Commencement 2014
Jimmy Page Delivers Commencement Address
Nearly 900 graduates from 66 countries received degrees at Berklee's 2014 commencement, held at the Agganis Arena at Boston University. Berklee President Roger H. Brown presented honorary doctor of music degrees to Jimmy Page, Valerie Simpson, Geri Allen, and Thara Memory, representating rock, R&B, jazz, and music education. Page delivered the commencement address to the graduating class and an estimated audience of more than 4,000 guests at the Agganis Arena.
At the commencement concert and ceremony on May 9-10, 2014, Berklee congratulated the class of 2014 and celebrated honorary doctors of music Jimmy Page, Valerie Simpson, Geri Allen, and Thara Memory.
Students performed with Simpson and Allen during the commencement concert, which included an impressive Led Zeppelin medley played with Page in the audience. During his commencement remarks, Page said of Berklee, “What a spirit there is here. Music has so much power across so many avenues. To be in a position to do the thing you’re best at, which is making music, and bringing joy and pleasure to other people, it can’t be much better than that.”
Watch videos from the commencement ceremony and concert below:
Class of 2014 Statistics
Berklee's graduates hail from all over the world. Here's a snapshot of the class of 2014 by the numbers.
- How many graduates? 886
- How many women graduates? 287 (32 percent)
- How many men graduates? 599 (68 percent)
- How many countries are represented? 66 (including Hong Kong and Taiwan)
- What's the percentage of graduates from outside of the United States? 32 percent
- Which countries beyond the U.S. have the most graduates?
South Korea (47)
Canada (21)
Mexico (17) - How many U.S. states are represented? 45 (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico)
- What U.S. state has the most graduates?
California (100)
Massachusetts (99)
New York (44) - States with only one graduate each: Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia
- What U.S. city has the most graduates?
Boston (19)
Los Angeles (14)
San Francisco (10) - How many graduates are from the diploma program? 89 students
- How many graduates are from the degree program? 797 students
- How many graduates are dual majors? 111 students
- How many graduates are single majors? 775 students
- What are the three most popular majors?
Professional Music (200)
Music Business/Management (123)
Performance (108) - How old are the oldest and youngest graduates?
Oldest: 47 (born 1967)
Youngest: 20 (born 1994) - What are the three most popular years of birth?
1992 (225)
1991 (206)
1990 (96) - What are the three most popular instruments?
Voice (248)
Guitar (219)
Piano (144) - What are the most common first names for men and women?
Men: Matthew (14), Alexander (13), Zachary (13), Daniel (11), Joseph (11), and Michael (11)
Women: Sarah (7), Christine (4), Hannah (4), Rachel (4), Rebecca (4), and Samantha (4)
Statistics were provided by Sarah Landry, graduation and curriculum coordinator.