Phones and classical music are, well, not a great combination. Similar to oil and water – maybe even worse! Phones are of course inescapable nowadays – they are in everyone’s pockets – and reasonably so. Phones are very useful tools that have certainly helped us in many ways. Not everyone is happy with the progress however…
Nobody likes a distracted audience and as an audience member, it’s annoying to hear someone’s phone go off during a concert – especially if it’s during the most beautiful moment! It happens, the sound of someone’s ringer, followed by frantic efforts to shut it off, followed by icy-cold stares from the people around… Not fun. Yet, regardless of the please of the MC, announcers or whomever, it seems that the chances of a phone going off are there!
In fact, the problem has gotten to the point that – believe it or not – some concert halls have raised the idea of installing phone signal jammers! Although this may seem extreme, from the performers point of view, they can be really distracting. Performing requires a huge amount of focus… Of course, this raises other questions. What happens in an emergency? What if it is a really important call or text? Is installing a jamming device even ethical or necessary?
I will admit, when the phone did go off during the March 18 concert, I had to really push to make sure that everything stayed together. Better yet, the audience member was quick to turn it off – I think it only got one ring in before being hushed!
Luckily, things continued without a hitch, but it was a close call! What are your thoughts about this?
Hope to see you at the May 20 concert!