Four score and seven years ago n (pauses) n wait; this must be someone else’s speech. (Shuffles papers around.) Ah, here’s mine. Good afternoon, School Board members, Dr. Frick, Principal Ferry, faculty, teachers, counselors, families, and friends. On behalf of Holmen High School and the Class of 2008, it is my pleasure to welcome you to this year’s Commencement Ceremony (checks watch)…is it 2008 already? We are gathered here today to celebrate the achievements of over 250 seniors of Holmen High School. After over a decade of hard work and dedication to both academics and our activities, we’ve done it. We’re graduating. Yes, students, it’s that day. We know you’ve been aching to strut across the stage since first term, maybe even earlier, and it’s finally here. And yes, parents, it’s that day. Your sons and daughters are graduating. Already. No, it’s not tomorrow, it’s not next week, and it is most definitely not next year…it’s today. So please find the courage to loosen your grip, and let us out into the world. And should you shed tears in the process, let them be tears of joy, of memories, of hope.

Although we don’t use stones to mark miles anymore, I would still like to label this ceremony as one of the greatest milestones we students will see in life. It’s an end to high school, but also a beginning for us as we encounter new situations. That’s why we call it Commencement. For some, it is the beginning of our career. For others, graduation marks the beginning of another chapter of learning. And for this new beginning, this wondrous opportunity, we owe our gratitude to our proud parents, the benevolent (quotes) “staffulty” of the Holmen School District, and everyone else in life who has supported and encouraged us throughout our lives. We thank the people here with us today for sharing their love and knowledge with us because without that, none of us would be here today. Okay, maybe Jon Paudler in all his infinite greatness would be here…but not the rest of us. We hear these words of gratitude each year, and it may seem boring, predictable. For the staff, it’s because you know you’re doing an excellent job. For parents…well with your teenage kids, you probably don’t get thanked much for your tireless efforts, so I guess it’s not boring for you. And if it seems predictable to the students, it’s because we’re thinking the two words each day…thank you. But perhaps each one of us needs to voice that thought more often, thanking our teachers, administrators, and parents more often. So, once more, I thank you all, not just for being here today, but for getting us here.

I’d also like to specifically thank Mr. VonArx for organizing the musical entertainment at the beginning of the program. It reminded me of life. Life is like music, a chorus of voices and instruments. Each resonates with its own tune, but together they form the cooperative song of society. Now, I know I came up with this analogy to life independently, but it seems someone beat me to it. Don’t you get disappointed when that happens to you? Apparently Samuel Butler, a 19th-century English novelist, stated, QUOTE “Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.” END QUOTE Yeah, thanks a lot for that, Mr. Butler. That pretty much ruined my evening when I came across your quote last night as I was writing my speech. (Looks around at crowd). I’m just messin’ with ya, it was more like last week.

I believe Butler was only superficially correct in saying the rules don’t often guide us. It’s true that life is almost entirely improvisation. However, when musicians improvise, they play following rules and patterns already engrained in their brains, merely juxtaposing familiar rhythms and notes in novel combinations. Music n and life n are about learning through experience, and we learn by listening. So listen to life. Listen to those around you. Many of us will go out on our own after today, each one of us marching, running, skipping, hopping, swimming, gliding, or traveling howsoever we please to our own beat. Still, it’s always a good idea to keep a common beat in a society. An excellent piece of music results from cooperation, each musician reacting to and understanding what the others are playing. Yes, understanding. Keep open minds n don’t worry, your brain won’t fall out. Listen to life. Listen, and act. Music and life are based on experiences, but success in either comes from applying what we gain from those experiences. In life, it is not enough to just learn something; we must use that knowledge to benefit from it as individuals and as society, as musicians and as a symphony. Otherwise, why learn? The human culture progresses so rapidly because young, motivated students like ourselves build on the knowledge that has already been uncovered. Just think n if each generation failed to pass on the wisdom they gained to their children, we would have never made it this far socially. If each generation were complacent with the knowledge that was already dug up and mined for no more, we would have never grown so culturally rich. It would be as if musicians never improvised or tried new things, as if they played the same songs over and over again. And even if each generation passed on what information they discovered, even if everyone was driven to learn everything we could possibly understand in the physical world, all that boundless wisdom would be completely, utterly useless, if this information was never once used to enrich the world, to improve a nation, to help out a society, or even put a smile on someone else’s face. A world like this would be a one in which musicians who have studied acoustics and music theory for their entire lives but never picked up their instruments to play one single note. Don’t render knowledge useless by enacting these scenarios. Learn from those around you, build on it, and apply it. We can learn a great deal from life by listening, and we can give what we learn a purpose by acting. Listen to life, and you’ll be happier whether you use your wisdom to make your neighbor’s day or put an end to world hunger. We will all pick up different instruments and play our own melodies, but the one ideal we must continually hold in our minds is to act with a purpose, a purpose of making this world the best it can be.

We’ve got so much left to learn, so much awaiting us in our futures, but right now, let us celebrate the level of education we have mastered today. It’s a spectacular moment. You only need to hold off for a little longer on congratulating each other on graduating since you still have to walk across the stage and obtain your diploma (don’t trip). But again, we have made it this far, which is a feat in and of itself. It’s been tricky, which is why I’d like to n

Kick it, Jay! (Raps/beatboxes in tune to RUN DMC’s “It’s Tricky”)

This speech is my recital. I think it’s very vital, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time; “It’s Tricky” is the title. Here we go!

(beatboxes tune)

It’s tricky to graduate, to graduate with Class ’08, it’s tricky! (beatboxes) It’s tricky, tricky, tricky, tricky.

Since it’s tricky to graduate, congratulate the Class of ’08, it’s tricky. (beatboxes) It’s tricky, trrrricky, but we’ve done it. (beatboxes) HUH!