Stop and Hear the Music

This is a video of Joshua Bell, a world class violinist, performing in a subway entrance in Washington, D.C. What makes this interesting to me is that you can see how few people stop to listen, even for a moment. Here is one of the most amazing violinists on the planet playing some of the most beautiful music ever composed and hardly anyone notices or cares.

I have mixed feelings about this video. I feel sad for people who don't take advantage of the opportunity to soak up some beauty in an otherwise hum-drum day. I feel bad for Joshua Bell because he is being ignored by so many people. I feel a little vindicated because when I play at some of my gigs, I get the feeling that nobody is listening and nobody cares even when I am playing my heart out...if they are not paying attention to Joshua Bell, then I don't have to take it so personally when they aren't paying attention to my music making!

At the end of the video, one lady who has been listening recognizes him and pays him a compliment. Joshua is thankful as it is one of the only times he is complimented all morning. He remarked later that the hardest thing to deal with was the silence after each song...no compliments...no applause...nothing...

Sometimes, when I am performing in hotel lobbies or at parties, I get the feeling that I am nothing more than a CD player with legs. The worst feeling is when I am performing and a party guest ends up backing up into me after standing in front of me with his back to me for several minutes. They then excuse themselves by telling me that they didn't know I was there! I am convinced that I become invisible sometimes. Musicians just aren't respected much in this society. I don't understand why and I don't think I ever will. In the meanwhile I continue to do the thing that is my purpose in life...play music...whether or not people are listening. RR