A man stood at a Metro station in Washington, D.C. 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 thousands of 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 on 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, 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 he 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 best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and 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?
This is typical Washington DC behavior... people are mostly concerned with business/political types of things, at least during the day. Trust me, I grew up in the DC suburbs... even when you meet someone socially, they hand you their business card.
The parents with children... well its a metro station... no one wants to miss a train.
I wonder what would have happened if he was performing in a mall?
dh used this story in a sermon in shul about how we don't notice the G-dliness around us.
Great analogy. Now that's perception!
As the Baal Shem Tov said, everything we see and hear is for us to learn from in Avodas Hashem. It's probably the real reason the experiment was conducted.
I don't get it, of course people are not going to stop and listen, it's a train station, people are there to move and not stop and smell the roses. If he did it where there are tourists or a slow paced area probably more people would've stopped.
When I take the trainsin NY, there is almost always some musician playing. I ALWAYS tip. Even if it's fifty cents.It's a kiddush hashem. I'll never forget hte time I tipped a guitarist and he beganto play hava nagila for me.LOL. I also have a thing for violins and for accordions. They make me cry. I'll never forget the accordion player who was playing at the G train when I was on my way to the doctor for presurgical blood tests a few days before a D&C for my first miscarriage. I was married four years at the time and was so broken at the lost of such a long awaited pregnancy. The man jsut made me cry. A few months later, returning from the same doctor on my next attempt at a pregnancy, the same accordion player was there. I gave him an emotional smile of recognition and tipped him again.
On the train itself there are always such annoying performers; drummers, guitarists, even breakdancers. I think it's a huge invasion of personal space when they begin their noisy performances IN MY TRAIN CAR, when perhaps I need some quiet. But NO ONE tips them and I always make sure to throw some coins in,as a kiddush hashem.
I don't get it, of course people are not going to stop and listen, it's a train station, people are there to move and not stop and smell the roses. If he did it where there are tourists or a slow paced area probably more people would've stopped.
Well if it was someone famous that they recognized, they probably would have stopped... Or if the guy was handing out hundred dollar bills, they probably would have stopped. So I guess what this really tells us is either that people don't know good music when they hear it, or the context of the music matters more than the music itself.
I don't get it, of course people are not going to stop and listen, it's a train station, people are there to move and not stop and smell the roses. If he did it where there are tourists or a slow paced area probably more people would've stopped.
Well if it was someone famous that they recognized, they probably would have stopped... Or if the guy was handing out hundred dollar bills, they probably would have stopped. So I guess what this really tells us is either that people don't know good music when they hear it, or the context of the music matters more than the music itself.
I personally don't know good music when I hear it, but most probably most people weren't even paying attention. They were in their own world.
When I take the trainsin NY, there is almost always some musician playing. I ALWAYS tip. Even if it's fifty cents.It's a kiddush hashem. I'll never forget hte time I tipped a guitarist and he beganto play hava nagila for me.LOL.
Haha, that's so funny! And kol hakavod on making a kiddush Hashem.
In the 34th Street station in NY there is a 5-man band who play unbelievably beautiful New Age Latin American music. I always stop to listen to at least 2 songs and tip them. I even bought a CD from them.
I think that if the music is really really nice, people stop.
There is a band called Nuttin But Stringz, who began by playing the subways in NY and got so big that they were 2nd runner up this summer on America's Got Talent. I'm a really sucker for violin playing, so I enjoy watching them on Youtube. They combine hip hop with classical violin, some of their music mamish sounds like Jewish Music, it's amazing. Some bands do strike it big when starting in the subway system.
There is a band called Nuttin But Stringz, who began by playing the subways in NY and got so big that they were 2nd runner up this summer on America's Got Talent. I'm a really sucker for violin playing, so I enjoy watching them on Youtube. They combine hip hop with classical violin, some of their music mamish sounds like Jewish Music, it's amazing. Some bands do strike it big when starting in the subway system.
I love listening to them! I used to play the violin but gave it up years ago. I really regret it because I love violin music.
And about people playing in the subway, I've always noticed some very talented people playing but I hate staring! so I keep walking. If they're playing near or on the platform then I just find a place to stand and listen. I probably would have just walked by that guy if I heard him playing
Last edited by NativeMom on Mon, Jan 19 2009, 7:36 am; edited 1 time in total
There is a band called Nuttin But Stringz, who began by playing the subways in NY and got so big that they were 2nd runner up this summer on America's Got Talent. I'm a really sucker for violin playing, so I enjoy watching them on Youtube. They combine hip hop with classical violin, some of their music mamish sounds like Jewish Music, it's amazing. Some bands do strike it big when starting in the subway system.
If you like hip-hop and violins, check out Miri Ben-Ari on YouTube. She's ridiculously good and was even on Sesame Street. Also, she's Israeli
