Etiquette

Music etiquette is nothing more than good manners towards your audience and fellow musicians. Courtesy and consideration for others are what manners are all about. If you take the time to think about how you would want to be treated, then it won’t be so hard to use good manners. Some tips for good manners in music, as taught to me by my teachers, are:

1) Always treat your audience with respect. Regardless of how well or badly your performance goes, keep a SMILE on your face and thank people when they compliment you. Always be a salesman when it comes to your performance. Never let the audience know when something doesn't go quite right. You have to remember that you are probably the only one present who really knows how the piece is supposed to go, so don't give it away if it doesn't go perfectly. Don't grimace, scowl, or shake your head if you play a wrong note. When you finish playing, look directly at the audience and smile. Don't hide behind your stand or skulk off the stage in a hurry.

2) If you are a soloist with a band or orchestra, you will enter the stage in a dignified manner, bow to the audience, and tune if necessary. Keep your stand lowered so people can see your face and don't forget to SMILE! After the performance you will first shake hands with the conductor and thank him. Then you will shake hands with the concertmaster (orchestra) or principal clarinetist (band), smile at the audience and bow to them (from the waist, eyes looking at your feet -- NOT at the audience), count "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand" and straighten up. Do NOT bob down and back up quickly, as it looks really silly. Next, you exit the stage with the conductor behind you. If your audience continues to clap, you will return for another bow without the conductor. Just remember, it is extremely rude not to go back out on stage for another bow if the audience continues to clap. You always want to acknowledge your audience for taking time out of their busy schedules to come hear you. Without them you have no reason to perform!

3) When performing with a pianist, always treat your accompanist as an equal partner in what you are doing, not as an extraneous person that happens to be on stage with you. When performing with an accompanist, the person who has the farthest to go across the stage goes first. Wait for your accompanist to get seated and get his or her music ready before starting. Use eye contact! When finished, bow together (and NOT from behind the music stand). Whoever is closest to the entrance leaves the stage first. Return for a second bow if the clapping continues.

4) When performing in a chamber (small) ensemble, again, the person who has the farthest to go across the stage goes first. Make sure that all of you bow together when you first go on. Also make sure that you don't block another member of the group when you take your bow. Step away from your stands when bowing and don't do anything that could be construed as upstaging another member of the group. Also, try to do all of your tuning off stage and once on stage, make sure everyone is ready to perform before starting the first piece. Eye contact is essential. Do NOT start giggling when you look at each other. It is disrespectful to the audience and denigrates your performance.

5) If you are playing in a band or orchestra, always stand when the conductor enters the stage. In an orchestra, watch the concert master and follow suit. At the end, if you had an outstanding solo section in the music and the conductor asks you to, stand to acknowledge applause from the audience. Don't make the conductor beg you to stand up even if you don't think your solo went well. It doesn't look good to the audience. Stand with the group when the conductor asks the group as a whole to stand. Watch the concert master to know when to sit down. When standing, make sure you face outward towards the audience and not sideways. The audience' applause is what is being acknowledged, so look at them and SMILE.

a) Have your music in concert order and ready to go so you don't hold up the conductor (or other ensemble members) while you shuffle through your music. It looks unprofessional.

b) When in a chamber ensemble, don't talk to the audience about your personal problems; i.e., how rough your day has been -- the car wouldn't start, etc. It sounds unprofessional. It also comes across as making excuses and the audience could care less about it. If you have to talk to the audience, talk about what really matters. Tell them about the background of the pieces you're playing and the composers that wrote them or why you chose a particular piece to perform.

c) If you are playing an orchestra concert, once the concert master enters the stage, you should stop warming-up and listen to the tuning note given by the oboist. Don’t just jump in playing the tuning note, either. Let the principal player in your section tune first. Then you can tune. Tune when your instrument section tunes; i.e., don't play your tuning note when the brass players are tuning -- tune with the woodwinds. If you have more that one instrument (piccolo besides flute) to tune and you didn't have enough time to tune it during the woodwinds' tuning note, you can discreetly tune the lower "A" when the strings are nearly finished tuning.

d) Do NOT talk during the performance. Sit quietly and be attentive to the conductor and your music only. Unless your instrument has an "emergency," you should not be fiddling with it or your music. This is especially true when someone else is playing a solo section within the piece.

e) Sit up straight and do NOT cross your legs. This holds true whether you are just counting rests or "sitting out" on a piece. For the latter, if there is time between pieces, you may want to leave the stage. Check with the conductor prior to the concert, as it may be too disruptive for you to leave. It depends on the music and whether or not anyone else leaves the stage.

f) Do NOT position yourself so that your back is to the audience. This is a major "no-no." Always sit so that you can see the conductor and can see the audience. While some high school conductors advocate raising stands high so that students will look at them, it is in actuality considered very rude to the audience to do so. The audience should be able to see your face. Besides, your eyes are capable of moving up and down in your head without having to move tthe stand. Just make a point of looking up at the conductor frequently. This should not be a problem if you know your music well enough.

g) Do NOT stare at members of the audience when you are resting during a piece. Pay attention to your music. Also, if you are playing a performance where you are in the orchestra pit and something else (opera, ballet, etc.) is taking place on the stage, do NOT turn around during the rests to watch the action on stage. Stay focused on the job at hand, which is your music.

h) Do NOT stare at other members of the ensemble during performance, especially if they play something incorrectly. Also, don't make faces or other expressions if you play something wrong. Remember, be a salesman! Sell the performance to the audience as being "as is."

    1) having someone discreetly ask them to be quiet or leave,
    2) waiting until everyone is quiet before continuing the performance, or
    3) asking them from the stage to please be quiet.

It has been my experience that waiting until all is quiet usually works the best. Asking people to be quiet puts a damper on the mood of a performance and intimidates all of the audience, not just the guilty few. Waiting quietly is a more subtle and effective way of getting the point across without embarrassing or upsetting the audience as a whole, although I have personally seen the third option done by a conductor when the second one didn't work. You could have heard a pin drop in that hall!

a) Always be on time for rehearsals and performances. Allow yourself time to warm-up prior to the rehearsal or performance, so that you are sufficiently prepared both physically and mentally to perform well. Bring everything that you need, including your instrument(s), music, pencil, instrument stand, etc.

b) Have your music fully practiced and in order. If, in rehearsal, the conductor instructs you to play something a certain way, MARK it in your music at that time. Don't try to remember it for next time, because chances are you won't and will only end up wasting time in the next rehearsal while the conductor tells you yet again how he wants it played.

c) Show up to every rehearsal and performance. When you make a commitment to perform, whether by yourself or with a group, adhere to that commitment. Don't call someone and say at a later time that you have to do something else that day, instead. This is incredibly rude and sends the message that you are more important than anyone else. Not following through on a commitment is selfish and can cause a lot of problems for others. You will also develop a reputation for being unreliable. I cannot stress strongly enough to follow through on your commitments! Don't make a commitment if you don’t think you're going to be able to honor it. The key word, by the way, is "honor". Your honor and integrity are at stake!

d) Dress appropriately. Don't wear sloppy-looking clothing to a performance. It sends the message to the audience that you don't care about the performance or the audience. Don’t wear anything that will distract the audience from the music or cause them in any way to be uncomfortable. In other words, don't wear revealing clothing (short skirts, plunging necklines), sloppy clothing (jeans, cat pants, etc.), or garish clothing (unless it's a part of the performance). You want the audience to be listening to your music! If you look nice they will take note of it in a positive way without dwelling on it. Speaking of notes, a note on hairstyles: keep it neat and out of your face. Spiked or purple-dyed hair sends the message that you are selfishly in need of attention and, again, distracts the listener from the music.

e) Always conduct yourself in a professional manner. Don't talk during rehearsals or waste people's time with antics. It's selfish and belittles yourself. You are again sending the message that you are more important than anything or anyone else.

f) When at rehearsals, auditions, or during warm-up for a concert do NOT play another person's solo passages unless you yourself have that material as well. It comes across as egotistical and is a form of intimidation to other players. This is a major no-no that is not taught to music students often enough. If you want to play those solo passages, play them in the privacy of your own home.

g) Leave your ego at home. It has no place in the performance of music and only gets in the way of the music and everyone having a good time.

h) Never, EVER talk back to the conductor. Whether the conductor is right or wrong, he or she is the conductor, and therefore, is ALWAYS right. I personally know of an excellent principal bassoonist who was fired from her job for trying to tell the conductor he was wrong about an interpretation and of a principal cellist who was fired for arguing with the conductor about the lighting on stage. Your opinion does not count. Only the conductor's does. The "buck" stops with him or her, after all, so if you want your opinion to count, become a conductor.

8) Audience etiquette is something that you can educate your family members to do properly.

a) The audience should sit quietly and LISTEN during a performance. They should NOT be talking or fidgeting with their programs or other items. They should leave at home cell phones, pagers and other things that beep, squawk or otherwise make noise, including watches with alarms. Small children should also be left with a babysitter or taken discreetly out to the lobby, if they cannot sit quietly. While it is sometimes very difficult for families to find someone they can leave their smaller children with, it is not appropriate for small children to be allowed to disrupt the performance for other members of the audience or for the performers, themselves, who have worked very hard to prepare it. It is common courtesy for all concerned to sit quietly. Audience members should not get up and leave during a performance unless it's an emergency or to remove an unruly child. They should instead wait until the piece being performed has been finished. To do otherwise is disrespectful to the performers.

b) Audience members should check their programs and make sure not to clap in between movements of pieces. They are supposed to wait until the performers have completed the entire piece before clapping. To do otherwise can be disruptive to the musicians' concentration and ruin the effect of the music

c) Cameras with flash bulbs should never be used as the flash can temporarily blind those on stage.

d) As for recording equipment, it is always TABOO for audience members to make their own recordings, due to copyright laws, etc. Authorized recordings can be made by the ensemble for the musicians' person use or for sale in accordance with mechanical licensing laws.

e) Audience members should bring cough drops to concerts if they have a cough so as to avoid coughing during the performance. Cough drops should be discreetly unwrapped to avoid rustling paper.

f) Cat-calls, booing, and rioting are strictly prohibited, while shouts of "bravo" and standing ovations at the end of a performance are always welcomed! :-)