HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT 2011

WINSTON-SALEM -- Award-winning composer Alan Menken gave college graduates of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) advice for the future in what he called his version of "Graduation for Dummies."

"Ever notice how some very accomplished people start sentences by saying 'Of course, I may not know very much but in my modest opinion...'? I used to wonder if they were really being modest or whether they were cleverly disarming the room before exerting their power," Menken said.

"But now I believe something else is going on," he continued.  "They really are dumb -- well, dumb like a fox.  There's a lot of power in embracing your inner dummy."

Menken’s “Graduation for Dummies” book contains 10 chapters. His “table of contents” included: Listen to Your Gut, Pursue What You’re Most Passionate About, Embrace Your Limitations and Your Fears, Take the First Step, Don’t Be Afraid to Imitate, Get Out of Your Own Way, Listen to Your Inner Voice, Don’t Attach Yourself to Results, Do Not Fall in Love With Your Own Work, and Don’t Be Afraid to Be the Only Dummy in the Room.  

Among his advice:

From Chapter 4: “Imagine that your best work is like hidden treasure, buried somewhere underground. You can’t just reach in a grab it. You have to dig, inch by inch. Eventually you will get there. And, the best part is that you’ll be finding all kinds of treasure on the way there. And you’ll find out that it all was much more about the pleasure of digging than reaching the ultimate treasure. The real treasure is learning to enjoy the process.”

From Chapter 6: “We are a conduit for ideas and emotions. We are blessed with the ability to access the great river of the human spirit through our work. Our job is to decide how to direct and mold the flow in a specific way that serves a greater purpose. But we never can stop that flow or call it our own. Your power as a creator is entirely dependent on serving the greater need of story or character. The less, in your mind, it is about you, the more powerful your creation will be. Turn on the faucet. Let it flow. Guide it with your hands as it moves on. But never try to hold onto it or own it.”

From Chapter 8: “You are building a career that is defined by the totality of all the work you create and those you have influenced. No single work can define you, whether others label it a success or a failure; whether it has made you a fortune or not one penny. Your success is determined by whether you followed through on your own intentions and stayed true to your commitments. You can only be responsible for what you put out there, not what happens after.”

To read the complete text of Menken's address, download here. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Menken received an honorary doctorate at the ceremony, which was held May 28 at UNCSA's Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem. 

He closed the ceremony with an 18-minute medley of his best-known works, which received a rousing reception.

Alan Menken has eight Oscars, 10 Grammys (including Song of the Year for “A Whole New World”), and seven Golden Globes.

He composed the music for such classic Disney films as TANGLED, ENCHANTED, HERCULES, HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, POCAHONTAS, ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LITTLE MERMAID. He is nominated for a TONY AWARD for Sister Act, which opened on Broadway in April.

He recently received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1982 Menken and Howard Ashman wrote Little Shop of Horrors, the highest-grossing off-Broadway musical of all time, the film adaptation of which resulted in Menken’s first Oscar nomination for “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space.”

One-hundred and eighteen high school students graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on May 28.

Also at the ceremony, UNCSA Ladies in Arts Senior Essay Winner Kira Kaplan presented her winning essay.

Scenes from the day follow.

UNCSA Ladies in Arts Senior Essay Winner Kira Kaplan takes a picture of the audience at the beginning of her speech.

UNCSA Chancellor John Mauceri, right, introduces commencement speaker Alan Menken.

University Programs Dean Richard "Rick" Miller, as the genie of the Lamp for Disney's Aladdin, rises in a cloud of smoke to unveil the morning's diplomas.  Miller will retire this summer after 39 years at the School of the Arts.

New UNCSA high school graduates receive their diplomas.

Commencement speaker Alan Menken performs a medley of his best-known and award-winning music.

New graduates have their picture taken together outside the Stevens Center following the ceremony.

Photos by G. Allen Aycock