August 10, 2025 Band Notes

Upcoming Events

Monday, August 11

• Convocation: 6:45-8:15am; MMS Performing Arts door (schedule)
  • Juniors, Seniors, Leadership, and Drumline only
• Full Band: 2-5pm; MHS
  • This time is a change from the original schedule, due to the Senior Parking Lot Spectacular
  • Be sure to remove your vehicle from the Band Lot immediately after rehearsal
• Senior Parking Lot Spectacular (Community Event): 6-8pm; MHS student parking lots

Tuesday, August 12

• Full Band: 1pm-9pm; MHS
• On-campus dinner break 4:30-5:30pm

Wednesday, August 13

• Classic Uniform Fittings: 5:30-8:00; Guitar Room

Thursday, August 14

• First Day of School - Grades 9 & 12
• Full Band: 3pm-6pm; MHS
• Classic Uniform Fittings: 6:30-8:15; Guitar Room

Friday, August 15

• First Day of School - Grades 10 & 11
• Full Band: 6pm-9pm; MHS

Saturday, August 16

• Classic Uniform Fittings: 9:00-12:00; Guitar Room
• Full Band: 1pm-9pm; MHS
• On-campus dinner break 4:30-5:30pm

Future planned events can be found on the updated band calendar: Mason Band Calendar.

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

1. EXTENDED COLLECTION: Please complete your Comet Cupboard donation this week!
2. Instrumentalists: Sign up for uniform fittings this week (not seniors).
3. Senior Families - Complete the form for Senior Night by September 19.
4. Senior Families - order any additional photo items TONIGHT, August 10.
5. Order mums from our Fall Mums Sale by August 31.

NEW INFORMATION

Convocation - Monday

Marching Band Juniors, Seniors, Leadership, and Drumline, we have been asked to perform for the opening day Convocation Ceremonies on Monday, August 11th, 2025. Please see the timeline below for further details. Thank you for all of your help with the event.

Band Locker Information

CLICK HERE- LOCKER INFORMATION 

Please read the attached document for information about your band locker for this school year. All students in marching band (including color guard) and concert band have been assigned a locker. You may begin using your locker this week, so that you can store anything needed for the marching band rehearsals after school days. You can visit the band storage room on your way to first bell in the mornings, and in the afternoons after your sixth or seventh bell class. Please check the link in the document above for your assigned locker. There is also a google form to submit any locker issues you might have.

Senior/Family Night

Attention Seniors and Senior Families: The William Mason High School Marching Band senior night is one of the most looked forward to and special events we do throughout the year. We want to honor our seniors and their families for their dedication to our program. In the midst of our planning, we need to collect a little information from our seniors so they can be honored accordingly!

Please fill out this form 2025 Mason Marching Band Senior Night Information with the names of those planning to escort your student during the on-field recognition of seniors. Traditionally, escorts have included: parents, step-parents, guardians, siblings, and/or grandparents. We will need the list of all those escorting the student - including phonetic spelling so that everyone can be recognized. Please submit this information NO LATER THAN Friday, September 19th, 2025.  

The 2025 Senior Night/Family Showcase will take place on Friday, October 3rd. Below you will find the schedule for the night for your planning purposes.  Thanks so much for your help!

Please contact Kaja Harper at seniors@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Comet Cupboard - Extended Collection

We have extended the deadline to donate until Friday, August 15th.  Please help!

Our wonderful community has shown their love and support for the band during Tag Day.  Now it is time for us to pay forward some of the love we were shown to our neighbors in need.  Please support the Mason Band’s service project as we collect donations for the Comet Cupboard.  

Top Needs include: 16oz Peanut Butter, Tuna Packets, Cereal Bars, and Fruit/Applesauce Squeezes. 

Students may bring their donations to school during band rehearsals / place in the Guitar Room.  Please email vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Secret Buddy

Secret buddy is a fun and completely optional way for your child to spread a little happiness while giving (and receiving) treats. Students will “gift” their secret buddy snacks/treats and drinks throughout the season on selected dates - see below.  Information was shared with students Friday night.  If your child is interested, they should complete the Google sign up form by Sunday, August 17th. Students will be paired up with a buddy.  Data submitted on the sign up form by your child’s buddy will be shared in order for your student to find out more about snack/treat preferences and any allergies or dietary concerns. Buddy information will be shared to students via email by August 24th. 

If your child wants to be a buddy, please make sure they take good care of their buddy! 

Also, it’s more fun to try to keep your identity secret until Grand Nationals. 

There will be 7 Secret Buddy exchanges this season:

• Home Football Game Friday, September 5th
• Full Band 3-6pm Rehearsal Friday, September 19th
• Home Football Game Friday, September 26th (HOCO)
• Mason Band Invitational Saturday, October 11th
• Home Football Game Friday, October 24th  
• MSBA Championship Saturday, November 8th
• BOA Grand Nationals Friday, November 14th  

Any questions, please reach out to vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com

Uniform Lookbooks

Instrumentalists

See here for the 2025 Instrumentalist Look Book, which contains information for the summer and classic uniform, including undergarments for classic and competition uniforms. This link will be updated as more information is available about the competition uniform.

If you have any questions, please contact the Uniform Crew at uniforms@masonbandboosters.com. 

Color Guard

See here for the 2025 CG Season Lookbook, which contains information for the competition show hair and makeup, as well as other looks throughout the season.

Please have all items by next Sunday, August 17th. We will be working on teaching the look to all members throughout next week in preparations for the first football game on Friday, August 22nd.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Erica Compton (comptone@masonohioschools.com). Have a great rest of your week!

Toledo Regional Ticket Information

Tickets can now be purchased online here for the BOA Northwest Ohio Regional Championship happening at the Glass Bowl in Toledo on Saturday, September 20. However, all tickets for this event are General Admission, so there is no need to purchase these way ahead of time. (For veteran parents, this is different from the Indianapolis Super Regional we did in past years). That said, BOA does recommend that you purchase your tickets online before arriving.

Mason will hopefully perform twice that Saturday:

• Prelims - guaranteed
• Finals - likely, yet never guaranteed

You can purchase tickets for Prelims and Finals separately if you are only able to attend one or the other, or you can purchase a Day Pass that gets you into both events. Note that students, military, and senior citizens get a discounted rate, and children 10 and under are free.

Band students and volunteers who are part of our Travel Team for this event do not need tickets. Only those who are NOT volunteering at the event and wish to travel and watch the Band perform need to buy tickets. Totally OPTIONAL for families as students will be bussed via charter buses to and from Toledo. 

More information can be found at https://marching.musicforall.org/northwest-ohio-regional/.

Grand National Tickets on Sale Tomorrow

Tickets for Grand Nationals go on sale tomorrow, Monday,  August 11. Click here for the BoA/Music For All page.

Preliminaries

Grand Nationals is a bigger event than Regionals. There are two days of Preliminary competition on Thursday and Friday, each with separate tickets. Mason will perform on Thursday, November 13, so that is the day you would purchase ticket for if you plan to attend. Our performance time has not been confirmed yet. Prelims tickets are General Admission, so you do not need to purchase these until you are sure you are attending.

Semi-Finals

Mason hopes to perform a second time in the Semi-Finals on Saturday, November 15 during the day. Our performance time on that day is typically late morning or afternoon, but we will not know for sure until late the night before. There are some reserved seat tickets available for Semi-Finals, or you can purchase General Admission.

Finals

Based on the results of the Semi-Finals, bands have the opportunity to perform in the Finals on Saturday evening November 15 (yes, the same day as Semis). If we make Finals, we will not know our performance time until late afternoon that day. Finals tickets are all reserved seats and typically sell out, so if you plan to attend we encourage you to purchase your tickets as soon as possible. However, there is no guarantee that Mason will be in the Finals.

Prelims - Thursday, 11/13/2023 - Mason performs - General Admission tickets.

Prelims - Friday, 11/15/2023 - Mason does NOT perform this day - General Admission tickets.

Semis - Saturday, 11/15/2023 - Mason Semis performance time TBD (announced Friday evening) - Reserved or General Admission tickets.

Finals - Saturday, 11/15/2023 - Mason performance NOT guaranteed. Performance and time slot contingent on score in Semi-Finals and results. Reserved tickets only (likely to sell out).

Hotels

***Pro Tip*** If you plan to stay in downtown Indianapolis at any point during the weekend, we highly recommend you make reservations/plans for accommodations now to ensure you have a place to stay.

You may also elect to stay in a hotel outside of downtown (there are plenty available, even in November) and park in a day lot near the stadium. There are several lots a few blocks away that typically charge $20 per day.

Medical Secretary Notes

As we approach the football game and travel part of the season–a few reminders:

1. Our “Feed the Band” team is working to arrange what will be fed to our students prior to games. To that end, if your student has a food allergy (anaphylactic or not) OR food preference (vegetarian, Halal, etc.) please make sure you have submitted a Health and Well-Being Profile for your student. Click Here to fill out the form. This is the only way we know what foods not to serve them. If you can’t remember if you submitted one or not, please email Sally at medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com
2. Per school policy, students may not have any medications in their possession while participating in band (while at school or traveling) unless a DMS with ‘self-carry’ form has been turned in. All medications go through our Medical Secretary and need to be dropped off  by a parent by arranging a time with Sally McDonald, our Medical Secretary.
3. You can continue to submit DMS forms as the need arises. Please think ahead to get them filled out by your doctor and submitted prior to our travel dates. Our Band Aid team is here to serve all students who will need medications while traveling. Medication drop off times will be posted prior to trips. Click Here to access our Medication Policy (i.e. blank DMS forms and upload instructions).  

REMINDERS

Parking Lot Information - Stadium Nights

The safety of our students is our top priority! 

Now that we have started full band rehearsals with props in the stadium, please help us keep our students safe!

Keep in mind:

• We have a LOT of students, instruments, and props to move each time we go to or from the stadium. It takes a long time, and students will likely be spread out.
• They must cross parking lots at 5 different points along the way (marked with the red triangle below).
• Props and pit instruments must travel in the road that goes along the student parking portion of the lot (marked with the "DO NOT DRIVE" below).
• We try to have adult volunteers help with parking lot safety/flow, but may not always be able to have volunteers out there, or have enough volunteers.

Please:

• Watch for students (and adults) in roads and parking lots and at crosswalks - always let them pass.
• Do NOT drive on the road along student parking from the stadium to the school when the band is in transit.
• Obey any of our adult volunteers who are helping with traffic - do not drive around them, yell, or honk. Remember - they are volunteers, and they are trying to keep our kids safe.
• Wait patiently while roads are blocked off.
• As always, drive slowly in the parking lots.

If anyone is interested in helping with traffic on stadium nights (you do not have to be part of the Student Care Team), please reach out to Tyler at vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com.

Also, reminder to please not post any videos or any pictures of our props on social media.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Tag Day Thank You - And It’s Not Too Late to Donate!

A huge thank you to Nancy Wagner, all our drivers, and our amazing students for another successful Tag Day! Thank you as well to all our band families who donated.

And did you know - it is not too late to donate to Tag Day! Our friends and family campaign runs through the month of August. Donations can be made online HERE, or by sending a check made out to Mason City Schools addressed to Mason Band Boosters, P.O Box 310, Mason, OH 45040-0310.

Our final fundraising numbers by team can be viewed here. 

Tag Day photos - Drivers/student leaders: if you took photos of your groups during TAG day, please use this link to upload your photos so they can be reviewed/loaded to the SmugMug site. 

“Shared Dot” Information 

Please see this note from the band directors about "dot assignments" in the competitive show, and information about the marching band "shared dot" system for woodwind, brass, percussion and color guard students. 

CLICK HERE FOR SHARED DOT UPDATE FROM THE BAND DIRECTORS 

August Booster Meeting - Save the Date

Our next general Booster Meeting will be on Monday, August 18, at 7pm in the Auditorium. This will be an important meeting with a lot of key information, particularly with our first trip a month earlier this year.

Instrumentalists Classic Uniform Fittings (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior)

It is time for each freshman, sophomore, and junior musician to sign up to get fitted for their classic, black uniform. They will wear these uniforms for most football games this fall.  Sign up links can be found below. Please sign up for any day. Fittings will be at the high school in the guitar room (where we did fittings in April). 

Please wear tight fitting shorts, tank top, and socks to your fitting. Sophomores and Juniors bring your black shoes! 

• Wednesday, August 13 - 5:30-8pm
• Thursday, August 14 - 6:30-8pm
• Saturday, August 16 - 9:00am -12pm

Note: Guard members and Senior instrumentalists do not need to sign up.

Sign up HERE or in the BoosterHub app.

Please email uniforms@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

SmugMug - Band Camp Edition 

Band is in session, which means our awesome Photo Corps team are also hitting the pavement to get great shots of all our students! Keep an eye on SmugMug all season long for new pics!

There are already some great shots from Band Camp!

• Band Camp Week 3
• Skit Night
• Band Camp Week 2
• History Night
• Tag Day
• Band Camp Week 1
• Band Camp Social

For login instructions, see the SmugMug Information sheet in BoosterHub, or email Smugmug@masonbandboosters.com.

Last Chance Senior Product Order! 

Thank you to our senior families who picked up their orders last Tuesday!

A lot of the products were new this year, so there were a few requests for late orders when families saw the products in person. If you had swag envy during the product distribution, this is your chance to grab what you missed!

https://form.jotform.com/252105795788167

The late order closes TONIGHT, August 10, 2025, so make sure you don’t miss this last chance to order!

Fall Mum Sale

It’s time for our annual Fall Mum Sale! It definitely hasn’t felt like fall out on the Bus Circle during rehearsals, but fall will be here before you know it!

The order form is open now through August 31. This fundraiser benefits the entire Mason Bands program.

Pickup will be the morning of Saturday, October 4 outside the Performing Arts entrance at the Mason Middle School.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to send an email to flowersale@masonbandboosters.com.

Marching Band Registration Next Steps:

• Registration Guide is now live.
• PAST DUE: 
• 2025 MARCHING BAND COMMITMENT & FINANCIAL AGREEMENT
• Band School Fee #1, $400 via PaySchools Central or check to Mason City Schools
• Band School Fee #2, $400 via PaySchools Central or check to Mason City Schools
• Band School Fee #3, $400 via PaySchools Central or check to Mason City Schools
• Student Experience Fee #1, $400 to Mason Band Boosters
• Invoice were sent on 7/19 via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
• FINAL FORMS
• Fill out all forms
• Upload a current physical
• Complete Student Care Forms
• HWBP: Health And Wellbeing Profile
• SCP: Student Care Plan and Upload SCP Electronically
• DMS: Dispensing Medication at School and Upload DMS Electronically
• Accept BoosterHub Invite

Other Marching Band Documents: 

• Marching Band Summer Dates 2025 - One Pager
• Marching Band Summer Dates 2025 - Packet
• 2025 Marching Band Drop Form
• 2025 Marching Band Handbook
• Color Guard Handbook Extension

IMPORTANT: For all payments by check - please include the student’s name and student ID and the fee you are paying on the memo line of the check. Example: “Jane Doe 987654 Band Fee 1”

School fees are available in PaySchools Central. You will find the fees under Performing Arts. Scroll to the bottom of that section and look for the ones that start with "NEXT SEASON". All three school fees are live and payable, with the due date for each listed in the name. 

Members of Our Band Family Need Us

Thank you to those that donated so far. Fuz and the Burton family have greatly appreciated your support. You can still donate to the GoFundMe.