Pull up a chair.

Hi Ali. I just saw this web site and immediately thought of you. From everything I've read on your blog, I think you'll like this.
http://www.miniature-earth.com/
Aftery you get to the site, click English and then watch. It's very moving and thought-provoking.

Thanks for always sharing your great finds with us!

Isn't that wonderful? It was posted on a music therapy listserv I'm on... breaks my heart that people could pass such beautyf, and at the same time, it totally reaffirms what I'm doing teaching elementary music. ;-)

wow. Just love that. Thank you for sharing!

"Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."
That line made me very very sad.

wow...what an amazing story.

TFS Ali, that is so very thought provoking and quite saddening for sure. Sue

I feel so sad. How much have I not noticed? How many times have I scooted my child away? Wow. Therese

Thank you for sharing this. An eye opening reminder to all to stop and smell the roses.

this is fabulous. thanks so much for sharing - something definitely to share with my colleagues in music ed!
i love joshua bell - i don't know that i would have recognized his face, but i do know that i'm not the type who is able to completely ignore such beauty in music! 1000+ people! amazing.

It is for times like this I thank God for my children who both love music. My youngest is 4 and he in particular has a real passion for it. I think I would have stopped to let him listen. I doubt I would have recognised or realised anything myself. So grateful for this timely reminder. Thanks Ali!

i read this a bit ago and was just astounded, though not really surprised. very sad, to be honest. but at the same time, everyone is so used to putting their blinders on and just moving forward that it's like coralling cattle.

Thank you, Ali for sharing this. I knew from the moment I started reading this article, the exact outcome of this "stunt". Having been a street musician for almost twenty years, I understand the street and the people in it better than most. Some of the most divine talent and skill I have ever encountered has actually been on the street, and as you would guess; they are mostly ignored. The word "ghosts" was used in describing the bypassers, and it saddens me; the truth of that description saddens me. We have a profound ability as human beings to block out anything we don´t wish to see. We not only ignore divine expression like that of Bell in the article, we also walk by a dying junkie in the same manner. I am very, very greatful for the lessons I have recieved in singing on the streets, it has made me a BETTER person. As a human race, we belong together, we are bound together, and are here to learn about love, compassion, apreciation and mindfulness. Yet, so many of us choose to walk blindly through the vastness and the beauty of a day, of a "here & now". What actually happened to those more than thousand people walking by? They missed a gift. They were not open to recieve. It is sad for THEM, not for BELL. Maybe we are busy, but there is always time to aknowledge the world around us as we move through it.
Thank you again, Ali - the ripple effect of your inspired and awake nature is probably greater than you might think! PEACE.

i feel quite strongly to respond to this in a strange way - the way in which i was touched by this article/video.
Whilst its appalling that passersby didnt take heed of the opportunity to absorb that outstanding piece of music in its entirity I reacted by likening this incident to the hundreds of amazing pieces of artwork uploaded to two peas that go by unnoticed nor anyone leaving the praise the artwork deserve. i know that is a like a random, off tangent comparison but this kind of behaviour is apparent everyday.
We pass a child being scolded by his parent on the street, we ignore the tramp begging for a coin to buy coffee, we dont notice a new store oppning UNTIL some other kind, observant soul points it out. That is when the hype starts and heads turn. It takes one person to shout it from the roof tops - the kind of free advertising we all NEEd to get off our butts and take notice.
There is so much to see and do but so little time to do it. It seems we have become reliant on our chosen media (email,favourite web haunts, newspapers) to direct us to such wonders rather than going out and discovering for ourselves. Perhaps we can reflect on that and start taking in the little details instead of our urgent often meaningless agenda's xx

I read this article a few days ago - amazing. People passing by Joshua Bell playing on a Stradivarius no less. Loved the last two people who stopped though!

Hi Ali -
Yes I read this today on Jody's blog as well. Really makes you stop and think. By the way - love your blog and all your scrap pages. You are an inspiration. You can check out my blog at www.songofstorms.com/blog.

Thanks Jodi and Ali for sharing this story--quite moving and thought provoking--and in a world that is full of hustle bustle--it makes you stop and think about what is happening around you--we should stop and appreciate the beauty--no matter what form it may take!!
thanks again,
april

at work now, can't wait to get home so I can watch the video. what an amazing article, thanks so much, Ali. really makes me want to promise myself to let my 2 1/2 year old 'stop and stare' when we are out and about...to not rush so much, as is our habit of doing. see you in Detroit TOMORROW!! Can't wait! :)

WOW. How many things have I not noticed in my life? How sad. I hope from here on out, I'll be more observant.

How real this quote:
"life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us"
That our society at large has become blind and numb to the beauty and tragedy that daily surrounds us is frightening.
This is a great reminder to walk through each day with eyes wide open and ears attuned to our surroundings so that our senses and emotions can tingle with the every day gifts of life.