Ever since senior Mason Shields was a little boy, he had one interest that trumped all else; music. Now, looking into his future, he hopes to turn his passion into a career.

“I can’t pinpoint a specific time, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in music,” Shields said. “That’s how it has always been.”

Shields first began his musical outlet through playing piano and guitar, listening to a wide variety of music and creating his own arrangements.

‘I go through musical phases, I went through a dub step phase a trans phase and even a classical phase. Right now I’m kinda neutral,” he said. “I like to arrange different pieces that I find. I play music and then loop it together with the software I have to create a new mix.”

Shields carried his love for music into the High Schools IB Film course when he enrolled in 10th grade. Leading into the course, he also had acquired a mild interest in sound design, but didn’t know much about it.

“I knew of sound design before I was in IB Film, but I didn’t necessarily know what it meant to be a sound designer,” he said. “Through that course I learned more and became really interested in it. I also got to act as the sound designer for various group projects.”

Sound design consists of capturing sounds, such as a gunshot, and after splicing it, inserting it into a film, movie, video game or wherever it is needed. Shields said he is most interested in sound design in films, and hopes to turn his passion into a career. He has applied to the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis and hopes to one day work as a sign designer outside of Minnesota.

“At first I thought I wanted to go into music production, but now I want to go to school for sound design specifically,” Shields said. “Hopefully I will work somewhere outside of Minnesota where film is prominent and there are a variety of different film industries that are in need of a sound designer.”

For now, Shields is gaining real world experience in sound design through his job working as a sound designer for a church in Minneapolis and is happy for the chance to work at something he is passionate in, while also making connections in the business.

“As of right now I am a live sound person at a large church where I have a lot of networking and also get paid,” Shields said.