[Dixielandjazz] Smell the Roses/ Hear the Music

[billsharp]

>
> thought you fellow musicians might appreciate this... new to me, but 
> perhaps posted before, because who could pass up posting such an 
> interesting story [2007]
>
>  
>
> A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the 
> violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for 
> about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was 
> calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of 
> them on their way to work.
>
>
> Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician 
> playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then 
> hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist 
> received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and 
> without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone 
> leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his 
> watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
>
>
> The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother 
> tagged him along, hurried but 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. All the parents, without exception, forced 
> them to move on.
>
>
> In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and 
> stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk 
> their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and 
> silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there 
> any recognition.
>
> 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 dollars. Two days before 
> his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston 
> and the seats average $100.
>
>
> 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 priorities of people. The 
> outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: 
> Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize 
> the talent in an unexpected context?
>
>
> One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
>
> If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best 
> musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many 
> other things are we missing?
>
> This was a pulitzer prize-winning story.  Confirmed;    
> http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp

Bill Sharp
"Due to a lack of properly trained trumpeters, the end of the world has 
been postponed."