Weekly Reading: Joshua Bell

The reading that spoke the most to me was the one on Joshua Bell. I really liked how Weingarten introduced Bell by providing details about Bell's whereabouts, dress, and object in his possession-- a violin, instead of just stating his name. The author approaches his subject, Bell, in a somewhat formal and less frequently thought of manner and thus his approach is compelling. This reading spoke to me because I am a musician myself and like Bell, I am used to playing in front of large audiences who are knowledgeable about music. Bell’s choice to play music on his violin in a Metro station was quite audacious because the responses from his listeners could have been very negative and discouraging. Later on in the article when Weingarten writes that Bell had to sell his Stradivari violin I was troubled because it is a very coveted instrument.

Perhaps an important point that we can all take away from this article is: no matter who we are, we can share our joy with others regardless of the setting.