On March 21, 2009, Musician Institute presented legendary bassist, producer, and composer Stanley Clarke with an honorary Doctor of Music degree during MI’s spring commencement ceremony at Los Angeles’ venerable Wiltern Theatre.

MI’s Vice President of Education Beth Marlis awarded the degree, the first ever granted by the school, noting, “Stanley Clarke embodies the true value of education and the duty of an artist to mentor and give back to the next generation.  He has selflessly and generously created opportunities for talented, emerging musicians to further their education and realize their own creative vision. By his actions, Stanley has demonstrated that geography, politics, and privilege must not be allowed to act as the natural enemies of creative energy, education and possibility.”

In his remarks accepting the award, Clarke singled out his mother, an opera singer and artist, as a major driving force in his stellar career. To the hundreds of graduating students in the audience, he urged, “All I can say to you guys is, whatever gift you have, wherever you got it from, really respect it. Take it and run with it, because it’s yours.”

Clarke has won literally every major award available to a bass player, including multiple Grammys, Emmys, critics’ and readers’ polls, and gold and platinum records.  After making an early name in jazz circles performing with such renowned artists as Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Gil Evans and Stan Getz, he rose to international fame in the 1970s with jazz-fusion innovators Return to Forever and produced a series of solo recordings that set a new standard for bass virtuosity and creative brilliance.

Clarke’s wide-ranging career has included collaborations with diverse artists including George Duke (The Clarke/Duke Project), Stewart Copeland, Jeff Beck, Ron Wood, Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, and Bela Fleck. Along the way, he literally redefined the sound of the instrument with his invention of both piccolo and tenor basses. In the ‘80s, Clarke turned to film composing and has since turned out dozens of scores for film and television while simultaneously developing a parallel career as a record producer. In 2003, he initiated MI’s Stanley Clarke Scholarship, which continues to provide generous financial assistance to outstanding student performers.