Something to think about

[BigBearJohn]

Perception

..something to think about...




Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.


4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk..

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.


10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.


45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.


1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest 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 Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true 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 people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

[Mythsaje]

1. I've seen Joshua Bell in concert...

I'm a big fan of the violin anyway, and he is truly a wonder. I know I would've stopped, if only because such music makes me weak in the knees and fills me with incredible lightness of being. NOTHING beats a violin played by a master. IMO.

[BigBearJohn]

9. Agreed.

:toast:

[canetoad]

2. From 'Clancy of the Overflow'

Written by A.B (Banjo) Paterson, 1889

'And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.'

[Truth2Tell]

3. Why would someone unrec this post?

crazy DU.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Mr. Bell made $32 dollars in 45 minutes, or $42.67 per hour.

Auto workers don't make that much. Teachers don't make that much. Policemen/women and Firefighters don't make that much. Nurses don't make that much. Not on the west coast they don't. Lots (MOST) of people who make the world go 'round don't make that much.

We miss a lot.

[DCKit]

5. We are broken and defective.

[The Doctor.]

14. Not necessarily. The major flaw in this experiment is venue.

People at a train station are usually committed to a schedule. This is not about 'perception', it is about 'prioritization'. People who buy tickets to a performance have prioritized it, therefore they can allow themselves to appreciate it. Those on a schedule in a train station do not have that luxury.

[DaveinJapan]

16. That's an interesting point.

When I wrote about this on a different website, someone noted that it was during the MORNING commute, and wondered if it might be slightly different in the evening when people don't necessarily HAVE to be somewhere.

It's all well and good to say "everyone should have stopped", but it's pretty unlikely any supervisors would've offered a smile and a friendly "that's okay!" if someone were to be late for work because of stopping to enjoy a street performance (even a really really good one).

Anyway, it was a fascinating study.

[orleans]

6. i remember this story--i still am amazed by it

it's sad to think we are in such a hurry or so preoccupied or so indifferent

[ThomCat]

8. It is sad to think that we are pushed so hard that we can't spare

the time or attention to notice and enjoy the beauty that might be around us. :(

There are some amazingly talented street musicians here in NYC playing in the subways and in the streets. I wonder occasionally if some of them are professionals moonlighting just for the experience or practice or feedback or whatever. They mostly get ignored, but they get their occasional dollars, and people just take them for granted.

[paulsby]

7. im actually surprised he did that well

$32 an hour (tax free!) aint bad.

it is a truism though. we often don't stop to recognize the beauty all around us.

[Yuugal]

10. a flawed experiment

People are rushing to make their train on time. It would be like standing on a busy highway and playing. They should try it in a park.

[charlie]

12. They also assume people "should" be transfixed by classical music

Which isn't necessarily so, even if it's as well-regarded as Bach, though if they'd tried something more heroic instrumentally, like maybe Paganini, the results might be different. They also ought to repeat the experiment with different genres and instruments, with say, a beatboxer or percussionist, and see how that compares.

[malaise]

13. Music is music

The genre is irrelevant when it's well played.

[charlie]

15. You're making the same assumption, though

that people "should" be arrested by well-played classical. The results were otherwise. If a similarly capable musician played something in a more contemporary and popular genre, I'll bet the reception would be significantly different.

[1]

11. sorry, most people were just trying to get to work...

try that experiment on a friday or saturday night and you will get a very different reaction.