In a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.
He 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 three 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.
After four minutes, the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the box and continued to walk.
At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At ten minutes, 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.
At 45 minutes, the musician played on. Only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About twenty gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected $32.00.
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. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.00.
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 and appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
