Image via Wikipedia
Do you know Joshua Bell? If not this is well worth your two cents.
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Related articles
- A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin (worldwright.wordpress.com)
- Joshua Bell “Stop and Hear the Music” by the Washington Post (ad-aglance.com)
- Stop & Listen …what are YOU missing??? (1heartreflections.wordpress.com)
- A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin (worldwright.wordpress.com)
- true story (ralphiesportal.me)
- “Perception, taste and people’s priorities in unexpected contexts” (darlenewolnik.com)
Reblogged this on Commonplace.
Great entry Jackie
I wish I could see Joshua Bell playing live on the street! >u< He is brilliant!
Wow! I wish you’d tell me this wasn’t actually true! I love Joshua Bell, and I do hope that I wouldn’t be guilty of such a misstep. I’ll think of this throughout this week and make sure I stay alert to all the little blessings. Wonderful! Debra
I have met with him on television screen, he is amazing violisnist! And also I heard this story too. It is so sad of course… Life in the cities is being like a robotic run… Do you know, no one notice the sunrise and sunset too in a day… or they don’t hear the birds too while they are running in daily life… So, to notice music or an artist… How difficult… Something makes citizen’ s eyes blind in the cities… and I hate to be like that. For me it is not important, famous or not, I always stop and listen to them… Music is the only language… I wished to go my office everyday with a music on the street… There is nothing beuatiful the touches of a song or a musician in the morning… Thank you, with my love, nia
Nothing new. They have 535 showmen up there in DC that have given us a song and a dance for decades. Difference is , it ain’t free. As a matter of fact efforts in Afghanistan will now cost $25,000,000 a day. No I did not make a mistake with the zeros.
HOL___ S___I___!
It’s sad….the Arts are so important…especially for the education of our children. It’s evident in the article that the children were more intrigued than the adults…but then again, the children were unaware of the passage of “time”. The adults were the ones concerned about schedules, appointments, getting somewhere on “time”.
But, isn’t that in itself a problem of our times? We are too tightly scheduled, too busy to stop and enjoy an impromptu moment with our kids or by ourselves with a great musician? (in the article it mentioned parents tugging or pulling the kids to get them moving) Sad statement of society.
Never pass a violinist in the street without listening very carefully…
I remember reading this story in Newsweek a couple years back, I couldn’t believe it!!
Once again another awesome post Jackie
Very true indeed..