Would you have stopped?

[JenniferL]

The Washington Post recently asked a world famous violinist to play classical masterpieces in a Washington DC subway station. It was sort of an experiment to see whether or not people would stop and notice artistic beauty.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

[goldeneyes05]

most definitly :D

[JenniferL]

I like to think that I would have stopped. I used to ride the subway every day in Atlanta. We don't have many street performers here, but I always liked it when there was one. But I can totally see how people would be so busy and focused on getting to work that they would ignore the performance.

[BenTGaidin]

It doesn't suprise me... *wry grin*

 

And I probably wouldn't have stopped, if only because I'm usually not out places unless I'm going somewhere specific. I'd probably start humming along with the music as I passed, though. *laughs*

[Lanthirrhos]

LOL! same as Ben there... If I was going to loiter... I'd stay at home... so uness I was just walking... wouldn't have stopped...

[Vemynal]

pending the clthing i probably woulda tossed a quarter

[Zardi]

It's unlikely I would have stopped. I'm not a huge violin fan, to be honest, whether the violinist is famous or not. I may have stopped for a cello, though :P

[goldeneyes05]

he was a good violinist i listened the the 40 some odd minute performance but it was good

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

I may or may not stop.. But i would certainly close my eyes for a moment and imagined myself elsewhere... :)

 

Music can be enjoyed at any moment, moving or not. :)

[Niamh Sedai]

That's such a cool idea :D

 

I probably wouldn't have stopped if I was going somewhere specific but if I just ambled by I probably would. It would depend on the piece of music being played at the time!

[DeathDealer]

I've heard him play before. I wouldn't have recognized him, but I would have stopped. Had I been on my way to work, I'd have called out, then called my wife and friends to come watch and listen.

[Talya]

I probably would have gone straight on. Unless I wasn't in a hurry. Saying that though if I like the music I would have donated, I prefer it to getting hastled to buy 'the big issue'

[Crossword Genius]

lol I would never have stopped, not because of the music, but because of all the people, gah metro, althought i should be used to it, I do own a bmw (bus metro walk)

[Ihsara]

I generally don't stop for subway performers, regardless of what instrument (violin, guitars, flutes, etc) but if I like the music, I tend to slow down (depending on my time constraints)

[Shamaeso]

I would have rolled him, taken his money and violin, sell it and go get me Ice Cream...

 

But that is just me /smirk

[JenniferL]

So does anyone think this is an elitest article? That the writer was judging people for not stopping? Here we had a world class muscian (that we don't recognize), playing master works (that aren't the typical "famous" pieces that everyone knows), on a fancy violin for people who aren't trained to recognize any of it. The organizers of the experiment were completely shocked by the non-reaction. Is it fair of them to judge people like that?

[Shamaeso]

that is how society has degraded..the percentage of people who look outside the tunnel vision is lower and lower each year...

[BenTGaidin]

It does seem like it has a bit of an elitist slant... Especially since it sounds they were only polling people who they'd noticed noticing. It's hard to say what everyone else thought of it. (And it did seem that they were judging people as "not interested" for not stopping; but since all of them presumably had other things they were _also_ doing...)

 

What I'd really be interested in is knowing what exactly he was playing, so that I can listen to them myself, and see what I'd think. *grins*

[Silver]

i'm pretty sure i wouldn't have stopped. never been a big fan of the violin with the exception of one or two pieces. plus i would probably would have been late like i usually am :P

[Shamaeso]

well if he could do RockyTop and Foggy Mountin Breakdown i would have listened before i rolled him and took his violin for ice cream money...i am broke after buying my AS all this silk for dresses...

[safireskygal]

there is no stopping

[Guest Karana Majin]

*stares aghast*

 

Well, I must be elitist, then. I was in tears several times during the article thinking about all these people passing this by, talking louder on their cell phones.

 

I would have stopped, no question. I have stopped for every street musician I have ever come across. I only give money if I think they are good, though. If we can't take 2 minutes out of our day to stop and look around, why do we even have days? How many of you go to art museums?

 

I'd like to pose another discussion question, Kat, if I may. What do you think of the fact that every single child wanted to stop? When my daughter was little, we were in Chapel Hill, and we stopped and listened to a street violinist for 15 minutes. She was enthralled. What have we, as adults, lost when we have lost that sense of whimsy and wonder?

[JenniferL]

Actually, I'm glad you brought that up. I had the same thought myself. I thought it was the saddest part of the article. These little kids instinctively knew that what they were listening to was special, but their parents hustled them away. I wonder how many of those same parents will shell out later for expensive music lessons and "cultural experiences" when they could have gotten the same thing for free if they'd just allowed themselves to be ten minutes late that day?

[safireskygal]

Its sad, but when i visited new york they were everywehre, i ended up spending 50$ just giving out money on my trip...i'm glad i did it but....the thought of people haveing to do that everyday makes me so sad....there is no stopping....once you start you just have to keep giving out money because i don't know....pity....sympathy, awe? who knows?>