The Washington Post has an article on a fascinating experiment they conducted on January 12th with the help of acclaimed classical violinist Joshua Bell. Placing Mr. Bell with his multi-million dollar Gibson ex Huberman Stradivari violin in a Washington D.C. Metro (subway) station as a busker playing for pocket change the Post’s reporter secretly taped the reactions of passer-bys. Would they recognize Bell’s musical expertise and stay and listen or would he be unnoticed?
Before the experiment, a music expert, the music director of the National Symphony Orchestra estimated that 35 to 40 people out of the 1,000 or so would pass by in an hour would recognize Bell’s quality and stay and listen. However in fact nearly nobody stopped to listen and most people later interviewed by reporters under the guise of a story on transit did not even realize there was a violinist at the station.
Not counting $20 from the sole person who recognized him, Bell made $32.17.
Before the people of Washington DC are labelled Philistines it should be noted that people in a subway station are typically are time constrained and just want to get through the station as fast as possible. A think there would have been a different reaction if Bell played in a park or city square.