Aces of Trades: Cara Noyes taps into her musical roots at Cherry Valley – The Newark Advocate

She didn’t expect it, but she found her musical roots. 
“As a kid, people probably described me as chatty, creative, musical and outgoing,” Cara Noyes said. “I took piano lessons and sang for public functions with my dad. Before age 12, I had saved enough money from these gigs to pay for a year of college! I dreamed of being a singer, a writer, a teacher or a scientist.” 
Today, Noyes is the music specialist at Cherry Valley Elementary School. 
“I started at Newark City Schools in 2003, teaching choir and general music at Wilson Middle School,” she said. “In 2006, I moved to Cherry Valley Elementary, where I’ve been the music specialist ever since. I think music teaching is the best job in the world because every day I get to share what I love most. I get to sing, play instruments, act silly and be creative.”
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Cara (Bieber) Noyes — “pronounced ‘noise,’ the perfect surname for a music teacher! And Bieber shows my German heritage” — grew up in Mississippi, Missouri, Indiana and finally West Lafayette, Ohio. She graduated from Ridgewood High School in Coshocton County, then from Mount Union College in 1993. 
“I dreamed of singing opera on the big stage,” she said. “To follow this dream, I moved to Bowling Green (State University), pursuing a Master of Music in opera performance and choral conducting. While there, I discovered I was really good at teaching kids to sing and act, so I picked up an education certification at BGSU and looked for a teaching gig.” 
Noyes’ search led her to the Dominican Republic, where she taught K-12 vocal music in Santo Domingo for three years. When it was time to head back stateside, she chose to settle in Newark.  
“When my husband Greg and I were hosting our second exchange student, who was from Germany, a coworker at CV (Cherry Valley) told me I should bring her down to the Männerchor,” she said. “Manner-what? I’d never heard of such a thing! My Bieber side of the family is 50% German heritage, so I was intrigued.” 
“Greg and I joined the singers in 2014,” Noyes said. “I hadn’t sung in German since my college opera days, so I was rekindling a spark. In 2018, Greg became the group’s accompanist. I was asked to become director of the singers in 2021. We’ve performed at many Oktoberfests, Christmas concerts, Ox Roasts and more. I’ve even begun arranging music for the ensemble, which is very exciting.
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“This newfound interest in German singing has allowed me to travel to state and national Saengerfests,” she said. “Greg and I went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2015 and Madison, Wisconsin, in 2023. When I went to my first Zentral Ohio district meeting, I excitedly volunteered my club to host the next statewide Saengerfest. I am super excited that 95 voices from all over Ohio will be gathering at Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Newark on May 3. Our concert at 3 p.m. is free and will showcase great German songs.” 
John Kneller is a singer in the Männerchor. 
„When Cara Noyes joined the Newark Männerchor singers, she was a novelty,” Kneller said. “She could read music and pronounce German words, and she was young. We later learned of her extensive musical background. It wasn’t until later we learned Cara was quite capable in leading us in our singing. And when she became our full-time director, her talents blossomed. She’s brought life and energy into our group. Cara generously shares her musical knowledge and talent with us, and she makes singing in harmony joyful.” 
“It’s hard to believe that just over a decade ago I had no idea the Newark Männerchor existed, and now here I am as a Bezirkfest president,” Noyes said. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”  
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

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