09/24/2026
COMPETITION ETIQUETTE REMINDER
As we prepare for our first competition, please help us ensure that Sterling is represented just as well in the stands as it is on the field.
DURING PERFORMANCES
Please wait until a band has completely finished performing before entering, leaving, or moving through the stands. Stadium personnel may hold spectators at the entrance until the performance ends.
While a band is on the field:
• Remain seated and avoid unnecessary movement.
• Silence cellphones and keep conversations to a minimum - this means STOP TALKING
• Keep aisles and stairways clear.
• Do not stand in front of other spectators.
• Make sure children remain seated and do not play in the aisles or on the steps.
• Avoid holding up phones, tablets, signs, or flags in a way that blocks someone else’s view.
• Follow the host venue’s photography and recording policies.
Cheering and applause are absolutely encouraged! Please respond enthusiastically to exciting musical moments, solos, visual effects, and the end of each show. During quiet or dramatic portions, however, excessive noise can cover up the performance. If a band has spent weeks perfecting a delicate musical moment, that is probably not the ideal time to loudly ask who wants nachos.
SUPPORT EVERY BAND
We love hearing enthusiastic support when SHS takes the field, but every band deserves the same respect.
Please:
• Applaud every band.
• Recognize great moments, regardless of which school is performing.
• Avoid negative comments about another band, student, uniform, prop, or show.
• Remember that another band’s parents and family members may be sitting nearby.
• Never boo a band, judge, score, placement, or award result.
• Be gracious whether the results are what we hoped for or not.
Every student on that field has spent countless hours rehearsing in the heat, humidity, rain, and other conditions that would cause most reasonable adults to go back inside.
LEAVE THE NOISEMAKERS AT HOME
Please do not bring megaphones, cowbells, air horns, whistles, portable speakers, ship horns, or anything else capable of summoning livestock or causing hearing damage.
These items can interfere with performances, judges’ recordings, and other spectators’ ability to hear the music. Let’s support the bands with our voices and applause at the appropriate times.
The simplest rules for competition day are:
Be loud when it is time to cheer.
Be quiet when it is time to listen.
Be respectful of every band.
Be flexible when the schedule changes.
Cooperate with the volunteers responsible for keeping our students safe and accounted for.
Our students represent Sterling on the field, and our families represent Sterling in the stands. Let’s make sure both groups represent our school and band program well.
