Stop and hear the music

People have reported that this Washington Post Magazine story made them cry, and with good reason. It's the tale of how virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell was virtually ignored by commuters when he posed as a street musician during morning rush hour.

After 45 minutes of playing heartbreakingly beautiful music on his 1713 vintage Stradivarius--the only instrument he will play--Bell had made $32.17. Only seven people had stopped to listen, at least for a minute; 27 had tossed in coins as they rushed past. This for man who commands $1,000 per minute and fills concert halls worldwide.

Sadly, Bell's most avid admirers that morning were children being dragged by the hand to daycare by harried parents, too pressed for time to let them stop and listen.

The Post videotaped the whole sorry ordeal and subjected Bell to a viewing. As if the experience hadn't been humiliating enough, reliving it mystified him. Bell says, "I'm surprised at the number of people who don't pay attention at all, as if I'm invisible. Because, you know what? I'm makin' a lot of noise!"

This story stuck with me because, though I'm not a commuter, I do take the BART into San Francisco and hear the performers at the stations. Sometimes, their music lifts my spirits and readies me for whatever meeting I'm attending. I'm sorry I never stop to listen, at least for a minute.

No performer should be made to feel invisible.

Comments

[Michelle]

I read this article about a month ago on the blog of a NYC subway musician ( www.SawLady.com/blog )
She made an interesting comment from a busker's point of view - very different from the WP deductions. Busking is an art form of its own. To get people to stop and listen on the street you need a different talent than that needed for a stage performance (even if the same music is performed at both occasions). It's an interestig point of view, I thought.