Friday, April 13, 2007

Pearls Before Breakfast

Ever since I read this article in the Washington Post (thanks Calandria for the link!) I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Joshua Bell, one of the world's greatest violinists, posed as a street musician to see if he - and his Stradivarius - could stop busy Washington D.C. commuters on their way to work. What do you think happened? Read the article to find out and don't forget to watch the video clips as well.

2 comments:

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

The social psychologist in me can't help but wonder if they would have had better results if they'd staged five or so people to watch. I've seen similar experiments where people react only if other people are.

It would also be interesting if they compared using someone more well known to the general public and see who stops.

Code Yellow Mom said...

Also loved this article. The first guy that stopped was, interestingly, a member of my ward. :) I also liked that children were the other people who consistently wanted to stop and listen...It provoked an interesting discussion with my husband about knowing what is virtuous, lovely, etc...and if we always need someone else to tell us that's whatit is, and if we're willing to stop and pay attention when we see (hear) it...