I just received this email, and I thought it was so wonderful that I wanted to share it here...
> Washington DC Metro Station on a cold morning in 2007. A musician played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two 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.
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> 4 mins. later the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.
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> 6 minutes: a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then? looked at his watch and started to walk again.
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> 10 mins: a 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as 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. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
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> 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.
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> 1 hour; he finished playing and silence took over? No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
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> 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 Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
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> 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 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?
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> One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:
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> 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 .... how many other things are we missing in life?
Here is a link to the video:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html
About Me
- Lonack Signature
- United States
- I am a multidimensional, hands-on creative artist and poet with a San Diego based home studio. Having always been too curious and too creative, I have continually studied a variety of artistic disciplines and philosophies throughout my life with established teachers...unstable teachers, artists, schools and whatnot. This, paired with a lifelong investigation into spirituality, has given me a large creative toolkit from which to draw ;) and interest to (respectively) play with, break, challenge, modify, ignore and celebrate the rules related to the aforementioned studies. I am a strong believer in not messing with a child's innate curiosity and wonder, the value of family (however defined), individual creativity, community, and our environment. I continue to study and enjoy creative expressions-with the exception of acid jazz. Some common characteristics found within my work are: re-purposing everyday items and discard-able things, harmonizing opposites, playing with current beliefs and assumptions with a whimsical twist, and delicately blending spontaneity with discipline. The end results are simple, joyful expressions of wonder imbued with an invitation to discover more.
