School Program Etiquette

Yes, parents! Use some common sense!  Even you should mind your P’s and Q’s!

OK…so I realize that technology has come a LONG way in recent years.  Far further than the old shoulder-mounted camcorders of the eighties we had as I was growing up.

However, use some sense!  If you’re going to be using a smartphone, tablet, i-whatever…ANYTHING with a lit up screen…MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM! NO ONE should have to be subject to the bright light being emitted from your device or having their view blocked!

If you don’t like that option, I really, really, REALLY suggest investing in a legit camera and/or video recorder. Your photos will be far better off on a device dedicated to doing just that (quality, hardware failure, etc.).

Silence your device. No, really.  SILENCE your device.  No one wants to hear your phone, notifications, voice mails, or incessant beeping from your camera because you have failed to learn how to use it properly.

For those of you with big “fancy” cameras, click HERE to learn how to turn off the irritating beeping noise every time you click the shutter button, lest you find objects thrown at your head by someone nearby who suffers misophonia!

Turn OFF the flash!  If you are sitting up in the balcony, a good 75′ from the stage, your flash will help you NIL! And you’re just going to piss off the parents around you who are subject to the bright light light that only bounces off the ceiling and into their faces.  If you’re on a device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) the flash is SERIOUSLY not going to do you any good unless you’re like 5′ from your subject. TURN IT OFF!!!!

And if you’re not sure how to operate your camera without the flash, betta’ pull out the manual and learn!  If the manual fails, there’s Google.  If Google fails, go to your local camera shop…they CAN and WILL show you how to use your own camera!

And if you have younger children, we understand. But if your child is causing a larger disruption, please step outside the performance area and return after they have calmed down.  And if you’re a teenager/young adult acting a fool in public and don’t know how to hush, then be prepared for the wrath of all the parents who are there to watch their own kids perform!

Ideally, find the parent in the room who has a setup – a camera on a tripod, at the back of the room – who already appears to know what they are doing and go ask them how you can get a copy of the performance afterwards. Then, just sit back and enjoy your kid’s performance! We’re usually more than happy to oblige.