The Joshua Bell Experiment: Beauty In Unexpected Places
Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 12:41AM In a Washington, DC Metro Station: on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about an hour.
During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes: a middle aged man noticed the musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on.
4 minutes: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the hat without stopping and continued to walk.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and walked away.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The child stopped to look back at the violinist again, but the mother pulled hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head back 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.
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 theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each.
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 take 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?
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Reader Comments (5)
Jeff-
Once I bought my soul back from Corporate America and actually turned my brain back on, I finally began to notice & pay attention to the finer things in life. Thanks again for pulling me out of my quite death from my corporate cubicle.
http://jordancrouter.com
Hey Jeff -
I love this story - I remember hearing about it on the radio.
What stands out to me is the children. As adults, we often give them the same level attention as the passers by gave Joshua Bell. They are often treated as an interruption. We need to really pay attention t our children, listen to them. They are almost always more acutely aware of beauty in their immediate environment than we ever are.
My 4 year old daughter came up to me the other day with a tiny little earth worm in her hand. "Look papa!" she exclaimed. "...a baby worm and she's skinny like me!" as I looked down at the tiny worm in her small hand, what I saw was pure beauty - the beauty of my daughter's fascination with nature, the beauty of her hand and the tiny lines on her palm, the beauty of the shiny worm squirming amidst some brown specks of dirt against the pink of her hand.
I'm so grateful to now have the time to give my children the undivided attention and love that not only they deserve, but I deserve. My life is immensely richer and more beautiful because of them.
Thanks,
James
Jeff,
This speaks to the numbing desensitization that we here in the western world seem to be innately prone to. The inherent assumptions that compelling opportunities are scams, or must have a twist or hook, along with the microwave mentalities of instant gratification have synergistically contributed to the drone-like detachment of many people from beauty; or from art; or from experiential exhilaration, or most importantly- from a prosperous, fulfilled life itself.
That is seemingly why it is so critical to knock one out of one's orbit, enabling seeing of both the trees and the forest. What comes first... vividity or sight? Good stuff- keep up the intrigue.
See ya in Houston, Bruce Stromwall
http://www.meetBruceStromwall.com
loved this story and see it happen so many times with people dragging their kids away from some potential 'gift of learning' or special awareness..
people are SO into the rush to get and do they never really 'live life'
just loved this writing of yours... now i will have to go look what else you have writen..lol.
I began mu love/hate affait w/computers in 1968...And I still do not know what that(url) means, but I know what is usually is...we presume we know...the measure of sanity that we value is how we define virtue...like those who would not/could not enjoy the virtuoso's railside treat(but presumed the event a common panhandle-par-excellence...those who donated the "32$") we express our misassessed priorities many times daily! Our children remember what we had forgotten prior to their weanings...I haven't, and may I oft be regaled with such tales as the above..thanks again !