Band Notes | Mason Bands

Upcoming Events

Note: Do not park in the Band Lot during camp unless you have an assigned spot. Access is needed for students painting their designated spaces. Alternate option is the Staff Parking area outside B Pod (the opposite side of the bus circle from the Band Lot.).

-- See the BAND CAMP GUIDEBOOK for more information --

Monday, August 4

Full Band: 9am-9pm; MHS

On-campus lunch break 12-12:45pm
Off-campus dinner break 4-6pm

Tuesday, August 5

Full Band: 9am-12pm; MHS
Freshmen Spirit Party: 12-7pm; MHS
Skit Night: 7-9pm; MHS Auditorium

Wednesday, August 6

Full Band: 9am-9pm; MHS

On-campus lunch break 12-12:45pm
Off-campus dinner break 4-6pm

Coffee Talk: 7-8pm; Staff Dining Room

Thursday, August 7

Full Band: 9am-9pm; MHS

On-campus lunch break 12-12:45pm
Off-campus dinner break 4-6pm

Friday, August 8

Full Band: 9am-9pm; MHS

On-campus lunch break 12-12:45pm
Off-campus dinner break 4-6pm

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

Bring in Comet Cupboard Donations this week!
Come to our first informational Coffee Talk this Wednesday, at 7pm in the Staff Dining Room.

NEW INFORMATION

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

Booster Meeting Slides

Thank you to everyone who attended the Booster Meeting on Tuesday! Below you will find slides from the meeting, along with answers to the Slido questions from the meeting.

7-29-2025 Booster Meeting Slides

SLIDO Questions Answers Doc

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.

Section Dinners - Update

Thank you to everyone who showed interest! Unfortunately, we didn’t receive enough volunteer support across all sections to support 100% Section Dinner options during Band Camp Week 3. We’ll aim to try again next season!

If parents would like to explore an informal gathering for their student's section, feel free to coordinate directly through your student and fellow section families. Thanks!

REMINDERS

Comet Cupboard - Donations!

This is our biggest service project of the season!

Help Us Make a Difference During Band Camp Week 3
The Mason Band is proud to support the Comet Cupboard, an in-school pantry that provides weekend meals, clothing, and personal care items to students in need—right here in our own community.

We’re collecting donations August 4–8 during rehearsal, and we need your help to stock the shelves!

🎯 Top Needed Items:

Cereal Bars
Tuna Packets
16oz Peanut Butter
Fruit/Applesauce Squeezes

Your donation—big or small—makes a real impact. Let’s show what the Mason Band family can do when we rally together for a great cause.

📩 Questions? Reach out to vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com.

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 Weeks 1 & 2 of Band Camp!

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 form will close in one week, 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.

Informational Coffee Talks

Have questions about Marching Band? Not sure what terminology means? Lost of the sea of information and to-do’s?

This is the place for you!

All new member parents (and returning member parents) are invited to attend our New Member Coffee Talk sessions that we will be holding throughout the season. These sessions are an informal opportunity to socialize with other new parents and have your questions answered by seasoned band parent mentors.

Our first three sessions are scheduled as follows:

THIS Wednesday, August 6, 7-8pm in the Staff Dining Room
Tuesday, September 9, 7-8pm in the Staff Dining Room
Wednesday, October 8, 7-8pm in the Small Commons

To get to the Staff Dining Room, enter the building through the music wing doors at the back of the High School. Walk straight down the hallway past the Band Room entrance, and past the hallway with the trophy cases. The Staff Dining Room is on the right just past that second hallway.

The Small Commons is immediately inside the Bus Circle doors to the building.

Band Camp 2025 Guidebook

It’s July, and that means Band Camp is soon to be upon us! Be sure to check the BAND CAMP GUIDEBOOK as the “one stop shop” for all the information. The most important aspect is the weekly schedule with times, special events, and theme days!

Ultimate Drill Book - Optional

This year we again have the ability to allow students and families who like having access to the “Ultimate Drill Book” tool to purchase this individually for the season. This is not required, and is completely optional only for families/students. This is the same drill tool that the directors and staff use, and allow students to hear and see their individual “dot” in the show as the drill moves with the music on their device. The cost is $10 plus tax, that covers the entire season. The deadline to purchase is PAST DUE (July 27th)... but we are still waiting to receive our final purchase list from UDB, so there’s still time! Please order TODAY if your student would like to utilize this tool for this season.

To Purchase UDB for your student:

Go to this link: CLICK HERE
Add the subscription to your cart
Pay the fee ($10.30)
Download the "UDB" app from the App Store on your phone or Ipad (see UDB website for compatible devices)
Once per week on Wednesdays, Mr. Hinson will receive an email from UDB with students that have purchased. Students will then receive an email to their school email with the ensemble code that allows them to join the Mason UDB group.

If you'd like to learn more about UDB before purchasing, see this video from the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps about UDB: CLICK HERE

Tutorial for students on how to use UDB: CLICK HERE

2025 Marching Band Next Steps

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

Accept BoosterHub Invite

Other Marching Band Documents:

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.

Step 1

Complete: 2025 Marching Band Commitment and Financial Agreement

Pay: $400 MB School Fee 1 to Mason City Schools via PaySchools Central

By MAR 1

PAST DUE

Step 2

Pay: $400 MB School Fee 2 to Mason City Schools via PaySchools Central

By APR 1

PAST DUE

Step 3

Pay: Consumable Fee to Mason Band Boosters

By MAY 1