Violin Buskers: Mystery Or Misunderstanding?
A young violin player and his father were at Walmart Wednesday afternoon, playing an orchestral rendition of John Legend’s “All Of You” as cars drove by on their way out of the Falmouth Mall.
An apparent increase in buskers, or musicians who play in public spaces for voluntary donations, has made Cape Cod residents hesitant to open their wallets after talks of it being a nationwide scam started to hit the news this past summer. The circulating theory was that these musicians were not actually playing the violin, but mimicking the necessary movements while a backing track, usually projected over a speaker, did all the real work. Reports of instances such as this one trickled into local news cycles across the country, and word soon spread that buskers had taken up camp all over Cape Cod and the South Shore.
This father-son pair had set themselves up on the grassy outskirts of the Walmart parking lot, next to a stop sign on the outlet road to Worcester Court. A handmade sign nearby explained that the young man’s father, who later identified himself as Aaron, lost his job and needs money to pay for food and rent.
The pair was not initially receptive to attempts to engage in conversation but, with the help of a translation app, they were able to share some of their story with the Enterprise.
Originally from Italy, Aaron—he would not give his last name—said that he worked as a bricklayer for about 20 years before losing his job amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequentially, their family thought that they would fare better in America and made the trip across the Atlantic after selling land and personal belongings to be able to afford the trip.
The father and son said that life in America as immigrants has been very hard, as they have “no right to work.” Aaron said he did not think America would be like this, and he wishes he had known what it was like before coming here with his family.
Busking has become their way of making ends meet. The son, who did not identify himself, explained that he has learned to play the violin by playing along to a backing track. Doing this, he said, helps him learn how to play better.
Aaron and his son repeatedly said that they mean no harm to anyone, nor are they trying to be a bother. They explained they came in search of a better life, and are simply trying to make ends meet in a country that they feel has not been receptive to them as immigrants.
While this circumstantial explanation may not apply to the nationwide increase in parking lot violinists, it does shed light on the situation as it stands in Falmouth. The mystery of the violin busker scam may not be a mystery at all; it might just be a misunderstanding.