karlaakins:

I recognized Bell and his famous violin right away but I’m a musician.  There is no way on earth I wouldn’t have stopped and listened!  Just.  No. Way.

I love this experiment, though.  But it’s a sad commentary on life in the fast lane.

genevieveclare:

(via heymissy:allthingsalishan:mzreport)

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 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.

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?

As a long time veteran of the DC metro rail network, I think the experiment was flawed. The morning and afternoon rush hours are such a hassle that your one mission in life is to make it out of the station (or to your platform) as fast as it is humanly possible. I am asthmatic and very sedentary, and that didn’t stop me from speed-walking through the West Falls Church and Courthouse stations, and I got pretty good at running up and down the escalators, a crucial skill if you depend on time.

And yes, we had musicians all of the time, but we are so worried about making it through that we simply don’t have to time stop, or to even pay attention to the piece. Add to that the earphones that literally everyone wears to fight off boredom and the noise.

There’s one more factor: the “DC Jaded” phenomenom. I didn’t know about this one because I have been here for over 12 years, but I know people that came here for just a couple of years and they tell me it is very real. This is why most people in the train won’t talk to anyone, and they (yea, myself included) frown on tourists violating the unwritten etiquette rules of riding the train.

I think this would have worked differently if he had decided to play around lunch. It would still be busy enough, but the passengers wouldn’t be in the commute mindset.