Queen of Hearts Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 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 theatre 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? Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 do you know how many people play music outside the metro stops? a bunch! AND it was january... i bet had it been a warmer day many more people would have listened ( i bet it would have been mostly tourists too). i also think had this been some precussion type music- again more people would have listened. i think people do enjoy and perceive art and beauty... just not when you have your thick skin on for dealing with metro situations- you leaarn to block things out and stay focused on what you have to accomplish- be it making that train to get to work on time; studying; or just listen to your mp3 player. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Queen of Hearts Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 The stations are not outside. Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 uhhh, yeah- they are! do you ride the metro often? i would think not. some are open air some are below ground. and the only places i have seen people play is on the sidewalk (the public right of way, not private property) before you actually get on the escalator down to the train. maybe the Post got to pull some strings and have this guy play inside the corridor... but i would think it would be too loud- everything echos in the subground stations Link to post Share on other sites
Author Queen of Hearts Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Way to miss the point of a thread! Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 do you know how many people play music outside the metro stops? a bunch! AND it was january... i bet had it been a warmer day many more people would have listened ( i bet it would have been mostly tourists too). i also think had this been some precussion type music- again more people would have listened. i think people do enjoy and perceive art and beauty... just not when you have your thick skin on for dealing with metro situations- you leaarn to block things out and stay focused on what you have to accomplish- be it making that train to get to work on time; studying; or just listen to your mp3 player. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this WAS my point..... and the fact the the Post funded this and they are spewing these "scientific facts" doesn't surprise me in the least. the point is- why would they assume no one cared about beautiful music because they were too busy to stop and "smell the roses"?? it's a crap hypothesis- and how do we know that half of the people that walked by were not listening to joshua bell on their ipods??? Link to post Share on other sites
Stockalone Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 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? My interest in, and as a consequence my knowledge of music, is very limited. I didn't even know who Joshua Bell is. Then you also have people who like music, but don't care much for classical music. I think it's fair to assume that people like me and those who don't like classical music would probably not stop to listen to a musician who plays Bach in the subway. Especially during rush hour. Plenty of people need to get to work on time, so they can't stop even if they thought the guy is good. Others take their kids to a doctor's appointment, some have to get to a business meeting and can't afford to be late either. I have stopped to listen to street musicians when I liked what they were playing AND if I had time to spare. Also, IMO a subway station is not very suited for it. Even if you stop to listen, there is still too much hectic life around you. Hundreds of people are coming and going. There is a lot of background noise that surely disturbs the music. That alone would be reason enough for me not to stop. And as always, beauty lies in the eyes (or in this case the ears) of the beholder. Particularly if we are talking about art. People pay millions for art that I think is hideous. And not everyone likes the same music. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Queen of Hearts Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 I guess I am the only one here that is moved by classical music.... Silly me. Link to post Share on other sites
anne1707 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I guess I am the only one here that is moved by classical music.... Silly me. As a sucker for Chopin, I can assure you that you are not alone I do understand what you are saying and agree that we all miss so much of what is going on around us. Perception and attention are so much in demand by all that is going on around us that the brain does start to "cut out" extraneous details - sounds bad but we are all cognitive misers when it comes down to it. Necessary to allow us to function. Link to post Share on other sites
Stockalone Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 (edited) I guess I am the only one here that is moved by classical music.... Silly me. It's not silly. Besides, I am just as ignorant when it comes to other music. There is also some classical music that I like. But I do prefer orchestral music instead of soloists. In my case, I would have walked by Joshua Bell without giving it a second thought. And I also don't feel like I would have missed anything important by doing so. I might have stopped for a bunch of guys with pan flutes playing "el condor pasa". Edited October 16, 2009 by Stockalone Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I guess I am the only one here that is moved by classical music.... Silly me. i love classical music... and that is not even the point of this thread. I think it's fair to assume that people like me and those who don't like classical music would probably not stop to listen to a musician who plays Bach in the subway. Especially during rush hour. Plenty of people need to get to work on time, so they can't stop even if they thought the guy is good. Others take their kids to a doctor's appointment, some have to get to a business meeting and can't afford to be late either. I have stopped to listen to street musicians when I liked what they were playing AND if I had time to spare. Also, IMO a subway station is not very suited for it. Even if you stop to listen, there is still too much hectic life around you. Hundreds of people are coming and going. There is a lot of background noise that surely disturbs the music. That alone would be reason enough for me not to stop. exactly... Link to post Share on other sites
sadintexas Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I get it and agree. Yesterday I was walking home with my kids from my parents' house after dinner (they live a couple hundred yards away from us). I was looking ahead not thinking of anything and my daughter says "look mom". There was a beautiful cloud reflecting the sun going down and was just glowing pink. It really was pretty to see. I'm focused on getting where I'm going and she was enjoying the walk home taking in everything around her. Made me think Link to post Share on other sites
New Again Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I just skimmed this...and it's something to think about. One of my first thoughts, however, is when I ride the metro or the T, I'm on my way somewhere. I don't necessarily have time to stand around and listen to music, no matter how fantastic I may think it is. Second, just on a side note, many fantastic musicians play at the T in Boston...and many people are aware of that, and appreciate it...but the fact remains that the T is frequented by people who are traveling somewhere, and presumably on some kind of schedule, even if it's only the train's schedule. Link to post Share on other sites
knaveman Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 One of my first thoughts, however, is when I ride the metro or the T, I'm on my way somewhere. I don't necessarily have time to stand around and listen to music, no matter how fantastic I may think it is. I think this was the point of the whole experiment. We are always too busy or too into something else. We can't schedule the beauty and wonder of life to fit our hectic schedules and the more we are concerned with those schedules the less beauty and wonder we find time to enjoy. The world doesn't stop to fit into our lives, perhaps we need to stop our lives to fit the world into it. We only get one world and one life so why not enjoy them before it's too late? Link to post Share on other sites
NSW768 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 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? interesting thought Link to post Share on other sites
Tayla Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 interesting thought I second that, and the irony in all this is the interesting comments that were displayed. Each one (poster) told a story of their perception and that told a tale of the person themselves. How remarkably interesting people can be Link to post Share on other sites
New Again Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I think this was the point of the whole experiment. We are always too busy or too into something else. We can't schedule the beauty and wonder of life to fit our hectic schedules and the more we are concerned with those schedules the less beauty and wonder we find time to enjoy. The world doesn't stop to fit into our lives, perhaps we need to stop our lives to fit the world into it. We only get one world and one life so why not enjoy them before it's too late? I get the "stop and smell the roses" thing, but an experiment like that can't offer any kind of conclusive statement, or even a solid argument. Maybe you could say this if they played in other locations as well, and maybe even depending on what time(s) he (they?) played. But come on, people have to work. Link to post Share on other sites
knaveman Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I get the "stop and smell the roses" thing, but an experiment like that can't offer any kind of conclusive statement, or even a solid argument. Maybe you could say this if they played in other locations as well, and maybe even depending on what time(s) he (they?) played. But come on, people have to work. You can't spare a couple of moments to enjoy some beautiful music? What is most telling is that so many people don't see why it's important to take a moment from the daily routine. Just a moment. Most don't seem able to do even that. I, for one, don't want any of the "things" in life if it means having to ignore the world and all it's life. If I'm late for work because I stopped to listen to some music then so be it. Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 You can't spare a couple of moments to enjoy some beautiful music? What is most telling is that so many people don't see why it's important to take a moment from the daily routine. Just a moment. Most don't seem able to do even that. I, for one, don't want any of the "things" in life if it means having to ignore the world and all it's life. If I'm late for work because I stopped to listen to some music then so be it. it's not even that.... lets say i do stop and 'enjoy the music'- then i would feel bad if i didn't give the guy money. i am capable of listen as i am walking. Link to post Share on other sites
New Again Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 it's not even that.... lets say i do stop and 'enjoy the music'- then i would feel bad if i didn't give the guy money. i am capable of listen as i am walking. Pretty much The acoustics are so good in subways that you can hear people who are playing pretty much anywhere in there. In fact, a lot of times you're more likely to hear them than to see them, unless you happen to walk by. Link to post Share on other sites
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