Wynton Marsalis, the legendary jazz trumpeter, composer, and Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, delivered the commencement address at the University of Vermont in 2013 — where his own son Simeon was among the graduates. Drawing from his deep understanding of jazz, Marsalis used the concept of musical 'changes' as a metaphor for life. In jazz, progressing harmonies are called changes, and musicians must respond to them in real time, with full attention and presence. Marsalis told graduates that life works the same way: moments are constantly arriving from the future and passing into the past, and the only place where you can truly live is in the present. His phrase 'live in that sweet spot' became the central message of a speech that was as much a love letter to his son as it was advice to an entire graduating class.