Concert manners matter to kids

During the current school music concert season, parents and students need to heed the following advice; shut up while the music is being performed. I recently attended two concerts this week at St. Charles North High School. The groups were fantastic, but to my amazement, people around me were talking while the music was being played. As a music teacher and avid concertgoer, I am sick and tired of people talking during performances. Not only is it distracting to me and others in the audience, it is downright rude to the performers. Those kids have worked very hard to prepare their music and deserve to be heard. It is not appropriate for people of any age to sit there whispering or talking while the music is being performed. It is appropriate, however, to sit quietly and listen to the music. If you need to say something, wait until the music has finished. Teach your small children to do the same. If everybody heeds my advice, the fantastic concerts given by local school music groups will be much more enjoyable for everybody.

Dave Farquhar

Campton Hills