[Applause]
lardy one um yes I definitely love your
closing statement about the starving
artist I’ll just give you a little story
of a New York kid my parents were two
working parents and back in the 60s when
I was a kid and so when I came home from
school they weren’t home and you know so
the school was left open when I was a
kid and you can go back into the school
and grab any instrument you wanted for
free I don’t even know if that exists
anymore now and take it home sign for it
take it all try it out you do like it
you know put it back to are another I
played violin I played French horn I
played piano my mom tells me I was
always a drummer
she said I used to take the curtain rods
off the windows and take her jet and
ebony magazines and start playing on now
at the same time that they thought I had
an acumen for music they would always
remind me that it will be a starving
artist now what is an artist and what
does success mean well to me in my now
40 years of being a drummer Herbie
Hancock Tina Turner Aretha Franklin Lena
Horne Vanessa Williams Whitney I can go
on and on the top of be over but my
point is inside of you you must know
that you can do this I was told many
many times by the elders in my family
that this is not a viable job
and that’s a hard thing to overcome when
the elders that you respect and they’re
trying to give you good advice in fact
they are giving you good luck but then
there’s something that burns inside is
it well you know what I can this is
going to work it’s going to work so you
work on your craft you study with your
teachers and you would like to take the
extra time to tutor you
I had private teachers I was always in
the school orchestra I stayed after
school I auditioned for bands and I have
quote/unquote never been out of work in
my entire career but it takes work
now here’s my story what is success now
I’m going to ask I can ask the question
what do you consider success now I might
not have like 40 acres house up on a
hill somewhere and you know but you know
horses running and vineyard and whatever
but I wake up every morning ready to go
to work I mean I love my job
I still love my job I mean I I can live
I can technically legally be a retired
person but I’m still learning the
learning doesn’t stop when he retires in
fact I have more work now than I did
when I was starting I’ve been playing my
instrument now for forty five years 50
years I’m 62 years old I’m not ashamed
said I’ve been a professional steps 20
and my instrument is still a piece of
hard hard work I still put in four hours
a day of practice after I teach I have
private students but I you know here’s
the other thing I learned from my
students in fact one of my students the
other day
showed me something I was like wow I
think it I haven’t thought of that
that’s very interesting show me that
again
so my point is success comes from a
passion for your work constant hunger
here is a phrase from being a starving
artist I’m a starving artist because I’m
always hungry for work you can flip that
phrase name’s Darby magma I can’t wait
to get a I’m on tour right now
that’s why I have a presentation I’m in
the new Latour I’m home for three days I
got to get back on a plane you get out
of here but my point is that yep yeah
I’m a starving artist I’m starving
give me more No so as you guys go ahead
in your endeavors whatever that is stay
hungry challenge your teachers ask the
hard questions don’t be a follower you
know don’t be afraid to be unique
because it seems like in this day and
time we’re in right now that we’re
considered the troublemakers the unique
ones the different ones the dark woods
you know no don’t fall for that you know
that means you are unique thinking
person and and teachers and professors
like your principal and these people
here they understand that you know and
you have to gravitate towards people
like that that can help you flourish and
whatever you want to do you know I was a
science major and a music minor and I
would have been in astronomy class in
New York minute Anna and I still studied
astronomy and there’s a correlation for
me anyway
math science music and here’s a little
scenario now going back to my childhood
I could go back to my school take any
instrument take it back now
my brother is 10 years younger than I am
he went to the same school when he was
his turn for that the instruments were
gone
the school was closed after 4 or 5 it
was not even any gym after school was
closed so the program just started
getting taken away so the kids of his
generation didn’t have the same
opportunities as my generation had and
we have to stay aware of that yeah you
have to keep the kids exposed to all
types of art because you don’t know who
where Einstein is coming from or where
John Coltrane is coming from you know or
where Bill Gates is coming we don’t know
to come from anywhere it can come from
the coop down the street or the
project’s Ondina you know so where they
come from neil degrasse tyson’s from the
bronx for reference right you know he
didn’t get exposed to those we wouldn’t
have him directing the planetary
environment so the schools and being
exposed to arts all of the Arts and
Sciences and disciplines are very
important and this is coming from a
drummer I’m not even talking about music
I’m talking about what is success in
your life for me being successful is I
would sell my kids my last one is in
college now that I never had a job you
know just standing with hell you talking
about well telling me I never rolled out
a bed in the morning
in a bad mood about having to go to work
because my passion is right there I’m
like I’m waking up at my coffee let’s go
you know so this is what I’m talking
about and one more thing I want to say
is that art is for everybody
science is for everybody math is for
everybody but not just whether you know
the eggheads you know
because you have to have a well-rounded
environment so you can make decisions I
mean if you if you haven’t tried it how
do you know you don’t like it you know
that’s like saying well I don’t need
pizza well have you ever been to Italy
you know or whatever you know but my
point is stay as well-rounded as you can
talk to all of these guys who know a lot
of stuff share your information with
others and then go for it
[Music] [Applause]