Jeronimo: The rhythm of a music major

At 6 years old, while most kids were learning how to ride a bike or playing kickball, Hector's eyes were opened to the world of music. 

“My cousins started taking music lessons, and that sparked my curiosity. I was hooked. It was the coolest thing ever.” For the next three years, Jeronimo would be taught how to play the drums, “but it was always in the context of church music,” which proved to be the best possible foundation for him. 

Jeronimo is pursuing a degree in music, and is in his second year of his four year journey. He is a member of Doxology, and an active participant in regular performances put on by the TMU Music Department. 

It wasn’t until he moved to the U.S. from Guatemala that he picked up his guitar for the first time. “It was about 7th grade … I started learning by watching YouTube videos and such, so I am pretty much self taught, which opened my love for music even more,” he said. “Even then, it was always in the context of the church.” 

At that point, he had not thought about pursuing a career in music, but once highschool came around, he started to face the music. “Sophomore and junior year of high school, I got asked to do worship at my church, and it made me realize how music is an important aspect of church,” he said. 

With this new responsibility, it also helped him realize how “untrained” he was. 

“In a lot of churches, you see some music pastors or worship leaders who are either good at their craft but lacking theology, or vice versa…” This pushed Jeronimo to think about how he was presented with this opportunity, and how he wanted to perform to the best of his ability. Through this, he said, “...well, maybe this is a gift that the Lord wants me to grow in and pursue further.” 

Coming out of high school, he was planning on going to a public university to study business, but was struggling with the thought of where he should go. 

“I ended up dropping out of the university two weeks before I was supposed to go, so I started looking for Christian colleges.” 

He found The Master’s University through Grace Community Church, and he was intrigued by the highly esteemed school of music, which gave him the final push to feel secure in being able to study music at a Christian school. 

“Music is also dangerous, it’s such a powerful thing, if you don’t use it correctly, and if you don’t know who the creator of music is, you can get lost in it, and it can become an idol,” Jeronimo said. 

He has been able to find comfort in knowing how the music department strives to not only be excellent in the craft, but also in giving glory to the Lord for all he has done. He came in with no idea what to expect, but was blessed and has been blessed for almost two years of being at TMU. 

When asked about Jeronimo, Noah Herrera, a fellow music major, said, “Hector has been such a huge motivation boost for me. We came in as freshmen together … and we’re using our experience to lift each other. He's really been pushing me to be in the practice rooms…and he’s really good at what he does.” 

Jeronimo has demonstrated great passion for classical music, and is looking forward to further using his talents for the glory of the Lord in writing his own pieces along with serving his local church.