WQXR.org: Juilliard School: Wynton Marsalis Gives Commencement Address

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=80&v=iPtWU3i0UHA

WQXR

May 25, 2018 · by Jennifer Gersten

The Juilliard School

Wynton Marsalis, the musician, composer, and managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, urged Juilliard’s class of 2018 to marshal themselves against “the greatest of all human enemies — myopia.” To be an artist is to undergo an “an anointing of sorts,” Marsalis explained — not an exemption from, but a reminder of one’s obligation to be kind. “As performers, you have the opportunity to be placed on a pedestal you don’t deserve. Never look down on people whose lives are lifted by talents and skills that are only partially your own making. They are you greatest allies and assets. They are the body you serve, from which you come, and whose spirit you are ordained to educate, entertain and enrich. Stay with the people. It doesn’t mean follow the people or give the people what they want — it means be with them and always strive to understand and listen for what people need. Human beings are the greatest technology you will ever encounter. And an act of kindness lasts forever in the memory of the recipient.