#2 Concert Etiquette

If you’ve ever taken, are taking right now, or are thinking of taking Intro to Music, please read this!  Here are ten things you should remember while attending a concert or recital:

1)     Applaud when the performer walks in.  I can tell you from a performer’s standpoint that it’s pretty awkward to walk in to silence.

2)     This goes without saying, but please don’t talk.  Even whispering can be heard from the other end of the room, and certainly the people around you won’t appreciate having the performance interrupted.

3)     Please turn your cell phone OFF!  There is nothing worse than hearing “Baby Got Back” in the middle of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D.  For starters, each recital is recorded, and a cell phone ringing would ruin the recording.  Also, it’s rude to text during a concert.  Please don’t do it.  If you absolutely have to, wait till there’s a break between pieces.

4)     If you need to use the restroom, please wait till the piece is over to leave.  (Yes, I know that sometimes it’s an emergency, but if you can hold it, hold it).  That also goes for re-entering.  It’s very distracting to a performer to see the door open and someone walk in or out.

5)     Don’t clap between movements.  This isn’t the worst thing you can do at a recital, but if you want to not stick out, wait till the entire piece is over to applaud.  When in doubt, wait till someone else applauds =P

6)     It helps to read the program notes.  I know sitting through a twenty minute piano sonata can be boring, but if you read the paragraph or so blurb that the performer wrote about the piece, it may make it more interesting to listen to.  If anything, it gives you something to do while you’re listening.

7)     Please stay for the entire concert.  This is mostly for the Intro to Music students who try to get their notes for one piece and leave.  While I understand that you have things to do, it’s also very frustrating to the person who goes last on a recital to only have half the audience as when the recital began.  Here’s a tidbit that you probably never realized:  usually the best goes last.  The best piece or player is usually the last thing on the recital, so you may be missing the best part of the recital if you leave early!

8)     This isn’t crucial, but it’s good if you dress semi nicely.  Most of the time, the performer is up on the stage in a tuxedo or gown.  I know I personally feel silly if I come to a concert wearing a T-shirt and jeans while the performer is up there doing their thing dressed in their very best attire.  I guess you can say it’s respectful to the performer to at least look half as good as they do.

9)     If you need to cough, don’t do it at the quietest moment in the piece.  It helps to keep some cough drops in your pocket or purse, but do remember that unwrapping the plastic can be just as noisy as the coughing itself.  They make cough drops with paper wrappers instead of plastic.  These are ideal =)

10)  Flash photography is pretty disorienting to the performer.  I would suggest that if you want to take pictures, sit in the front row and make sure you have the flash off.