At the heart of every school mass is a group of students that grab the attention of all in attendance. Their songs fill the service with a radiant energy to remind everyone that it is a time for worship and prayer.
The band that plays at school masses is full of students who have been playing instruments long before they came to Mount Carmel, and also those who have recently started learning one in an instrument class.
Two students that MC’s mass music stand out for both their musical talents as well as their dedication to be vocal with their peers about their faith.
Senior Jeremiah Goolsby and sophomore Aaron Hyler are unique in the fact that they both regularly play during Sunday services at their local churches and are also involved with the musical arts here at MC.
“As far as instruments go, I currently play drums, piano, bass, and guitar,” said Goolsby. “I mostly play keyboard and drums for church though, and I just started doing bass there. On Sundays I play at my home church which is Anthem Church Hammond in Indiana.”
Music has been a part of Goolsby’s life for a long time, which he credits to his family.
“My mom, she used to play piano,” he said. “And my sister used to play piano too. My aunt played flute and my uncle played the tuba and guitar. I guess you could say it runs in my family.”
While Goolsby has been playing multiple instruments for quite some time, it actually took a while for him to become involved in playing at services.
“I played a little bit when I was in seventh grade, but then the pandemic took over,” he said. “It was sometime in 2023 that I started consistently playing for churches.”
Since he started playing for his local church, Goolsby has gone to play at other churches in which he is paid for services.
“I live on the South Side in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood,” he said. “But I’ve been going out to other churches recently, especially Liberty Temple, which is in Bolingbrook. They pay me a decent amount to play, and it’s been nice to just be their consistent keyboard player.”
Over the years, Goolsby has had many stints in which he didn’t pick up an instrument.
He says that there were some personal experiences that led him to lose his focus on not only his musical talents, but his faith as well. This ultimately led Goolsby to create an Instagram account with the sole focus of spreading the Gospel through music.
However, this account, which is called blessedbeats25, wasn’t always intended for these purposes.
“On the account I use now, I actually used to make a different type of music and beats,” he said. “But this was before I was saved, so the songs I was making were rather vulgar, and I wasn’t really doing it for God. I was just doing it for myself.”
Over the past few years, Goolsby has become more vocal about his faith, especially with his peers at MC. He led the December Kairos retreat, continues to post Bible verses and Gospel music on his Instagram account, and is overall very confident in how he approaches spreading the good news.
“The biggest difference between the music I was making then and now is that the beats I’m making now are to glorify God,” he said. “That’s essentially what the music is, just using the gifts of music God has given me to glorify him.”
Goolsby will continue to post on his Instagram account, as well as play during all school masses and at services at Anthem Church and Liberty Temple.
Aaron Hyler will also continue to play at his local church as well.
“Every Sunday at GHOP (Greater House of Prayer) is where I play,” he said. “700 East 111th Street. The doors are open for everyone, man.”
Hyler doesn’t play as many instruments as Goolsby, but he has picked up a few during his time in high school.
“Drums is my main instrument,” he said. “But I can play piano and a little bit of bass. Honestly, I learned how to play everything on YouTube.”
Hyler has been playing drums at GHOP for a little over two years, and before then was in the choir rehearsal for his grandmother’s local place of worship, Saint Joseph Baptist Church.
While Hyler might not have an Instagram account similar to Goolsby’s, he does do his best to be vocal about his faith, especially with his classmates at MC.
“Playing drums or having that account like Jeremiah does leads Christians like me to come together,” Hyler said. “If you have an influence on others, in my opinion you should use it to spread God’s glory.”
Hyler’s faith has led him to not only play at his local church but during all school masses at MC as well.
“I saw Mr. Williams sometime last year and thought these are some pretty easy songs they play at mass,” he said. “I thought I would be able to keep the count and play the songs. Honestly it keeps me busy and lets me stay involved which I’m always looking to do.”
Both Goolsby and Hyler will continue to be vocal about their faith and play at church services, whether that be at local places of worship or at the gym in MC for all school masses.
“Being faithful doesn’t have to be all boastful and all,” said Hyler. “Everything you do should lead up to God’s glory. I think playing drums at mass lets me do that.”
