General Etiquette > Family and Children

Choir concert etiquette

(1/4) > >>

jane7166:
DH, DD and I went to DD's old high school "Alumni" choir concert.  DD has been out of  high schoo for a few years and we haven't attended this particular concert in quite a while.

I was amazed that they sang all sorts of religious and Christmas-like pieces, given that other schools in the area have been spanked for doing such, but I really don't care about that.

What amused me was that the choir director greeted the audience at the start of the show and then read off a list of concert rules (can't remember what he called them) and I am paraphrasing what he read:

1.  Put your cell phone on vibrate.
2.  If your cell phone does vibrate, wait until the end of the piece and then leave to take the call.
3.  If you feel the need to leave the auditorium, wait until the end of the piece being sung and then leave and please be sure to close the doors quietly as they slam quite loudly.
4.  Applause is invited and appreciated but do not hoot and hollow and scream out individual choir members names as that is very distracting to the choir.
5.  Please do not applaud until the choir director's hands fall to his side.

Wow.  Just wow.  I applaud him for doing it, I just wonder why he felt the need to.  This is supposedly an upscale high school with educated parents.  Uh huh.  I know the guy from when DD was in school and he's a pretty laid back guy. 

It just indicates to me the sad state of affairs of etiquette in general.   

audhs:
It's sad that they need to spell out all these rules.  They all seem like perfectly reasonable common sense to me. :)
But as we see here common sense isn't really all that common.  ;)

freakyfemme:
When I was in the high school band, our teacher/director had to write "Please do not bring children who are too young to remain quiet and absorbed by the performance."  Now, you'll notice that she didn't specify an age.....because, depending on the child, "too young" could be eight months old, or eight YEARS old.  I appreciated that she did this, because "concert etiquette" rules apply to student performances as much as professional ones, if not more so (considering the fact that many students are nervous, and more likely to make mistakes if they're distracted......I sure wouldn't want to be in the middle of a complicated Weber cadenza and hear someone's brat child screaming, or their cell phone go off), but at the same time, I figured it was common sense......apparently, some people don't, though, so it had to have been said.  I think it's sort of in the same vein as "Cape does not enable wearer to fly" written on the package for a Superman or Batman costume, lol.

Edited to add:  Normally, I like children just fine......just not ill-behaved ones.  Also, just so I don't ruffle any feathers like I did in the summer, I don't think my ability to play complicated Weber cadenzas (or anything of the same level) makes me better than anyone else.  For all I know, the people in the audience might backflip to their cars after the performance, drive home, and do quadratic equations for a few hours, and I can't do ANY of that stuff (gymnastics, driving, and math).  Bonus points if they can do it while talking on their cell phones. ;)

Edited AGAIN to add: I'm also well aware that it's possible for a normally well-behaved child to become ill or cranky or whatever during an inopportune moment, such as church, a movie theatre, or a live performance of some sort, and then everyone automatically labels them as "brats" and the parents as "incompetent," which isn't fair.  Also, I admit that I accidentally left my cell phone on at one of Kingpiano and Queensoprano's concerts at school once......and I was so enraptured by the music, I didn't even *realize* that it was my phone.  Kingpiano gave me the most evil, soul-withering look as they walked offstage.....now I always make sure, lol.

Linda1967:

Hi, Jane -

I could have posted many of those rules for high school and college commencement ceremonies. I'm a university public relations representative, and this past weekend I helped with one of the three fall commencement ceremonies we had on one day. My colleagues worked the other two.

When we asked each other today about the ceremonies we were assigned to work, we were appalled at the lack of manners shown at the ceremony. One of my co-workers and me both said that the noise during the ceremony from some of the cheering family members, whistles, airhorns being blown, etc., as some students walked across the stage was so loud that you couldn't hear the announcer call the next student's name. I felt sorry for the family members of the poor students whose names were drowned out by noise from the family of the students who graduated just before they did.

So my rules for commencement ceremonies are:

1. Use some decorum when you are cheering for your family member - do not scream, blow airhornes, whistle, or be loud enough that the next student's name cannot be heard. Please limit your cheering and applause so the next student has his or her time in the spotlight.

2. Do not call out to your student, whistle at him or her, wave, etc., when someone is on the podium and is speaking. It is terribly rude to interrupt the university president, the deans, the featured graduation speakers, the student who is singing the National Anthem, etc.

3. Many commencement ceremonies are very long, and if your student is graduating from a university that has more than 32,000 students, do not complain about the length of the ceremony. It's probably a good idea to get a babysitter for your infant or toddler instead of bringing him or her to a ceremony that he or she cannot understand, and is two and a half hours long -too long for most infants and toddlers to sit through without fussing.

4. If, however, you do bring said infants or toddlers to the ceremony and they start fussing, take them outside right away so their crying will not interrupt the speakers. Do not walk them around the bleachers (my college's commencement ceremonies are in a basketball arena) - particularly the bleachers that are directly behind the podium and are in full view of those on the floor who are watching the ceremony and the cameras taping the ceremony.

5. Put your cell phone on vibrate, and if it vibrates, step outside to take the call. Your voice carries to those around you, and not every person waiting to watch his or her student graduate appreciates hearing your conversation.

6. It's a graduation ceremony, which should be a special occasion. Dress accordingly! That means no jeans, T-shirts, shorts and flip flops - even if your student graduates in August and it's 100 degrees outside (my college has ceremonies in May, August and December). If you student graduates in December, you can't use the "it's too hot" excuse to look like a slob.

 

 

Chocolate Cake:
I just wonder why he felt the need to.

People in the audience must have done the opposite of each of those rules during past concerts.

There was a time when people knew how to behave -- one doesn't open the auditorium doors to go in or out during a piece, etc.

I remember one of my oldest son's concerts when he was pre-k.   The audience talked through every number, people screamed "WHO OOOOO" and "YEAH!" after every number, etc.    It was so incredibly irritating.

I applaud that director for telling people what used to be just common sense behavior.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page