Maestros of Ministry: Their Legacy in the Department of Music and Worship

CHARLES CLEVENGER |  31 Working through pain was another area in which Clev- enger guided students because this was something he experienced first hand. He learned to continue his professional recital schedule even with increasing arthri- tis. For one student who developed rheumatoid arthri- tis in her late twenties, her appreciation only increased as she realized what pain her professor had to endure to perform a “monstrous Ravel piece” with a “relentless spirit.” Dr. Clevenger taught his students how to protect their joints without sacrificing “the fire and audacious- ness” of their own style. Spiritually, Clevenger cared deeply for each of his students. Exhibiting the life of Christ as the God of all comfort, he demanded the highest standards of excel- lence from his students, but always left them with the encouragement to return to the practice room and try again. He helped students understand that their worth lay in their identity as a chosen and forgiven child of God, not in what technical abilities they could display. “He modeled Christ who teaches me and causes me to grow with a gentle love.” One student reported Over a teaching career that spanned forty-one years, Clevenger has had numerous opportunities to influence generations of university students. that, after a particularly rough lesson and a personally difficult time, Clevenger’s wise handling of her heart pointed her to Christ and helped her to “make sense of and be at peace with a hard situation.” Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compas- sions and God of all comfort (II Cor. 1:3) These are but a few stories among many that alums could tell. Over a teaching career that spanned forty-one years, Clevenger has had numerous opportunities to influence genera- tions of university students. With the long range in view, he believes that change in attitudes towards the fine arts can happen as we educate the children of our constit- uencies. His departing charge to the Department and University is, “We have great potential to enrich lives. We have an awesome mission and we need to make every moment count.”