Bob Dylan Receives Honorary Doctorate From Berklee College Of Music

Bob Dylan (Instagram @bobdylan)

JAKARTA - Robert Allen planman, known as Bob Dylan, has just received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Berklee College of Music confers this honorary Doctor of Music title as recognition of Dylan's extraordinary influence on modern music and his lifelong commitment to creative exploration.

In his official statement, Dylan conveyed the surprise he felt for the confession.

"Thank you, Berklee College of Music, for conferring this prestigious honor to me," Dylan said, quoted by Rolling Stone, Thursday, November 6.

"It's a nice surprise. Who knows what my career path will be like if I'm lucky enough to learn from some great musicians who teach at Berklee. That's something to be focused on," he added.

In addition, Jim Lucchese as President of Berklee, sees Dylan as a manifestation of the spirit of exploration.

Bob Dylan's music has shaped the way the world hears itself. He is an artist who never stops evolving, who continues to pursue the truth through voice and language. That spirit is what we try to fertilizer here every day," said Lucchese.

He added that the respect given to Dylan reaffirmed the creative push to build the institution.

Meanwhile, Matt Glaser, Director of Artistic American Root Music Program Berklee, sees Dylan as a great learner who reflects the campus philosophy. He noted that Dylan spent his life studying and changing every American song tradition, especially the African-American blues roots.

His deep involvement in African-American blues music is in line with most of Berklee's curriculum, which has its roots in a typical American musical variant of the African diaspora, Glaser said.

What Dylan got from Berklee was his first honorary title from a US higher education institution since 1970. Even more uniquely, this award was given to a person who has historically had a "cold" relationship with the academic world.

In 1959, Dylan was listed as a dropout student who left the University of Minnesota after just one semester without taking a lot of classes.

However, the most distinctive of this award is the attitude of the recipient. According to his famous character avoiding formal events, Dylan certainly will not attend any ceremonies or events on Berklee.

Even though he was not physically present, the campus still held a tribute concert for him, to celebrate his "unmeasurable" impact on popular culture.