The scene: Washington D.C. Metro Station on a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about an hour. During that time, approximately two thousand (2,000) people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes: the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: a 3-year-old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid looked at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.

Several other children repeated this action.

Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes: the musician continues to play. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while.

About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.

He collected $32.

After 1 hour, the musician finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed, no one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions rose:

In a commonplace environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments… how many other things are we missing?

With budget cuts getting worse every day and class sizes getting bigger, how can we get to these kids and teach them what they need to know about survival?  The teachers can’t do it, they’re stuck with curriculum that must be taught and then tested.  The curriculum is old and for the most part outdated.  The teachers are underpaid and have no incentive to inspire. The kids are bored and don’t listen and as a result our drop out ratio is higher than ever.  This is our future folks – these kids will one day be running our country and making decisions that will affect a lot of us as we enter the later years of our lives.  If you think life is scary now – just wait!

I’ve been taught that when you see a challenge, find a solution.  So that’s what I’ve done.  I’ve created a series of “classes” to teach life skills to teens. I’ve been fortunate, in that I have found a way to relate to teenagers, and they to me. Coaching and mentoring these kids feeds my soul, but more importantly gives them a new outlook with which to face life.  I’m not saying that they’re all a mess, but there are way too many who are.  I realize this is pretty brutal, but then, the truth usually is.

It starts with self esteem.  Who are their role models?  Who do you think are their role models and why?  Is it Eminem and his rap or Tiger Woods and his focus?  Are they listening and doing, or just doing without listening?  Are they aware of consequences?  Do they care?  Do they know what a goal is?  If so, do they know how to set and reach it?  These are just the first few questions and answers that we dig into when I’m coaching.  What makes a teenager tick?  How can we motivate them to think and do something positive?

Teenage is a tough time, but we can help them to develop a sense of self and future goals.  They can learn to think, act and even accomplish things they never thought about.  One of my first students was a 16 year old high school mother with absolutely no self esteem or thoughts that she could accomplish anything other than just getting through school, and even that would be a first in her family of 14!  She grew into a confident, skilled, smart young woman and worked for me personally for 10 years!  I’m so proud of her and who she has become, the family she is raising and the life she is enjoying.

If we can work together to produce a better curriculum for life then that’s what we must do.

Contact me: Tish@talk2tish.com or Direct 310.822.1978

Let’s work together to create a better life for your kids!  I know we can do it!