{ Hello }

My name is Will Mason, and I'm a senior double-degree student from Falmouth, Maine. I'm currently pursuing degrees in Politics and in Contemporary Improvisation, an individual major of my own design.

Though I was originally a classical pianist, I decided to make drums my principal performance instrument midway through high school. My parents were not angry, just a little disappointed. At Oberlin, I study under jazz drumming legend Billy Hart, and spend a lot of my time composing and tinkering with samplers and live electronics.

I am also pursuing a degree in politics, focusing on comparative politics and political economy - the study of the relationships between the state and the economy. I am an alum of the Cole Scholars program, a year-long intensive seminar focusing on electoral politics. As part of this program, I spent a summer working for Tom Allen's Senate campaign in my home state of Maine.

I work as Editor in Chief of The Grape, Oberlin's news and arts magazine. I also work as an accompanist for the Dance department, and play drums in the indie-rock band Like Bells. Our debut album was released last May by Cleveland record label Exit Stencil Records, accompanied by a five-week tour of the East coast. We are currently working on recording our follow-up CD, which should be out in the spring of 2010.

You can hear some of my music at myspace.com/likebells and myspace.com/willmasonmusic.

{ Entries }

10.28.09				The Fun Part On performing at CMJ over fall break
10.20.09				He Cooks, He Cleans Adventures in domesticated living.
09.20.09				Get a job! Finding a job on campus is easy, and the jobs themselves are often valuable experiences and great fun.
09.07.09				Desk Quest Yard sales, integrating into the Oberlin community, and the hunt for the perfect antique desk.
08.24.09				Gooooaaaaalllllll(s)!!!! A wish list for Fall semester.
08.17.09				Think Positive Some thoughts after watching my younger sister pack for her freshman year at college.
06.21.09				A long, strange trip Notes from a month spent touring with an Oberlin rock band.
05.10.09				The Semester in Numbers Two more years until I graduate. (Well, three more semesters to be precise, but either way I'm over the hump.) Good thing? Bad thing? There's a saying I've heard a couple of times up in central Maine that I love: "Tough tellin', not knowin'." But I'm enjoying the ride more and more every day. Ayuh.
04.27.09				Identity Crisis Does being a double degree student make you less of a musician? Less of a scholar?
03.26.09				Easy Listening I've been using spring break to get caught up on some listening.
03.08.09				Graphically Notated Scores and You There were, of course, pages of specific instructions and a symbol key, but that doesn't change the fact that for my friend's recital I was required to look at a photo of a rabbit man in a suit running away from artillery fire and translate it into a part for drum set/percussion.
02.11.09				Ernest Takes A Computer Science Class Remember those "Ernest" movies from the late 80's...
01.23.09				Like Bells' First Album is Complete! Four months of hard work and many sleepless nights have resulted in an album that is, from conception to production, entirely ours.
01.22.09				One Must Have A Mind Of Winter Bartok and Techno, but not at the same time.
01.08.09				Will makes his bed; lies in it. On spending too much time in my practice room, reading lists, and "Twilight."
12.21.08				Phew. Thoughts on finals, US Senate campaigns, and intersections therein.
12.12.08				College Essay Advice Unqualified and unsolicited advice on the college essay from someone who went about it the wrong way.
12.07.08				Just Enough Rope It's been almost a year in the making, took a great deal of time, energy, and paperwork, and probably made more than a few staff members resent seeing my e-mails pop up in their inboxes, but this past week my independent major in the Conservatory was approved.
11.23.08				Jazz Combos Thrive at Oberlin All jazz combos at Oberlin are student-formed, and the repertoire is student-selected, and I think this is critical for a number of reasons.
11.05.08				In which I couch my indescribable joy with anxious trepidation Like most people in America (I gather), I thought Obama was going to win but also was distrustful enough of my fellow citizens that I had to wait until it was announced on the news to believe it.
10.22.08				An Oberlin Day in Pictures Photographs from an average Tuesday in the life of an average Obie.
08.29.08				Back To Business The best part about college - any college - is that there's always something to look forward to.
08.05.08				Haphazard Packing Tips from an Incorrigible Slob The worst part of college is getting there.
07.11.08				Tom Allen for US Senate in 2008 Or: The Life and Times of an Elite, High-Powered, Unpaid Lowly Intern
06.12.08				Opportunities for College Musicians The Oberlin Conservatory attracts a number of world-class musicians, but its presence on campus is also a major draw for college students who wish to continue studying music without committing to a pre-professional program.
05.29.08				The Weather in Oberlin: A Mainer's Perspective As someone who knows what it's like to trudge through a protracted winter, let me assure you that Oberlin's climate is a piece of cake.
05.20.08				One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy Final exams are an inextricable component of higher education, but they needn't cast too menacing a pall over the college experience.
05.02.08				We Are Oberlin: Busy Find out more about the catch phrase sweeping campus.
04.09.08				SWM, NS, likes long walks on the beach I'd like to use this post as an opportunity to further introduce myself (past the perfunctory greeting and awkward head shot provided by my profile).
04.07.08				What did you do with your Friday night? We Oberlin students are a lucky bunch. The campus provides an impossible number of lectures, exhibits, readings, and performances, and we are burdened with the enviable luxury of bouncing around from event to event, gorging ourselves on art and music and culture until exhaustion necessitates a break.