Concert Etiquette

“A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence.” 

~ Leopold Stokowski, reprimanding a talkative audience

With a recital coming up in a week, here's a gentle little reminder of how we should act during a performance:

1. Don't talk during a performance.

2. Don't get up and leave while someone is performing.

3. Don't enter the room while someone is performing.

4. Keep small children with you during the performance.

5. Avoid doing anything distracting during the performing--moving around, fiddling around with something in your purse, checking your phone/texting, coughing, etc.

6. Turn off your cell phone.

7. Don't cheer or yell out after someone performs--this is appropriate for sporting events but not for performances.

8. Smile and offer non-verbal encouragement to performers.

Video #20 Pedaling

Another Robert Estrin video, this one on pedaling techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQZXsKWt9Xs

Here are some tips Estrin offers when pedaling:

1. Keep heels firmly on the floor.

2. The ball of the foot is how you control the pedal.

3. Always keep the ball of the foot in contact with the pedal. If you don't, and you come down on the pedal, it creates noise.

4. The pedals of each piano is different. They all release the dampers at different points. You have to experiment to see how you can pedal quietly and effectively.

5. One of the first things you want to do before playing a piano, especially for a concert, is how the pedals respond.