Community remembers Mason for his impact on school, band program

It was raining in Denton on Saturday morning when the Coppell High School band prepared to perform in its first contest of the year. It was the same morning that the band came together in remembrance of it’s greatest director.

“I dedicated that performance to Mr. Mason,” senior trumpet section leader Christian Thorp said. “I know a lot of other people did too.”

Longtime band director Scott Mason died on Sept. 24 after a battle with cancer.

In 1991, Mason walked through the doors to Coppell High School and refused to look back. In fact, he pushed forward, relentlessly, for 28 years through tedious outdoor practices and multiple state competitions to create an outstanding, award-winning band program. Although his legacy stands as one of the most fearless and dedicated leaders to walk the halls, he was just as committed a mentor and friend.

“He’s had a huge impact on thousands of students,” Coppell ISD assistant superintendent Brad Hunt said. “He’s such a presence, such a truly iconic figure. Kids that weren’t in band knew of Mr. Mason.”

When Mason came to Coppell, the high school was still a Class 4A program, and growing rapidly. The program needed a leader that could keep up with the pace.

“Mr Mason came in and said, ‘Under my leadership, we are going to win state marching competitions, we’re going to march the Rose Bowl Parade, these kids will become All-Staters’,” Hunt said. “All the things that he said he was going to do, he did. He made all those things happen.”

CHS Principal Mike Jasso joined as assistant principal in 2000, where he worked often on evaluating the fine arts department.

“I say this with all love and affection, Mr. Mason was an intimidating individual,” Jasso said. “It seems like I was constantly in a position, back in those days, of getting him to do things he wouldn’t have ordinarily done. I do remember being very intimidated by him, but as we went along the way, we developed… a great friendship, and I considered him a mentor and a leader for me.”

Over the years, Jasso saw the band program grow under Mason’s leadership, not only because of his ability to lead, but his heart for his students and school.

“There’s one thing of being tough and having high expectations for the kids, but Mr. Mason had a great quality of forging strong relationships with kids so they knew that he was simply trying to get the best out of them,” Jasso said.

One of the students who saw this firsthand was senior trumpet leader Christian Thorp, who got to know him over his four years in the program.

“As a freshman I would show up late to rehearsals a lot and hang out with my friends,” Thorp said. “I was just a typical freshman and he would yell at me a lot. When I joined leadership, he conducted the whole Leadership Camp and taught us to be leaders from his perspective… he personally molded me into the person I am today.”

Through Leadership Camp, Thorp was able to see a different side of Mason in the time he spent with him.

“Getting to know him as a person, he’s so smart,” Thorp said. “He’s smart leadership wise and people wise and music wise, and it was great getting to know him that much.”

Junior drum major Ashna Pathan also saw Mason as a friend.

“His door was always open to us,” Pathan said. “We could always go in and talk to him if we needed to. Sometimes if he saw we were having a tough day, he would come up to us and ask us how we were doing. He was always checking in on everyone.”

During one performance, Pathan had forgotten her recording device right before and had to rush to get it- long dress and instrument in hand. When she ran into Mr. Mason, he had an unexpected response.

“He said ‘Ashna this is why it’s good to come early, I’m proud of you for doing this,“ Pathan said. “I thought that was a really nice moment, because a lot of people would’ve gotten mad, but he knew that I planned ahead for something like this. Even though that memory may seem like one of the more insignificant ones I had with him, it was my favorite because I got to see who he really was.”

From the years he spent working alongside Mason, CHS associate percussion director Zach Scheer saw a drive that he carried from the stage to the football field.

“He is probably the most uncompromising person I have ever known,” Scheer said. “He would absolutely not take no for an answer, and I think that’s a unique trait. His students knew that about him, so they would not take no from themselves. He wouldn’t accept that, so that wasn’t an option, and that was one of the reasons the band achieved so much, because of his determination to pursue a goal no matter what.”

Scheer’s wife, Gina Scheer, who had Mason as a director when she was in band at Coppell from 2000-2005, knew him as caring and helpful, traits he never lost over the years.

“He cared very deeply about the people that worked with him and for his students,” Scheer said. “He was very happy for me and for my family when we had our children and …  he never hesitated to listen and to help with anything that I needed. I saw him do that for others as well.“

One of Mason’s oldest colleagues at the high school, associate band director Brandon Slovak, has seen firsthand the way the program has transformed under his leadership.

“This program was not much of a program before he got here,” Slovak said. “There were no private instructors, he turned this program into, I used to joke, the ‘Coppell Conservatory of Music.’”

As students have grown from freshman to seniors in the band program, Slovak has seen the way Mason’s leadership has changed them not only in the program, but in life.

“It’s not so much about the marching band as it is making individual musicians,” Slovak said. “And so many of the kids who’ve gone through the program over the years, [even those] who are not necessarily professional musicians… that continued dedication has made them who they are.”

There was a memorial service on Sept 28, where students, family, and friends came together to remember Mr. Mason.

“In the band hall, he always had several sayings up, one of them was ‘never let good be the enemy of great,’” Jasso said. “I’m remembering that quite a bit today.”