Concert Expectations

Concert Dress Code

Every student in band at Washington High School is expected to follow a set of guidelines for dressing appropriately at band concerts. The uniform for a concert is as follows:

• Men: BLACK dress pants, BLACK dress shirt, BLACK tie, BLACK dress socks, BLACK dress shoes
• Women: Long BLACK dresses or BLACK dress pants and BLACK dress blouse with at least 3/4 sleeves, BLACK dress shoes  Please wear shoes that you can move up and down stairs safely (while carrying your instrument).

Why such a strict dress code?

• Our MUSIC is the focus of our concerts, not the personal fashion choices of any individual. 
• What we achieve as an ensemble, we achieve TOGETHER. Our uniform is an expression of that sentiment.
• As musicians, our entire energy in rehearsal and performance is spent in the world of sound. However, the visual world always takes precedence in the human brain. We need to dress and act in a way that puts the audience's focus on our MUSIC. 

Please contact us early in the year if you are concerned about finding appropriate clothing for concerts. We will use our resources to try and help you.

Audience Concert Etiquette

Music is painted on a canvas of silence. Just as a visitor of an art exhibit would not scribble on visual artwork that a student has worked hours upon hours creating, it is expected that the audience will not add auditory "scribbles" to the music that each ensemble has worked so hard to create. Each audience member is asked to create an environment that celebrates the incredible work of the Brainerd Band Students by adhering to the following concert etiquette guidelines:

• Turn-off all electronic devices. (just silencing is not acceptable, light from electronic devices is distracting to fellow audience members)
• Enter and exit the auditorium during applause only
• Refrain from making noise during performance that would distract fellow audience members from the students' work that is being showcased.
• Please direct all applause to the ensemble as a whole, unless a soloists is given a bow.
• Please refrain from shouting the names of students. We are an ensemble and would like to be recognized as such. 

Thank you in advance for your adherence to these guidelines. Live music is one of the few art forms that exists in a moment in time and then is gone forever. Recordings can't capture everything that is contained in a musical moment. It is up to us to create an environment that is respectful to the music Students so that the memory of that unique moment in time can be cherished for a lifetime.