GUIDE

Our granddaughter's school winter concert is in December, and we live too far away to be in the audience. How can we still be part of it?

By the seenow! teamLast updated:

Build the evening around her, not the whole program. Ask the parents to check what the school allows for recording, then plan three small things: a private preview of her song before the night, a short video of her part if filming is allowed, and a call the next day where she tells you about it.

WHY

Why this happens

School concerts are a fixture of elementary school in the U.S. In a National Center for Education Statistics survey for the 2009-10 school year, 94% of public elementary schools offered instruction designated specifically for music, and 75% said they put on or sponsored performances in the arts, such as concerts, plays and art shows, outside of regular school hours. That usually means an evening or a weekend in a gym or auditorium, often in the busy weeks of December.

For grandparents in another state, that is a hard trip to make for a single evening, and her class may be on stage for only a song or two. Missing it can still sting, because a concert is one of the few times a young child performs for an audience and wants to know who saw her.

The fix is not to recreate the whole night from far away. It is to give her a few moments that are clearly yours: someone who heard the song first, saw the outfit, and asked about it afterward.

HOW TO

What you can do starting today

  1. Ask the parents to check the school's rules firstNo app needed

    Schools handle filming at concerts differently, and some share their own recording afterward. Before you plan anything around a video, ask the parents to check with the school or the music teacher what is allowed. If filming is not allowed, the other steps on this page still work.

  2. Ask for a private preview before the nightNo app needed

    In the week before the concert, ask her to sing you a little of her song on a call, or to have a parent record it in the kitchen. A preview for you alone is something no one else in the audience gets, and kids often enjoy rehearsing for a grandparent. Ask for a photo in her concert outfit on the evening itself, taken at home before they leave.

  3. If filming is allowed, set up the phone for a dark roomNo app needed

    Stage lighting is hard on phone cameras. Apple Support says iPhone can improve video quality in low light by automatically reducing the frame rate to 24 fps with Auto FPS, which is set under Settings > Camera > Record Video. Enhanced Stabilization, on by default on supported models, zooms in slightly to steady the picture. On Android, the settings depend on the phone maker, so check the camera app's own settings. Charge the phone, clear some storage, and record only her song rather than the whole program.

    Source: Apple Support: Change video recording settings on iPhone

  4. Call the next day and let her tell itNo app needed

    The night of the concert is usually late and busy. A short call the next day works better. Ask specific questions she can answer: Which song was your favorite? Where did you stand? Were you nervous before you went on? Hearing her tell it is often better than any video.

WITH SEENOW!

Doing it with seenow!

seenow! is a private family app where everyone takes a short video, about 2 seconds a day. It is not a way to watch the concert, but it fits the small moments around it.

  • The parents can take 2-second clips of the moments before and after: putting on the outfit, the drive to school, the bow at home afterward. You get a notification when they post.
  • The seenow! camera can film with the front and back cameras at once, so a clip at home can show her twirling in the outfit and the parent's face at the same time.

What seenow! can’t do

  • seenow! cannot stream or hold a whole performance. Each clip is short, so record her song with the phone's regular camera if the school allows it.
  • It does not change what the school allows. The school's rules on recording come first.

POINT

Things to watch for in this situation

Don't ask the parents to film the whole program

Holding up a phone for an hour means the parent watches the concert through a screen. Ask for her part only, or for none at all if that is easier for them that night.

Send something that arrives before the concert

A card addressed to her, saying you can't wait to hear about the concert, lets her know you are thinking of her before she goes on stage. Mail it early enough that it reaches her before the date.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can the parents livestream the school concert to us?

That depends on the school, so ask the parents to check with the school first. Some schools share their own recording afterward. If not, a preview at home and a call the next day still make you part of it.

What phone settings help when recording in a dark auditorium?

On iPhone, Apple Support says Auto FPS can improve low-light video by reducing the frame rate to 24 fps; you find it under Settings > Camera > Record Video. On Android, look in the camera app's settings, since they vary by phone maker.

What should we say to her after the concert?

Ask about details only she knows, like where she stood or which song she liked best, rather than just "Did you have fun?" Specific questions show you were paying attention, even from far away.