An Experiment In Human Behavior

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold December morning. He played 6 Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that more than 1000 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 a 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 bill--then a woman threw money in the open lid of his violin case 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 three-year old boy. His mother hurried him along, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all of the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All of the parents without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six 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 he had stopped playing. No one applauded nor was there any recognition given.

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 three and one-half million dollars. Two days before his little experiment playing the violin in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats cost $100.

This was a true 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 setting for this test was in a common everyday environment at an inappropriate hour. One must ask this about us a society: 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 musician in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things in life are we missing?

I remember a talk given by President Packer where a man in a busy city heard a bird chirping but noticed that no one else was paying attention. So the man tossed a coin into the air and let it land on the pavement. All of the sudden there was silence as people stopped and looked for the coin that had dropped.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What is the most important message in the world today?

2. How can we pay attention to that message?

3. What is our responsibility toward others with the message?