Dear Mary | 21 March 2013

Q. I am the organist at a leading public school. We work hard to ensure that the boys are quiet and respectful in Chapel, which they attend every day. The behaviour of their parents, however, when they come for confirmation and carol services is appalling. They talk through the hymns, they talk through the anthem, they whisper through the sermon and prayers, and shout over the organ music: all of these seem to be impediments to their main aim, which is to chat. How can we get them to set a better example to their sons, and treat the event with the respect which I am sure, if asked, they would agree it deserves?
— Name and address withheld

A. The latest technology allows faithful sound reproductions to be made at little cost, so why not record for posterity each public performance of the choir? There should be a ready parental market for the purchase of such recordings but, if not, who outside the relevant school office need know? The practice would legitimise an announcement at the start of each service requesting, in reverential tones, not only that mobiles be turned off but also that, since the proceedings are being recorded, parental chatter be suspended until the service has ended.