Presence

In Washington, D.C. on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin performed six pieces by Bach at a Metro Station. He played for 45 minutes, unnoticed by thousands of people rushing to work.

This unexpected performance became one of the most famous social experiments on awareness and perception.

What actually happened during the experiment?

After about 3 minutes, a middle aged man briefly noticed the music but continued walking.

At the 4 minute mark, the violinist received his first tip,  a woman tossed a dollar into the case without stopping.

6 minutes in, a young man leaned against the wall, listening for a moment before checking his watch and leaving.

At 10 minutes, a 3 year old boy stopped to watch, captivated. His mother pulled him along quickly. This scene repeated itself: children noticed, adults didn’t.

The outcome: What did people see?

In total, over 1,000 people passed by. Only six stopped to listen. About 20 gave money with just $32 in total. No applause. No recognition when he stopped playing.

The twist: Who was the violinist?

The man was none other than Joshua Bell, one of the world’s most accomplished violinists. He played some of the most complex classical music ever written on a $3.5 million Stradivarius violin.

Just two days earlier, he performed to a sold out crowd in Boston where tickets averaged $100.

This event was organized as a social experiment by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post, who later won a Pulitzer Prize for the article that followed.

Why this matters for continuous improvement

Awareness. Presence. Perception. These are essential traits for anyone working with continuous improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma.

Are you fully aware of what's happening around you? Do you notice valuable insights when they emerge in unexpected places?

And most importantly,  are you present enough to act on what truly matters?