Disrespectful adults

On Friday night we attended the concert at DDES. It was wonderful to see all our children perform after a year of hard work. The children did a fabulous job and should be commended for a wonderful performance- as should Mr. Krauss. The parents on the other hand, should be severely reprimanded. I was absolutely appalled at how incredibly disrespectful the audience was while the children performed. I could barely hear the children singing beyond the sounds of whispers, cell phones, and loud conversations. I saw my son’s mouth moving while I was listening to a conversation about someone’s “Uncle Joe.” While the adults in the audience were carrying on their conversations, there was also a large group of preschoolers racing, jumping, and throwing themselves around in front of the seats. Perhaps if the adults in the audience cannot provide the level of respect the performers rightfully deserve, they should not be there. After the his grade’s performance, I asked my son if he could hear the audience while he was on stage, and his one word answer made my heart break - Yes! These adults should be ashamed of themselves... clearly the students’ performance was not the priority of the evening. When I was in elementary school, my music teacher actually stopped a performance once and told the audience that she would wait until they were ready. I am really not sure what could be done to remedy this situation, but I believe a level of respect should be expected of the audience...if they wish to carry on a conversation, maybe they should have it in the cafeteria next time. They should be setting a proper example for their children...not the complete opposite! I would like to send a strong apology to all who performed Friday night. Those of us who paid attention feel they did a fabulous job- Bravo! T. McKenna Asmann Milford