What to wear
Parents may dress casually. Students are asked to dress formally. Dress pants and shoes, dress shirts or blouses, and evening gowns are encouraged. Ties and jackets are encouraged but not required. Please avoid overly casual attire such as leggings, jeans, sweatshirts, sweatpants, sneakers, sandals, and items of a similar nature.
Arrival
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the recital begins. If your child is performing, you may wish to arrive 30-40 minutes early so your child can have a chance to play on stage before the recital begins. Please arrive before the recital’s start time. Once the recital is in progress, it is very disruptive for the performers when people enter. If anyone arrives late despite their best efforts, it’s best to enter during audience applause, not during a performance.
Applause
It is proper to applaud twice for each performer. Please applaud as each student takes the stage, and then again when each student is completely finished with all of his or her pieces and has risen to take a bow. In the classical music world, it is considered poor etiquette to applaud between individual pieces.
Performing
Please maintain a quiet environment for student performers; while on stage, they can hear all talking and movement from the audience. Whispering people and rustling programs can break their concentration. Let’s help them do their best by staying quiet.
Please keep the aisles clear of children and adults during the performance. Many of you will video record your child’s playing and any activity, particularly in the center aisle, will disrupt your videos. Emergency exits should be made through the side aisles.
Videos and photos
No flash photography is allowed, as it is very distracting to the performers. Other photography and video recording is encouraged as long as it does not disrupt the performers in any way.
Leaving the recital
Good etiquette dictates that you stay for the entire recital. The last student deserves just as large an audience as the first student. If you have an urgent schedule conflict and must leave early, please ask permission from the teacher well ahead of time. Students who leave early without permission will have to answer for their behavior at their next lesson.