Cedars, November 2019

November 2019 19 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Freshman Worship Major Writes from the Heart Noah Ayers hopes to impact others with his music by Madeleine Mosher N oah Ayers loved music even before he was born. As an unborn baby, Ayers would kick in rhythm with the drumbeats in the music at his family’s church. After he was born, Ayers said he wouldn’t fall asleep until his parents played rock music for him. “It’s just always been in my veins,” he said. It’s no surprise, then, that now, as a freshman Worship and Broadcasting dou- ble-major at Cedarville, he’s already pub- lished music on Spotify. His Spotify page, which can be found by searching his name, displays several of his singles with titles like “Fingerprints” and “Jesus my Savior.” The first worship song Ayers released, however, is not under his name. The track is titled “Compassion,” and Ayers co-wrote it with his Texas youth group’s worship group Mosaic Worship Project. When Ayers was 17 years old and in the middle of his junior year of high school, his family moved from Texas to Cedarville so his father could become a civil engineering professor. The work Ayers had done with his youth group’s worship was part of what made this move difficult for him. “I went through a time of deep anger,” he said, “at God and at my parents.” He’d had plans to go to Trevecca Naza- rene University inNashville. Those changed. He was leading worship in his youth group. That stopped. “I had to leave completely everything that I’ve worked for,” he said, and move to a strange place where he knew no one. But he got involved with worship in the youth group at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, got to know the university and made new friends. He started to realize that God was still making plans for him — they had just changed. He said he found peace in trusting God. Out of this experience, he wrote “God our Father.” “God our Father,” as well as many of the other songs on Ayers’ Spotify page, features the talent of Kenton Durham, a Cedarville graduate and leader in Grace’s youth group. Durham and Ayers met during Ayers’ senior year of high school because they were both involved in the youth group’s worship teams. They began getting together weekly as mentor and mentee, and then Ayers started bringing incomplete songs with him and ask- ing for Durham’s help completing them. Sometimes Durhamwrote lyrics, some- times melodies, and sometimes he would sing on the tracks as Ayers recorded them. Durham said Ayers’ music reflects gen- uine experiences with Christ. Ayers said: “When I write songs, I’m not trying to write them to get popular or get fame or something, I write them from things I’m learning in my time with God.” Before all these thoughtful tunes was Ayers’ first-ever song. He wrote the “cheesy” track “Can’t Stop the Music” when he was 11 or 12. Even then, however, Ayers was well on his way as a developing all-around musi- cian. He remembers being a young child, long before he wrote songs, and using cof- fee cans as drum kits. He also has taken pi- ano lessons for over 13 years and plays the acoustic and electric guitar. He’s also into audio engineering, hence his Broadcasting major. He mixes and masters all his music, which he said gives him more control over the creative process. That doesn’t mean he does everything alone. On his songs, Ayers enlists friends like Durham to play instruments and sing backing or lead vocals. “I try to surround myself with people more talented than me so I can be pushed,” he said. Durham said Ayers has potential as a musician, but he’s still got ground to cover. Ayers’ lyrics aren’t immature, Durham said, but he thinks they will develop as he grows with Christ. “It’ll just come from a deeper and deep- er place,” Durham said. Ayers hopes to become a professional Christian musician so he can tour with mu- sic that impacts people and serves Christ. “I think that his songs can help increase people’s affection for the Lord,” Durham said. Madeleine Mosher is a junior Journalism major and an Arts & Entertainment co-ed- itor for Cedars. When she’s not watching Amazon Prime, she’s probably at the gym, asking if anyone has food, or falling asleep. Photo by Carrie Bergan Noah Ayers entered Cedarville University this fall and despite the rough transition, he feels blessed to be with the opportunity to attend Cedarville University to study his passions — worship and music.