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 approximately 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.
Findings:
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?
This story was shared with me (and others) by my friend Steve Ahnael Nobel.
www.stevenobel.com
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