![[Graduation Ceremony BGM] Guaranteed to move you! A comprehensive introduction to classic tear-jerkers!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/0nOS1NxxNcc/maxresdefault.webp)
BGM to add a flourish to a moving graduation ceremony.For teachers sending off their graduates, choosing the right music to color this milestone in the children’s lives can be a real challenge.So in this article, we’ve gathered a selection of classic, go-to pieces that are perfect for graduation ceremony BGM!We picked several tracks of different types—from orchestral works that lend a brilliant touch to the entrance scene to gentle, wistful piano pieces suited to quieter moments—so please use them as a guide for your music selection.We hope the ceremony will become a lasting memory, accompanied by music, for the children, their families, and the teachers alike.
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[Graduation Ceremony BGM] Guaranteed to Move You! A Roundup of Tear-Jerking Classic Standards (1–10)
Like a melodyJohannes Brahms
The moment you try to put it into words, it disappears.
Such delicate feelings are depicted in music in the first song of Johannes Brahms’s collection Fünf Lieder, Op.
105.
Based on a poem by Klaus Groth, something that flits through the heart flows like a melody, blossoms like a flower, and drifts like a fragrance—yet the instant it is spoken, it fades like mist.
This paradoxical beauty is woven in sound.
Premiered in Vienna in February 1887, the work is written for low voice and piano, and it holds a deep afterglow within restrained emotion.
Played in a quiet graduation moment—say, during the presentation of diplomas—it can gently let feelings that words cannot fully convey seep into the heart.
Symphony No. 2, Movement IIISergei Rachmaninov
Among the large-scale symphonies by the Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, the third movement of his Symphony No.
2 is exceptionally beautiful.
Premiered in February 1908, this work became a landmark piece that helped him overcome past harsh criticism and regain his confidence as a composer.
The clarinet’s long-breathed melody seeps into the heart like an endless song, gently embraced by the warm sonorities of the strings.
Played during diploma presentations or recessional scenes, it can create a moving atmosphere befitting the children’s departure on their next journey.
The Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)Airurando min’yō
This is a famous piece, cherished around the world as a traditional folk melody from Northern Ireland.
Its long-breathed melodic line and lingering resonance naturally evoke emotions such as nostalgia, parting, and prayer.
It spread explosively in 1913 as “Danny Boy,” with lyrics by British songwriter Frederick Weatherly, and has since continued to inspire a wide variety of lyrics and arrangements.
Its range of settings—from solo voice to full orchestra—and its establishment as ceremonial music are part of its appeal.
For graduation ceremonies, it offers a gentle sonority suitable for quiet moments or recessional scenes.
The melody, which combines a warmth that seems to watch over children as they embark on a new path with the poignancy of farewell, will resonate deeply with both guardians and teachers.
Liebestraum (Dream of Love)Franz Liszt
The gently flowing piano melody softly envelops the listener’s heart.
Released to the world by Franz Liszt in 1850, this piece was originally composed as a song and later arranged for solo piano.
Its sweet yet faintly wistful resonance perfectly suits the atmosphere of a graduation ceremony, where farewells and new beginnings intersect.
From a quietly introspective opening, it builds passionately before settling back into calm—a structure that paints a drama reminiscent of reflecting on days spent at school.
Beloved across many settings, it has been used in commercials and wedding-related videos.
Why not let its tender tones grace solemn yet warm moments—such as the conferral of diplomas or the recessional?
Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” Second Movement “Largo”Antonín Dvořák
The second movement of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No.
9, “From the New World,” composed in 1893.
Characterized by the poignant melody of the English horn, this work has a quiet, meditative atmosphere.
In Japan, it is well known with the lyrics “Tōki yama ni hi wa ochite” and is also recognized as music that signals it’s time to head home in the evening.
Composed during Dvořák’s stay in America, the piece reflects influences from African American spirituals and Native American music, yet his originality shines through.
It premiered to great acclaim at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 16, 1893.
With its nostalgic, unhurried character, it’s also a perfect choice for graduation ceremony background music.