March 4, 2022 5:30a
(WGTD)---A homecoming concert this weekend for a musician who has reached the top of his game is also a celebration of good parenting and a recognition of the value of music education at the elementary school level.
As a third grader at Kenosha’s Grant Elementary in the late 1990’s, David Mason picked up a viola. After excelling during a summer’s worth of KUSD group lessons, Mason’s teacher, Elizabeth Tercek, alerted Mason’s parents that they might want to consider private lessons for their young son. "I had no idea this was happening," Mason told WGTD's Greg Berg on The Morning Show. "I remember my parents sitting me down and saying 'Do you like this? Is this something you can see yourself doing?' I think they could tell I was taking to it because not once did they ever have to ask me to go practice."
As a Bradford High School student, Mason transferred to the Interlochen Arts Academy High School in Michigan, the first of a series of prestigious schools that enabled him to land positions with prominent orchestras. He currently is Principal Viola in the Japan Philharmonic.
Mason was back in Kenosha this week as a Howard Brown Artist in Residence at UW-Parkside.
He solos Saturday afternoon at 3 with the UW-Parkside orchestra. Tickets are available here.
It’s his first public concert in his hometown since winning the Kenosha Symphony’s youth competition 15 years ago.
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