Cedarville University Students Assist the GMA Dove Awards

The annual Dove Awards represents the biggest night in Christian entertainment. Superstars from across the industry, including artists Lauren Daigle, Crowder and Lecrae, and songwriters Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick and Phil Wickham, will gather for a night of celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 2., in Nashville, Tennessee.  

The recording artists will be joined by 20 students from Cedarville University, who will serve them backstage. 

The Gospel Music Association has used Cedarville students as talent escorts at the Dove Awards for the last seven years. Students from the department of music and worship continue to receive the invitation due to their professionalism.  

This year, Dr. Roger O’Neel professor of worship, will travel with the students to Nashville for this hands-on educational experience. The trip is an opportunity for students to get a behind-the-scenes look at a large-scale live performance.  

The job of a talent escort can be stressful during a live performance. They are responsible for making sure performers and award winners are where they need to be and ready for their cues at all times. This requires these students to listen and communicate well as they help ensure the show continues smoothly and without delay. 

For these students to be effective, they must remain calm, respectful and professional. Students receive training at the event, but because the students receive additional instruction from O’Neel and other music professors prior to leaving Cedarville, their professionalism and readiness is apparent to Dove organizers. 

Sidney Rushing, a senior worship major from Webb City, Missouri, who has helped at the Dove Awards for three years, appreciates the lessons he has learned concerning workflow and effectiveness in performance events. 

“If I am at my own church, I want to implement ways to make the service smoother, cleaner and less distracting. It’s not about performance, but when things are visually in the way, people are distracted from the ultimate goal of praising God and worshiping through music,” said Rushing. “The Dove Awards provide a great example of how to keep things running smoothly.” 

Worship major Emma Haylett, a senior from Aurora, Colorado, is excited for the opportunity to meet the people and experience the technical aspects of a production. 

“It’s a cool opportunity, because we get a behind-the-scenes look at what the Christian music industry is like,” said Haylett. “We can hear the hearts of the people who have written the songs we sing.” 

This opportunity, provided by GMA to the Cedarville University music and worship department, has proved not only educational but also fun for the students and professors. Even if the students do not plan on going into the professional music industry, the trip still allows them to experience parts of a production that might translate to local church ministry. 

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is a Baptist university with undergraduate programs in arts, sciences, and professional programs, and graduateprograms. With an enrollment of 6,384 students in 175 areas of study, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio and is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Arts in worship, and high graduation and retention rates. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.