PERCEPTION

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk..

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is 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 people's priorities.. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Angelica and Ashlie who each completed her first practice card. They each got to choose a prize from the prize box. Good Work Girls!!!

It should only take 3 weeks to complete the card. Otherwise, something is very wrong.....(:
Either you are not practicing enough or you are not marking your card.

Fun Concerts to Attend

There are two upcoming Concerts in the Park I think you might enjoy going to. They are free of charge and very fun to attend. They are at the Brigham Young Historical Park, located on the southeast corner of State Street and Second Avenue. The first one is on Friday, August 21st and is a group called Shilaylee. This is a blend of Celtic, Bluegrass, Early American and EnglishTunes. The next one is on Friday, August 28th and is a wonderful group called Fire on the Mountain. They play folk, bluegrass and do comedy. Start time is 7:30 p.m for both. There are some chairs, but you might want to bring a blanket to sit on the lawn.

Fantastic Fiddlers Annual Fiddle Program

Our annual fiddle program is still scheduled for Monday, August 31st at 6:30 PM. Many of our students have been gone over the summer, so we will need to work very hard to brush up on our fiddle numbers. We will have 13 numbers on our program. Now is the time in invite anyone you would like, especially Grandparents so that they keep this evening open. We will be celebrating the songs that make up America!

A beautiful poem

This poem was in my sister's funeral program:

"An old friend, my violin, Still lies within it's case,
And at times I take it out To play and reminisce.
The joy of life it brought to me As I picked up that precious bow,
And o'er the strings did play the songs, That were the best to know.
My problems seemed to dwindle, My thoughts went high above,
When the music flowed so gently, In tender tonelike love.
There's nothing else can take it's place, The music of this world,
To bring that special joy of life, To unloose and to unfurl.