored. No one will remember, or WANT to remember a huge list. Big what is most important to you and consolidate what you can.
Frame suggestions positively instead of “don’t do this, don’t do this”.
- Kindly refrain from shouting your child’s name during the show to ensure everyone can enjoy the performance.
- Enjoy the show quietly and save conversations for after the performance.
- Please set your cell phones to silent mode to avoid distractions.
- Please make sure flashes are off when taking pictures to ensure performers’ safety.
- Stay comfortably seated during the performance for everyone’s safety and enjoyment.
- Keep the aisles clear to allow the performers and audience to move freely.
- Keep your little ones close by so they can enjoy the show too.
- Gently remind your partner to stay engaged during the performance.
- Show your support by applauding after each selection, no matter who is performing.
- Celebrate your child’s efforts and success after the show—they’ve earned it!
- Please enjoy the work of all the classes before picking up your student. Dismissal will be at the end of the show.
- Please move only at the end of a song unless absolutely necessary.
What YOU can do
- Let them hoot, holler, and yell to their children when they come out. Let it be a celebration instead of a stodgy event. Know that different cultures have different expectations for performances. Letting in some celebration is NOT a bad thing. When it becomes a distraction, that is where the is a problem. Letting them yell out to their kids before the show instead of during is a good way to allow for this without disrupting the songs.
- Give parents a chance before the performance starts to move if they can’t see their child while including yourself in the formation. “This is where your child is, this is where I will be. You have one minute to find a new spot”. (It’s a good idea too to not let people in until a few minutes before so people don’t start saving rows and rows of seats or try to get there 3 hours early for choice spots).
- See if you can get some volunteers to hang out with young ones who might not want to sit through a concert.
- Ask for teachers or parent volunteers to help maintain clear aisles, move students, and deal with things going on.
- If your district has audio visual students who can record for parents it’s a great way to give those students experience as well as eliminate some extra phones and video cameras in the air during the performance.
Communication
Make sure your message is clear. Here’s a few ways to get the word out:
- Send it home in concert communications – pick ONLY the most important items for this such as staying clear of aisles, and applauding for everyone.
- Teach your students so they can communicate some of it!
- Announce it before the concert starts during your welcome.
- Put notes in the program.
Teach Your Students Your Expectations
Again – focus on the big ones
- Teach students to smile instead of waving back.
- Instruct students to treat other classes the way they want to be treated (aka, watching, not talking, paying attention, etc)
- Where to arrive, where to go, where to sit, and what to wear.
- When to clap, get up for the restroom, etc.
- What to do if there is a mistake.
Final Thoughts
Accept that there are some things you can’t change and that’s just part of life. We can communicate as much as we want but unless it’s interfering with safety it may not be worth getting worked up over unless it’s something someone is specifically ignoring such as a screaming baby or running in the aisles. We can only be in charge of so much and getting upset is not something worth my energy. Sometimes you can work on culture change such as not screaming during a song, or running in the aisles be consistency enforcing policies over years.
Ultimately I think our students’ experiences are more important than sticking to Western Classical norms and as long as everyone is safe and can hear, I’m good.
I hope this has helped give a few ideas of how to address concert etiquette in a way that will stick!
