Portfolio III

THE UTAH SYMPHONY

For my experience of being the "other" I decided to try going to the symphony.  I'd never been to a symphony, though it was something I've always wanted to do. 

I didn't want to feel underdressed or overdressed so before attending, I actually called the office number and asked what the dress was.  The nice lady told me business casual so that's what I went with. When I arrived, I quickly realized I was extremely underdressed.  I felt like I was attending a high class, 40's and older prom.  I had worn a dress, but my attire paled in comparison to those around me.  I don't own a single item of clothing that could have been elegant enough to compete with the upper class ladies at this event.  I felt like the peasant who crashed the royal ball.  I did see one other girl when I first got there who was wearing jeans.  A lot of people were actually staring at her, like she didn't belong.  Luckily my dress was just enough so that while I didn't look as nice as most everyone else, I didn't draw too much attention to myself.

Even before the concert began, everything was said in whispers.  Maybe it was so as to not interrupt the warming up of the artists, but when I asked the ticket women which way I should go to get to my seat, I said it in a quiet, but not a whispering voice and got some strange stares from the people around.  She whispered back directions, and I continued on my way.  I think being quiet may just be a sign of being in a classy environment, but I'm not sure.

Another observation I made was people don't go to the symphony alone.  There was a sense of social capital there, where everyone seemed to "know someone" and have some kind of connection that I didn't have. Everyone was traveling in groups, and I was the like the lone wolf.  I actually would have imagined I'd see more people alone, because the type of people attending were upper class individuals who seemed to care less about what others thought about them.  Also maybe I assumed that because in the movies, people are often at the symphony alone.

One thing I wouldn't have known prior to attending was that a symphony is not an event for children.  I saw a few young teens with families, but the youngest person I saw was at least 13 or 14 years old.  It may be that it is just a type of event that the cost isn't worth bringing children, but it was unusual to me to not see any at all.

Clapping.  I guess I don't know the proper etiquette for clapping at proper events.  After the final performance, the girl who was the main performer stood up and we all stood and gave her a standing ovation.  She bowed and left the stage.  I thought that would be the moment to leave, but everyone stood and remained clapping, so I kept on with them.  She returned, and was given flowers all the while we continued standing and clapping.  At this point I figured for sure we were done, but after leaving again, she once again returned at third time to the stage.  We clapped some more, and after she left again people finally quite clapping and the lights in the room were turned up and people began to leave.  I stayed caught up following the examples of those around me, but I'm still not sure why she came and went 3 different times.

Parking.  There are different levels of elites who attend symphonies.  Because I didn't want to have to pay for parking since I'm a cheap college student, I parked about 5 blocks away and just walked.  I saw 2 or 3 couples who did the same thing as me, but when I looked at the parking online, you had special underground parking for "permit members only" and then there were paid public parking areas around the concert hall.  When I left, it had started raining, and it appeared there were actually people you could pay to escort you with an umbrella to your car, but I don't think that applied when you have to walk over a mile, so I just went without one.

Overall while attending the symphony I felt like a lower class citizen.  I wasn't exactly discriminated against, but I didn't feel welcome either.  I clearly wasn't older and sophisticated like those who were with me in the concert hall.  The majority of people were white, and everyone appeared wealthy.  While I could get a ticket for $20, the tickets went up to $90 a ticket and some of those seats came with a minimum donation of $2000 per concert season.

Just like my experience at the symphony, for students who are experiencing school as a "foreign" place, we can't just expect them to know how everything works.  They may not understand the rules, especially the unspoken ones, they may not know what kind of clothing is socially acceptable, and they may not feel included. Having never really felt like an outsider this experience was eye opening.  As a teacher, I need to figure out how to make each student feel like they're welcome and wanted every day.  This event would have been much easier to attend if I had been going with someone who had previous experiences there. Likewise, school is probably much easier to attend with a friend or even just a classmate who is willing to sit with you and help you understand everything that is going on.