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

4  |  MAESTROS of MINI STRY BACKGROUND Dr. David Matson holds one of the longest associa- tions with Cedarville University. He began as a student in 1957, graduating in 1960 with a B.A. Music degree. Five years later, at the age of twenty-five, he returned to Cedarville as a faculty member, serving alongside the only other full-time music professor at the time, Warren Webber. In 1970 he became Chair of the Department, serving a total of twenty years in that capacity. During his tenure as Chair, Matson oversaw significant growth of the Department, the development of a Music Educa- tion degree approved by the Ohio Board of Education and the hiring of long-term and later Senior Professors Lyle Anderson, Charles Pagnard, Michael DiCuirci, Sr., and Charles Clevenger. Matson’s service as Chair is char- acterized by forward thinking and wise decisions for our current strength both as a Department and University. How Matson came to teach at Cedarville is an amaz- ing story of God’s leading. When he graduated from Cedarville, a College trustee heard him sing a solo at Commencement. He immediately put Matson in contact with a church in his own hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. The church was seeking a music minis- ter who could manage all the choirs and music minis- tries. Matson applied, got the job, and stayed there for five years. In 1965 Matson received a call from Warren Webber, then Chair of the Music Department, inviting him to consider teaching at Cedarville. To complicate matters, within forty-eight hours of that call, he received two other invitations to apply for church positions. After much consideration and prayer, he accepted the position at Cedarville and never looked back. He had the inward confirmation that he had made the right decision. With only a Bachelor’s degree, Matson began teaching for Cedarville, but pursued further degrees from The Ohio State University. In 1965, he received a Master of Music degree in Music Theory with associated studies in Music History. In 1978, with five children in tow, he obtained his Ph.D. in Music Education with a concen- tration in Music History. Having these degrees increased the stature of the Music Department, drawing new hires with advanced degrees. MINISTRY For Dr. Matson, the strongest asset of the Music Depart- ment is the ministry. When he began at Cedarville in the 1950s, the purpose of the Department was to prepare students for a career in teaching and church music minis- try. Because of this, the curriculum at the time reflected an emphasis on worship ministry. Course offerings included Chapel, Choir, Song Leading, Hymnology, HowMatson came to teach at Cedarville is an amazing story of God’s leading.