Under Mason Kopeikin’s exuberant exterior stands a dedicated musician, a multi-instrumentalist, an award-winning performer and a drummer with a sharp ear for percussion.

He began his foray into the music world when he was just a toddler playing piano. He broke onto the music scene when he landed his first gig at 11 years old, playing at a fraternity party in Isla Vista, where he grew up. From there, Kopeikin studied vocals, guitar and the accordion until he finally decided to pursue life as a jazz drummer.

Now, 18, Kopeikin will be commencing from City College this spring and transferring to USC, as one of only two drummers accepted into the Music Department’s jazz program.

?”My mind was blown when I got in. It’s such a small program and it’s so hard to get into,” said Kopeikin. “I had no expectations of getting in and now that I have it’s like ecstasy and terror at the same time.”??

Kopeikin was also accepted into the Berkeley School of Music, UCLA School of Performing Arts, the UCSB Music Department, and Cal State Northridge’s Music Department. Kopeikin was the first transfer student to be accepted at USC and notified a month earlier than other students.

“They really wanted him,” said his mother Ann Marie Kopeikin, the director of the Vocational Nursing program at City College. She said she knew early on that her son was gifted.

“When Mason was two years old I held him in my lap in front of our piano, and instead of hitting all of the keys at once like most kids, he carefully and thoughtfully pressed down the piano keys one at a time,” Ann Marie Kopeikin said. “At four years old he was asking us for lessons.”?

While attending Dos Pueblos High School his interest in jazz surfaced and his brother, Zak Kopeikin, a professional bass player, showed him “how great the City College music program is.”

Kopeikin graduated from high school a year early in order to start taking music classes.

“He gave up his senior year for his love of music,” said his mother. “But we supported him, his counselors supported him. And Mason, he never looked back.”??

John Clark, who teaches music theory at City College, said that Kopeikin clearly has both the ability and the personality to succeed.

“Mason is a really special individual. His musical instincts are excellent and he’s fun,” said Clark. “He has a very rare combination of talents and he’s just a really good guy.”

Mason said he is thrilled with the opportunity to study with legendary drummer Peter Erskine, an Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at USC.  Erskine has appeared on over 500 albums and film scores, and has won a Grammy Award.

“I’m so happy for him, but it’s hard…I’m a Bruin!” said his mother. “My husband and I went to UCLA. And though it kills me to say it, USC does have a better jazz program than UCLA.”

But school rivalry doesn’t phase the Kopeikins and on the back of the Kopeikin family’s car is a bumper sticker that reads “A House Divided: USC/UCLA.”?

Though being a musician has its hardships, Kopeikin looks forward to that life with passion, describing his favorite part of being a performer as the random situations and places he gets to see.

“I meet the most interesting people and I’ve played in so many different places. The scenarios are remarkable,” Kopeikin said. “I’m not saying I’m going to be the next John Mayer. I’m not sure what to expect, but I know my career will be in music.”