Abstract
The idea of audience etiquette brings with it specific expectations influenced by both the social context and the performance genre. While audience response has traditionally been viewed as passive, performers are finding new and innovative ways of actively engaging young audiences, seeking immediate response, inviting exploration, and encouraging reflections. This article examines audience etiquette with a focus on preparing and engaging young children as audience members at live performances. Strategies for modifying traditional school-based concerts are included, and implications for building connections between the classroom and community are also considered.
Knowing how to act in a concert setting can increase the enjoyment of a performance for all involved.
Imagine yourself in the front row seat of a concert. You are attending opening night, and the lights begin to dim in the performance hall, the hum of the orchestra swelling, people settling into their seats. As the curtain begins to rise, silence and anticipation fill the hall, but you feel the need to cough, and your cell phone rings! Everyone turns to look at you, some frowning through the dark, and others do not hesitate to verbalize their displeasure.
NAfME is glad to offer recognition of professional development activity to you for reading this article. Please follow the link below and complete a short quiz to receive your certificate of completion.
When we think of performance, much of the literature is focused on the experience of the performer, of preparing, rehearsing, and presenting a piece of music. However, as performers, we have expectations for our audiences: They should be attentive, supportive, and engaged. 1 There is a reciprocal nature to performance realized through the unspoken relationship between performer and audience member. 2
The opening vignette highlights that relationship, noting the tensions that often exist for audience members. As adults, we know to respect performers, turn off our technology, speak only between numbers, and avoid drawing attention to ourselves. But, who made these rules? What influences the way we behave in the audience or governs who is in the audience at a performance? Not everyone knows or understands these often unspoken rules for attending a live performance. Although we might frown when a young couple brings a baby to a classical music concert or if someone’s cell phone rings when we are watching a play, much of how we learn to “behave” at live performances is through experience.
The late Elliot Eisner, professor of art and education at the Stanford (California) Graduate School of Education and a pioneer on in arts education, wrote eloquently about the value of experiencing the arts at a young age to enhance children’s understanding and appreciation, stating that
[t]he ability to experience the arts of our culture is not an automatic consequence of maturation. What children are able to think about, what they are able to experience, the distance their imaginative lives allows them to travel is shaped by the kind of educational lives they have an opportunity to lead.
3
If young children formulate their own responses to the arts, live performances should support their aesthetic development, inviting them to react and reflect on their experience. Is it appropriate then to expect young children to sit for extended periods of time at a live performance without any active engagement? Many people believe that when children misbehave at a live performance, it is the venue’s fault, not the children’s responsibility. 4 Additionally, we recognize that children make meaning of their world through active participation—they learn through play. 5 The question then becomes how we engage young audiences and foster an appreciation of live performance while teaching them how to be respectful audience members.
Audience Expectations
The idea of audience etiquette—that is, being a good audience member—brings with it specific expectations influenced by both the social context and the performance genre. 6 Music education researchers, Karen Burland and Stephanie Pitts, examine the audience experience with a particular lens on the motivations and aspirations of older adults. 7 However, the social motivations and guidelines for younger audiences have been minimally discussed both formally and informally in the literature. Playbill, the leading publication of theatrical news, polled audiences to find the greatest frustrations among fellow theatre connoisseurs. 8 Among the top three requirements were to (1) avoid excess perfume/aftershave, (2) unwrap all candies or cough drops before the show begins, and (3) if you bring children, make sure they behave.
While audience etiquette, according to consensus, involves being a good listener and clapping when appropriate, the rules are slowly shifting. Performers are increasingly finding ways to engage their audiences, seeking immediate response and feedback and allowing for reflective discussions. Jaren S. Hinckley, associate professor of music at Brigham Young University, references this idea as breaking down the “fourth wall”—the invisible and unspoken barrier between performer and audience that exists in all genres of the performing arts. (Musicians often create the fourth wall during performance, closing their eyes while playing or standing hidden behind a music stand. 9 ) Indeed, this concept of breaking down the wall is not a new one but in some instances can be “provocative and shocking” to the audience. 10
In many places, the role of the audience member is also shifting from a position from passive to becoming more actively involved in the performance. This is evinced in a strong resurgence of performances for young audiences, bringing with it different expectations for engagement, inviting commentary and exploration. As a result, audience engagement can be understood within two categories: passive and active audience response. In her article published in Music Educators Journal, Sandra Nicolucci describes the value of passive response and what we traditionally understand and expect from concertgoers—silence during a performance, clapping after a piece or show concludes, and remaining in your seat except for intermissions. 11 Contrastingly, active response is more associated with informal performances—concerts that have “standing room only” invite immediate audience response and a higher level of noise, engagement, or excitement that is accepted rather than shunned. There is a fluidity between passive and active response since many genres invite both types of participation, but the imperative for young audiences is finding performances that primarily support active engagement.
Looking at Table 1, categorize each performance genre with the type of audience response you believe it elicits. What criteria influenced your choices? While there may not be a simple way to divide audience response for each of these genres of live performance, it is important to recognize our own associations and experiences with audience etiquette and identify how our views might shape our students’ experiences. Consider the audiences at a symphony in contrast to those attending an outdoor music festival: There is a different expectation for both the performer and audience. Those watching the premiere of a symphony would not be likely to stand and cheer throughout the performance, while those attending an outdoor music festival would most likely not even have chairs to sit on.
Performance and Audience Response
Two factors that further shape and influence audience etiquette are the length of a performance and the age of the target audience. Specifically, the length of school concerts can often affect audience fatigue. 12 We would not expect a four-year-old to sit still for an entire hour, just as a fifteen-minute performance might not provide enough time for the level of critique and analysis appropriate for a high school senior. As the leading organization on young children’s development, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) outlines age-appropriate activities for children from birth to age eight. 13 Typically, younger children are ready for longer performances by the age of six. 14 Although there is no consensus about exact performance lengths, Table 2 expands NAEYC’s suggestions to indicate approximate durations of age-appropriate live performances. 15
Suggested Age Ranges and Length of Performance
Preparing for Live Performances
While children’s first experiences with live performances tend to be in school, 16 the process of leaving the classroom and attending a live performance within the community elicits different expectations and responses as field trips and out-of-school events give value to an activity beyond classroom instruction. 17 This is particularly relevant when considering the limited access and exposure many students have to live performances. Very often, field trips to musical and theatrical performances are the only opportunities students have to see professional artists. 18
The idea of performances for children and adolescents is not a new one. For example, Theatre for Young Audiences (http://tyausa.org/) has a strong history in American culture, dating as far back as the early 1900s, 19 and has only continued to grow in its programming and outreach. Many musical and theatre directors believe that children should not be passive and silent watchers and should be contributing to the artistic experience. 20 In the past decade, there has been a strong growth of performances geared specifically toward young audiences, realized both through school-based concerts and outreach programs. Some notable examples include the “Young People’s Concerts” by the New York Philharmonic or “Kidsemble Concerts” that allow children to explore and play instruments before watching a professional performance. 21
A number of studies have demonstrated that children are able to critically respond to and analyze live performance, engaging with the content and reflecting on the experience in an appropriate context. 22 Some of the strengths of these interactive programs are that young children are not only audience members but actively engaged before, during, and after the performance. Music educators can draw from these programs by using different characteristics of active participation to prepare and engage young children prior to attending a live performance. These include having children
identify the genre of music, theatre, or dance that will be performed.
listen to related musical excerpts before the performance.
classify the types of instruments that will be played.
explore instruments and props before a performance.
watch video clips of related performances.
recognize the expectations for audience etiquette.
prepare questions and comments for the performers.
be encouraged to sing, dance, or move during the performance.
Consider the following example. A group of elementary students will be attending a local community theatre’s performance of Willy Wonka Jr. The musical, based on the book Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, has many of the same songs from the movie of the same name. How might you prepare students for this performance, especially if they have never attended a musical before? The students can be invited to listen to excerpts from the musical before attending the show, discuss the instruments they hear, read the lyrics of the songs, or watch video clips from other performances of the same show in order to analyze the staging, sets, and props.
Discussing expectations before attending a concert, play, musical, or dance will further encourage students to share their perceptions and help teachers discern students’ previous experience with live performance. Younger students may be more enthusiastic about attending live performance, seeing the experience as something novel and unique, while older students may already have formed a perception, associating live performance with a prior experience or event. 23
Appreciating live performance is increasingly important as the National Core Arts Standards has Responding as one of the four main anchor standards across artistic domains. 24 For example, the anchor standards for general music require young children to be able to perceive and analyze, evaluate, and interpret the intent and meaning in artistic work. Asking students to discuss how they feel about live performance and what they think they will enjoy the most and recognizing any apprehensions are all important components of responding to live musical experiences. Additionally, students should be invited to reflect on their experience after the performance. Building on these strategies, Figure 1 presents some ideas for initiating discussions and reflections before and after the performance.
Ideas for Discussion Questions on Live Performance
Live performances are a vehicle for addressing these anchor standards, providing children with the opportunity to state their personal musical interests, identify the expressive qualities of live performance, and evaluate the performers themselves. As professional arts organizations continue to recognize the need for performances geared toward younger audiences, performers are finding new and innovative ways to share the arts. Inviting children to explore instruments, ask questions about props, and react to music are a few ways that professional artists are modifying live performances for younger audiences. Local colleges, universities, and arts councils can also facilitate this process by inviting performers into the classroom, engaging students before the actual performance.
Practicing with In-School Performances
While there are many ways to discuss audience etiquette before taking students to a professional concert, one aspect is to actually practice audience response through school-based productions. In-school performances in school are often informal, encouraging students to be supportive, respectful, and engaged within a safe setting. 25 Carlos Abril, professor of music education at the University of Miami, marks the distinction between school-based and professional performances, emphasizing the stronger emotional, physical, and psychological connection among performers and audience members in schools, where students are typically performing for a group of their peers. 26 School-based performances can also adopt the characteristics of active participation. Consider the following strategies for modifying traditional in-school performances:
Finally, continue making connections after any performance. As an extension of the experience, children can be invited to represent their understanding of live performance by drawing an image depicting their favorite part, creating a puppet of the main character, or reenacting a scene from a show. Children’s books are also an accessible resource for preparing young audiences and reviewing important musical concepts. 29 Figure 2 lists various children’s literature focused on performance and performing; reading these books in the classroom or at home can provide opportunities for creating connections beyond the performance hall.
Children’s Literature about Performance and Performing
Next Steps
Fostering a lifelong appreciation for the arts includes experiencing and understanding live performance, both in our communities and within our schools. As music educators, our responsibilities are also changing. We need to model appropriate behaviors as audience members and provide students with age-appropriate opportunities to experience, respond, and appreciate live performances. As musical repertoire moves away from more traditional pieces, inviting the study of popular and contemporary art forms, we can support our students in finding opportunities to be successful when experiencing live performance, responding to the arts in new ways, and finding the value of performance in their own lives.