I passed a violinist in the Montreal subway the other day. I quickly wrote this person off, but then I thought I should reconsider.
I remembered the famous Joshua Bell experiment. Just a few days after playing a sold out audience in a symphony hall, Bell played for the passersby at a subway stop. No one cared. A few people threw in money, but for the most part, the “audience” was indifferent.
It was the same music, but what changed was their context. No one goes in the subway to hear the violin.
People go to a concert hall because it’s a promise that they will hear great music. When you pay $100 for a night out listening to the best violinist in the world, you know what you’re getting into. You look forward to it for months and by the time you arrive, you’re already gotten so much pleasure from the anticipation of the experience. So much pleasure comes from the context.
It’s easy for the promise to be fulfilled after so much build-up. Most people can’t tell the difference between exquisite violin and pretty good violin. Therefore, when you attend the concert, you’ll probably leave satisfied.
On the other hand, when you encounter a violinist in the subway, it’s difficult to judge the skill of the musician. What’s easy to see is the lack of context. Instead of a singular focus on a performer, this person looks just like the other musicians struggling to get by. Your mind is dominated by thoughts like, “If this musician were any good, why would they be playing in a subway?”
You didn’t pay any money to hear this person. You didn’t dress up for the occasion. You didn’t go to a nice dinner before your big night at the metro stop. You haven’t been looking forward to a subway violist for three months. Most of all, you’re in a huge rush to get to work.
There are a few ways to wrap this up. First, violin playing is fungible to most people. It sounds about the same coming from someone world-class and someone who is just a competent musician. But this idea applies to more than just violin. This applies to speeches, workshops, lessons, concerts, and much more. The context through which you come to an experience drastically alters your feelings about the experience itself.