outhful Young People's Concert - Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Preparing for Your Trip:
Proper Concert Etiquette-
Don’t Leave Home Without It!
Young People's Concert
What is Etiquette
It’s a set of rules for the way we act. For example, when you chew with your
mouth closed at lunch, you are displaying proper dining etiquette. Or when you walk
down the hallway quietly in line as a class, you are displaying proper hallway etiquette.
But etiquette is more than just a set of rules or using good manners, it’s about
making the people around you feel comfortable. After all, chewing food with your
mouth wide open probably doesn’t look too nice to your fellow classmates and might
be kind of gross. In the concert hall, just like in the lunch room and in your school’s
hallways, there is a set of rules for the way the audience should act. This is called
proper concert etiquette.
Here is a list of things to remember for your trip to the concert hall. If you put the
words to a melody or use them in a rap, you’ll never forget them!
Music SOL Connection:
3.1(1)(3), 3.14
4.1(1), 4.7, 4.14
5.1(1)(3), 5.6(1), 5.12
Don’t forget your concert etiquette:
It’s about listening with due respect.
Please don’t talk or whisper, tap or sing
Unless the maestro asks for that very thing.
Don’t eat or drink while musicians play.
Keep your gum and candy far away.
Turn off alarms on electronic things,
Like cell phones and watches, so they won’t ring.
Don’t bring toys to play with or jingly blings.
They might distract the woodwinds, or even the strings.
Sighing, crying, sleeping too…
The percussion section might stop to stare at you.
And should you clap when the music stops
Yes. But only when the conductor’s hands drop.
When it’s time to clap, he’ll turn around,
Ready for all of the applause to sound.
And most of all, keep an open mind
To remember the sights and sounds you’ll find.