Todd Syswerda wanted to quit piano his freshman year of high school to play basketball. But his parents wouldn’t let him.
Syswerda chose to stick with music for his career and is so thankful that he did. He received his undergraduate from Taylor University (‘91) and finished his master's degree and doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado in 2002.
He had 23 years of teaching experience under his belt before he came to Taylor University to teach music composition, music technology and songwriting. In 2022, Syswerda taught as an adjunct professor for Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University. This year, he teaches full-time at Taylor and hopes to add to the community with his experience and fresh perspective.
“A big thing I want to bring is just some renewed energy for a very talented faculty,” Syswerda said.
Dr. Conor Angell, music professor and co-chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, said that Taylor’s former faculty member for music theory, composition and technology retired in 2018, so other faculty members were required to step in to fulfill those roles.
Angell and other faculty prayed that the position would be filled, and Syswerda’s expertise made him a good fit. He provided relief for his fellow faculty members when he took on his new position as music professor.
“[Syswerda’s] also done well as a composer and songwriter,” Angell said. “[He] is well respected and is a proven teacher, so he’s been able to mentor a lot of students to success.”
Filled with a love for teaching his students, Syswerda enjoys talking with them whether it be music or everyday life. His son, Thane, is a junior film and media major. Thane said his father has a passion for bettering his students in their knowledge of both music and God.
Syswerda encouraged his students and his son to pursue their artistic interests and to rely on God’s provision.
“My dad has guided me a ton and encouraged me that God will provide a future for [my film and media major],” Thane Syswerda said. “God will provide a path and I need to have trust in him,”
Todd Syswerda practices what he preaches. He said that he is a child of God before he is anything else. He does his best with the gifts God has given him and leans on the Lord for guidance.
With God at his center, Syswerda wrote the ‘Greater Than’ song for Taylor’s Spiritual Renewal week. He said the song was inspired by the Holy Spirit and grounded in scripture.
Going into Spiritual Renewal, Syswerda was nervous. He was new to Taylor faculty and worried that his audience would not enjoy the piece. However, Syswerda came out feeling encouraged by the Taylor community and with new hopes for the Greater Than song.
“The takeaway was so encouraging, so very encouraging. And I’ve had people ask me, ‘Is that on Spotify’ or ‘What are the lyrics?’” Syswerda said.
Syswerda looks forward to recording the song and hopes to include students in the process. He is still figuring out logistics, but is excited to make this dream a reality.
Another project that Syswerda hopes to bring to life is making recording music more accessible to additional students. He hopes to open up recording booths in the new music building as classrooms for students of varying majors to record their own music. Syswerda wants to get into the “nitty gritty” of music composition and explore the aspects of music that are often neglected, Thane Syswerda said.
Syswerda trusts in God’s providence and keeps in mind Psalm 139: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (vs 13-14).
