A friend sent me this great Washington Post article (it's called "Pearls before Breakfast"--you probably have to register to see it, so I'll summarize). Joshua Bell, one of the greatest--and certainly most popular--living classical violinists, tried an experiment one January morning during rush hour in a Washington DC metro station. He put on a baseball cap, took out his $3.5 million-dollar-Stradivarius, set out the case for tips, and started to play. He played for 45 minutes, some of the most demanding solo violin masterpieces, just to see who would listen. The music director of the National Symphony Orchestra predicted that, out of 1000 people, maybe 40 would stop, and he'd make a hundred bucks.
Out of over 1000 people, seven people stopped, only one recognized him, and he made about 32 bucks (he can make up to $1000 per minute for a performance). Now, some might say that this is because classical music has ceased to be relevant. But if you read the article, this doesn't seem to be the case--those who did stop weren't necessarily classical music fans; they simply listened, and could sense that this was no ordinary street performer--this was something that spoke to them. Every child that passed wanted to stop, even tried to stop and listen, but were pushed onward by adults. Most people, it seems, were too busy, in too much of a hurry; one person didn't even notice there had been a musician there at all, even after walking about four feet away from Bell--he'd been listening to his Ipod.
So, this experiment, yet again, proves to me how easy it is to be sidetracked by mundanity--getting to the next place, accomplishing the next errand, surviving. What else are we missing, I wonder?
Another diamond: The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. SO fun! Take your kids! But not this week--it's spring break--and probably not in the morning. (I'm told after 1:30 is best. It was crazy crowded because of a special bubble exhibit.) There's a very fun exhibit there now called Sesame Street: the Body in which kids can wreak havoc in Hooper's store, hang out with Elmo in a crayon-drawn house, and play with Oscar's disgusting model of the digestive system. Throughout the museum the exhibits are high-tech; kids can play on a laser harp, experience hurricanes and earthquakes, play virtual volleyball on a green screen, and walk though a dinosaur. There are four or five areas specifically for under-five-year-olds. We probably won't go back until Dangerboy is almost three, because he'll appreciate more of it then, but he had a blast this time. Exhibits switch around regularly too--in summer there's a pirate one, and in the fall, one on mummies.
The picture, Street Musicians, is by William Henry Johnson.
4 comments:
I enjoyed the "Pearls" article--I came across it yesterday from a friend. How amazing! I just loved watching the videos that accompany the article, too. :)
Having lived in DC, I'm scared to ask myself whether or not I would have been one of those seven people! I'm sure I would recognize the severe increase in 'local' talent, but it's amazing what a harried schedule does to perspective. :D
as a rabid iPod listener (i call it my fortress of solitude because it blocks out everyone else's inane conversations) i can tell you that i always stop to check out street musicians. plus, i'd have totally recognized him.
and sometime i'll have to blog about my all-time favorite street music experience in a smallish city in the west of ireland with an asian man playing guitar and singing blues songs, many from a favorite movie of mine. it was classic.
i fell in love with buskers in london. i don't think i'd ever even known street musicians existed before that (thanks to the anaesthetized suburban community i grew up in; and costa mesa isn't even as bad as irvine and the newer cities). but in london they were everywhere. i loved the bagpipe player who showed up in full scottish regalia to play in picadilly circus--you could hear him above the traffic for blocks. and the string quartet i sat and listened to at covent gardens--one of the violinists had red stripes angling down the sides of his bleached blond hair to a green star at the back. when a child came up to put money in his case, he dropped to his knee and played for that child. and then there was the slighly disturbing sylvester the cat saxophonist who played in the same tube station. in boston i loved the man who regularly played the saw in harvard square.
one of the many reasons i have no desire to stay in SoCal and every desire to make my way back to a city someday.
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