Student Jaycob Steels brings passion for music to his studies at Blinn

Vocal performance major hopes to move audiences as a professional singer

December 2, 2021

With a high school choir director mother and a great-grandfather who sang for the sheer joy of it, Blinn College District student Jaycob Steels was bound to have music in his veins.

Steels, a sophomore vocal performance major from College Station who attends classes at the Blinn College-Brenham Campus, has a passion for singing. At Blinn, he is a member of the concert, chamber, and men’s choirs, honing his skills with an eye on a professional career.

“I’ve been singing as long as I can remember,” he said. “I grew up in a singing family. I actually began studying music theory when I was about seven. Since then, it’s kind of stuck.”

Steels was inspired by his beloved great-grandfather, who died several years ago.

“He was amazing, always singing. He sang in barbershop quartets all around town and really enjoyed it,” said Steels.

Steels attended Navasota High School, where his mother was choir director. He was in the school’s choir program and also played football.

“There came a time when I had to choose between music or football. I just couldn’t imagine a day without singing,” he said.

After graduating from Navasota High, he attended a private four-year university but didn’t find what he was looking for there.

“It wasn’t really clicking,” Steels said, “so I decided to go somewhere that wasn’t as big and I could get the help that I needed.”

He found that at Blinn.

“The faculty is outstanding,” Steels said. “I struggled at my previous university. I was struggling some with understanding the content, but here, the way they teach you and explain … they’re so open to questions. You can ask questions and not feel like you’re in the wrong class.

“Everyone here is so welcoming. Nobody is judgmental. Everyone is family here, and that’s one thing I love about Blinn.”

Paulo Gomes, Director of Choral Music at Blinn-Brenham, is glad Steels joined Blinn’s musical family.

“Jaycob is a skilled musician and a very driven student,” Gomes said. “He does not hesitate to get into a practice room to improve his musical skills. He demonstrates the care and leadership necessary to help all the tenors in the choir achieve great performances at their concerts.”

Steels, who is proficient with several instruments (guitar, ukulele, piano, and saxophone) said his musical goal is “to move people.”

“It’s all about the music. I love to perform and move people, to help them feel the same emotions that I have,” he said. “To show them the inside of my heart, be vulnerable with them, to see their reactions after I perform.”

Steels hopes to perform professionally. Graduates of the program are prepared to transfer to elite four-year institutions across Texas and surrounding states. Many alumni successfully complete their bachelor’s degrees on their way to careers in the music industry.

“I would love to be part of a professional choir,” Steels said. “I’ve worked with some community choirs, and I just love the environment. You have a range of ages all brought together to do the same thing with the same passion. There’s nothing really like it.”

For now, however, Steels is content honing his craft at Blinn.

“The more I can express through a song, the better I feel it will be,” he said. “If I can get across a message, then that’s a job well done.”

The Blinn College District Music Department offers small classes, one-on-one attention, practical learning, and easily accessible faculty so that students are actively engaged in a superior learning environment.

Blinn’s choirs consist of a variety of ensembles open to students of all musical backgrounds. Scholarships are available to music and non-music majors alike, and choir auditions are held in the fall and spring semesters. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/music.