So Joshua Bell walks into a subway station ...

Jodie weighs in thoughtfully on the much-publicized Joshua Bell busking experiment. Personally, when I read the article I felt that the results were utterly predictable. Some of my fellow-students who have busked in the Toronto and Montreal transit systems have gone on to become respected orchestral musicians and soloists ... perhaps not of Bell's fame and acclaim, but solid musicians nonetheless. Their recognition and earnings were no better or worse than Bell's, and some made quite decent money. I don't think the self-preoccupation of commuters rushing to work must be a sign of the demise of classical music or Culture In Our Society. See, for example, Alex Ross on the state of classical recordings now vs. 1988.