Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Stop and notice the roses
Spiced Sass, another site always worth visiting, wrote about an experiment in observation in which renowned violinist Joshua Bell set up outside a subway and played the violin. The idea was to see whether hasty commuters would notice and stop to listen, or not.

A couple of years ago, as I was going from my train to my office through Grand Central Station, I heard the strains of a violin. I moved to the center of the big hall and there was an artist-shirted young man playing something rousing and fabulous, very energetically. The music was simply extraordinarily. What made the time listening to him even better was that there were at least a hundred people gathered around, all entranced, all delighted. These were commuters and travelers so there were people of every hue and age. It was superb. Many coins and bills were given and much joy was received. So, yes, sometimes some people do stop and listen.

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Permalink | | posted by jau at 12:37 PM


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Blogger Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk — at 10:10 AM, April 18, 2007:
In the London tube stations as well, Anne, though people are in a hurry but if there is music they like being played and many buskers are pretty cool, they'll drop coins, wave, call out a word, smile or something. Londoners although moving like rockets during the peak hours, can be an appreciative lot. And they're often an interested audience on the long escalators going down, where the buskers play.
 

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Blogger jau — at 10:25 AM, April 18, 2007:
I lived and worked there for two separate times, about 8 weeks each, and remember very fondly all the musicians in the tube stations. And the llloooonnnnggg escalators in some, such as Tottenham Court (and the "fun" of walking many stairs when they broke!). And you're right that the commuters, though rushed, were appreciative. Thanks for reviving that memory for me!
 

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