Vent: Parents at PTA meetings.

[disykat]

Our district has a performance behavior speech they read before every concert. It has helped a little, but not much. We have a great music teacher right now and the kids are very well behaved, the parents are another issue altogether. Another thing that cracks me up is that during the daytime "dress rehearsals" that our school programs give in front of the rest of the kids the principal gives a talk about using applause to show your appreciation and saving the whistling and screaming, etc. for ballgames etc. Then the parents come...

 

[monsterkitty]

Parents talking at concerts drive me crazy! Here is the view from the music teacher’s side:

I give my students two grades for their performances: 100 points is for the actual performance, another 50 is their behavior as an audience member. One of my state standards requires that my students listen and analyze the performances of other musicians. Since I teach at a very poor school going to professional performances is not an option, so to meet this standard I require my students to stay quiet and watch the other groups perform. I give them ideas of what to listen and watch for and I rarely have a problem with students talking as I teach them to respect what the others are doing.

The parents in the audience and some of the behaviors displayed can be disheartening to say the least. Before each concert, I have a few students make an announcement that includes please turn off all cell phones and pagers, please refrain from talking and moving about during a song, and please no flash photography. I also include in the program an article called, "A Great Audience." It goes much more in-depth than the mini speech my students make.

Before I continue, I must add that the percentage of parents who are making the concerts challenging is small. However, the few ruin it for the rest of the parents and the students.

In the past few years I have actually had to stop songs three times and ask the parents to refrain from talking. I teach instrumental music and it is a pretty sad day when the audience is louder than a band or orchestra. When I stopped the songs you could not hear the soloists. Can you imagine how hard a student had to work to earn a solo and then how disappointing it is for that child when some of the audience doesn't care enough to listen?

I also record our concerts so the students can watch the tape the next day. Another one of my standards is for the students to analyze their own performances. Last year after one concert we couldn't even watch the video because a parent sitting in front of the camera decided to have an R rated conversation on his cell phone about one of my students.

We cannot sell copies of the videos because of copyright restrictions. In fact, any school that sells a copy of a live performance is in violation of the copyright laws unless they pay royalties. Yes, my school district was fined for this and we have ceased the practice.

Finally, I keep my concerts under an hour in length. It frustrates me as the teacher that parents cannot listen quietly to a performance for 60 minutes or less. If a middle school child can sit quietly for a 60 minute performance then I hope the parents can as well.

To the OP - I feel your pain! Sorry you had a bad experience at the performance.

To those parents who are “A Great Audience,” I thank you.