He was a very talented composer, organist, conductor, and music teacher, in fact traveling to train others to become music educators. Unlike Locke who believed that we are all born as blank slates, Mason believed that everyone was "born with underdeveloped capacities of memory, reason, and imagination, all of which would be further developed by the study of music”. Mason strongly advocated for music to be included in the general education curriculum, citing that music played a substantial role in an individual's physical, emotional and intellectual development, believing that it was extremely important to society as well as for culture. He believed that a solid education that included music in the curriculum would help individuals achieve what he called a "complete personality", which is part of the process of becoming a well-integrated individual in society. Without Mason, it is very likely that music education in the public school system would have set back several years and probably never would have reached the level it has today. Defenders like Lowell Mason help establish the