Henry Detweiler is no stranger to live musical performances. Both his parents are musicians, so he’s gathered a few tips on being a good audience member.

“For starters, when you’re in an auditorium, you should not talk because then you’re going to be more focused on talking than the music,” said the Gilchrist Elementary School second grader.

Figuring out when to applaud can be a challenge and Henry offered a helpful suggestion. “Try to follow along when a whole group claps. That’s always what I do. Not like when only one person claps. Don’t start clapping then because it’s probably not a spot when you clap.”

For good measure, he added “try not to kick the seat in front of you.”

Henry and nearly 2,200 other elementary-aged students and their teachers recently attended the Young People’s Concerts presented by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (TSO).

For more than 20 years, TSO has offered the program to help introduce kids to a variety of musical concepts and TSO conductor Darko Butorac quizzed students about strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Amanda Stringer, TSO chief executive officer, was impressed with the knowledge the kids brought with them. “There weren’t any wrong answers to the instrument questions. I think that speaks well to both the classroom music teachers and what a great job they’re doing in the schools.”

Audience members represented 25 different groups from public, private, charter, and home schools in Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson and Thomas counties. With a focus on equity, 1,700 students from Title 1 schools were provided with free tickets to the concerts. For students from non-Title 1 schools, admission was just $8 per child, less than the price of a movie ticket.

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