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This is a fictional account based on a true event that exposes questions
around music and value, and reminds us to reclaim our sense of
curiosity and inquiry, that came so naturally with childhood. The event
was when (on January 12, 2007) one of the best violinists in the world,
Joshua Bell, dressed as a regular street musician played his priceless
violin to a busy metro station in Washington D.C. for 43 minutes. Only
seven out of thousands of people stopped to listen for more than a
minute. This is a violinist that fills concert halls with $100 seats. In
the post script of this story about a little boy who tries to get his
mother to stop and listen to the music that has ignited passion and
emotion inside of him; Bell confirms that it is true to his experience,
in that it was the kids "who were turning their heads, straining to
listen while their parents dragged them away". Building off this idea of
kids curious and imaginative nature, we all should ask questions of
ourselves about our own willingness to absorb true lessons and moments
of undefined beauty. Defining and finding those important moments and
values all around us, demands we listen more. This book would make a
beautiful read aloud for any music teacher and is a must have on any
mentor text set around music. I am pleased that this event (which I
first heard about on Facebook) is in picture book form. Bravo to the
author and illustrator for validating the intellectual and critical
thinking skills of young readers and listeners. A story that needed to
be told in this platform.
I remember reading this story online! The article I read stated that Joshua Bell's seats sometimes fetched up to $300 per seat, yet no one really acknowledged him on the metro. I will have to add this book to my book list. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Mai
Diary of a Grumpy Teacher