5 comments on “Pearls Before Breakfast

  1. There is a great response to the Joshua Bell article by a NYC subway musician in her blog: http://www.SawLady.com/blog
    She interprets the situation differently from the Washington Post reporters… I thought you might find it interesting.

  2. If art and music are not appreciated, then the creation of it is one-sided. The journalists who put this all together wanted to remind us how disconnected we are as we pursue value in work, rather than find value in what we do when beauty, in musicians and aritists, cries out for give and take.

    Reminds me of the pain and regret God felt in Genesis 6:6. We are numb to the goings-on in the first chapter of Genesis, as well as most of what happened before it was put on paper by a human hand.

  3. I’ve always had a soft spot for street performers. Any guy on the street working to get strangers to take a look and toss in some coins. I’ve always felt for them. It’s not a bad thing, but my parents (I’m 13), always in a rush, would either tell me to not look at all (and therefore not be obliged to “pay”), or just throw in a buck or two to ease the guilt. They were always in a hurry.

    In Europe, we would often to out around 8 p.m., and hang out on the streets of Barcelona. Everyone was there. Portrait painters, street musicians, magicians, everyone. I always tried to stop and listen to the musicians. I’d always wonder if they were doing this as an alternative to other kinds of work, or for whatever other reason. I’d wonder who they are, where they came from, and where they studied. Then I’d put in some money.

    What world are we in when we can’t stop for a few minutes and take time to appreciate these little concerts on the street? Music has been around for, well, let’s just put it this way: a LONG, LONG, LONG time. It has served a billion purposes. We all know it and we all use it. Each song, each piece is a work of art. It can be a simple melody to a dance and it can be the starting point of a new culture.

    I’ve thought about what would happen if I could sharpen up my musical skills (I’m only 13, but I can play piano, violin, concert drums, acoustic guitar, clarinet, and flute) and take it out to the streets. I’d love to try an experiment such as the one that Bell has done.

    These things make me sad, though. I don’t know if I could stand it. I guess I just don’t get people.

  4. Reading what Lauren wrote makes me happy, seeing someone young and greatly interested in art brings my hopes up.

    I’m no musician; I’ve only played the Clarinet for a few years, and stopped in middle school. But I am an artist; I’ve loved art at an extremely young age, and pursued a dream to be an artist since I was 7 I believe.

    Lauren brings many points to mind, art here has become unappreciated. I wondered into many home of friends and family and have seen no artwork anyplace, have herd no music that has endured centuries of time. Have seen no true spirit of art placed anywhere in their home.

    I have seen inside of buildings and have never felt beauty around me, no one to stop and wander about a painting or portrait upon a wall. I’ve stopped for a moment in the hall at school to gaze upon beautiful works more than once from other students…and notice that no one else would look upon them.

    It pains me to see this. What I see is a world that cannot notice wonderful things around them or will not notice them…and I am heartbroken…

    I only wish that the world may someday stop to look and listen to the beautiful things around us, to simply sit at a bench and listen to the symphony of the morning birds chirping. The colorful ripple in a lake as the sunlight splashes upon the water.

    I know I’ve made beautiful things with my hands, and with each one born, I yearn for people to stop and notice them, and at the vary most complement them…

    I finally understand the fraise “It takes one to know one” and I’m saddened by this more. It tells us that to understand another, we must know within ourselves the same thing, and when we don’t it becomes less valuable to us.

    The years of practice it takes to perfect the sound of a violin with your own hands is something I’ve some to understand, because much in the same way, it took years of practice in drawing a single line to beautiful picture with my own hands. Thus I’ve come to look at art in many form with awe, and appreciate the artists all the more.

    I hope that one day; we may look upon things, with equal appreciation.

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