Article Provided By: Jackie Bridges. Written By: Makella Knowles
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 9:51 am

Peter Moore, born and raised in a musical home, is a junior at Gardner-Webb University pursuing a music major in traditional worship. Since middle school, Moore has looked up to the music minister at his home church in Rutherfordton.

Moore's mother, Allison Moore is pianist at First Baptist Church and his father, Ben Moore, is also involved in the music program at First Baptist.

Once Moore found out Gardner-Webb was the only school in the area that offered a program with an emphasis on traditional worship, he applied immediately.

However, despite choosing GWU for music, Moore was still unsure if that was the route he wanted to take in college. "Music has been a huge part of my life," he comments, while also acknowledging that his early college high school set him up perfectly to enter the science field. He looked into many other schools for their science programs, particularly bioengineering and forestry, but after applying for and receiving the Ignite Scholarship, Gardner-Webb gave him the opportunity to explore his interests in science and his passion for music.

It didn't take Moore long to figure out the Department of Music was where he belonged. Within the first week of his freshman year, he selected his current major after joining Concert Choir, which was his favorite class of the day.

Dr. Joshua Cheney and Dr. Aaron Rice, two Department of Music professors, noticed a love for music in Moore and recommended he join the department. Both Cheney and Rice continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration for Moore, and Cheney makes him feel proud to be a music major.

Dr. Bruce Moser, another of Moore's professors, also helped ignite that passion once he got into classes at Gardner-Webb. Moore comments that he never wants to miss class because of the motivational environment and experience.

The department also offers opportunities for community and career advancement, such as the trip the Concert Choir took to France this past summer for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. "We were able to sing for the visitors and a few veterans there. I was so touched I could be a part of this," Moore remarks. "We created a unique bond and connected through song with people we didn't know. Music has that power."

Being an in-depth field of study, Moore's major is demanding, leaving him little time to do much else. However, he stays involved in other music-related pastimes, such as Gospel Choir and Handbell and Choir rehearsals. He also regularly helps out with the music at his home church.

Moore appreciates the community of professors and students he has found at Gardner-Webb. He reflects on how comfortable and connected he feels in the class environment: "It's like a family."

About the Ignite Scholarship: Ignite Excellence is Gardner-Webb University's most competitive academic scholarship. Each recipient receives a full-tuition scholarship that covers the cost of tuition for eight semesters. Recipients are selected through an on-campus interview process. Applicants must reside on campus, be enrolled full-time, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5.