November 2, 2025 Band Notes

Upcoming Events

Monday, November 3

• Full Band: 3:30-6:30pm; Let’s Play (Wall 2 Wall)

Tuesday, November 4

• Full Band: 3:30-6:30pm; Let’s Play (Wall 2 Wall)

Wednesday, November 5

• Full Band: 3:30-6:30pm; Let’s Play (Wall 2 Wall)

Thursday, November 6

• Full Band: 3:30-6:30pm; Let’s Play (Wall 2 Wall)

Friday, November 7

• Full Band: 3:30-6:30pm; Let’s Play (Wall 2 Wall)

Saturday, November 8

• Full Band Rehearsal & MSBA Championships: 10:30am-~11pm (see below for detailed schedule)
  • On-campus lunch break (bring your own): 1-2pm; MHS
  • Dinner provided: 6pm
• Mason Performance: 9:15pm

Sunday, November 9

• Hallway Decorating: 3-6pm; MHS Music Wing

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

1. Sign up to volunteer at the MSBA 5A Championships.
   1. Hospitality donations can be found here: Link for Hospitality food donations.
   2. All other volunteer opportunities are in BoosterHub.
2. Purchase car raffle tickets, and spread the word about this fundraiser - this is the last week!
3. Optional: Order a Grand Nats Good Luck Gift for your marcher.
4. Complete Grand Nats Transportation Waivers by Sunday, November 9 if you need to pick up your student in Indianapolis.
5. Optional: Drop off any posters you want to provide for Grand Nats hallway decorating or come to the school on Sunday Nov. 9th from 3-6 pm.
6. Optional: Sign up for OMEA District 13 Honor Band auditions by Sunday, November 9.
7. Competitive Winter Guard: Sign up for auditions.
8. Senior Parents: Send pictures for the Senior Slideshow at Awards Night.
9. Optional: Order a Memory Book.

NEW INFORMATION

Grand Nationals - Information & Student Schedule

Hello Families! The week we have all been working so hard towards is nearly here!  Below you will find all of the information you need to know to prepare your student to have the best travel experience possible. 

ITINERARY

Tentative Student Itinerary – See multiple-day tables below.

PLEASE NOTE!  The Itinerary is subject to change and we will communicate any important changes as soon as we know of them!  Saturday is always a big unknown from a student schedule perspective as we do not know our performance times until late Friday night.

STUDENT DROP OFF/PARKING INSTRUCTIONS

THURSDAY & FRIDAY:

For both departures (Thursday and Friday) The Band will be departing from Wall 2 Wall/Let’s Play Sports in the morning and returning to Mason High School Bus Circle upon our return evening.  

PLEASE NOTE: For THURSDAY You MUST make plans to drop off your student at W2W/Let’s Play on Thursday morning and pick them up at Mason High School Thursday evening.

PLEASE NOTE: For FRIDAY You MUST make plans to drop off your student at W2W/Let’s Play on Friday morning and pick them up at Mason High School Sunday afternoon.

NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO LEAVE THEIR CARS AT W2W OVER THE WEEKEND! 

Students may park cars in their SCHOOL ASSIGNED spot at MHS on Thursday and Friday morning prior to getting dropped off at W2W to have access upon returning home to drive home!  Please MAKE A PLAN to ensure you are on time on both mornings.

Chaperones!  We will be coordinating shuttling to and from MHS on Thursday and Friday mornings, so if you need a ride over the MHS to park your car, please make sure to arrange that transportation.  School IS in session on Thursday and Friday, so we must use the same Visitor spots in front of the school that we did for Super Regional (or your student’s assigned spot).

PACKING LIST

• Personal water bottle (FILLED, ready for rehearsal each morning)
• Portable charger for phone
• Performance Clothes  (including underlayers!):
  • For Instrumentalists these must be white tops and black/dark bottoms. 
  • For Guard these must be Competitive garments/accessories in the Lookbook
• Instrument/Flags/Rifles with travel tags
• Day Bag or Day Backpack - will go inside the bus with travel tag
• Deodorant, hair brush (if needed for performances)
• Mason Band Jacket/ Sweatshirt/Hat
• Snacks for bus.
• Cashless Spending Money (again cashless, so use credit card or use cash-to-card kiosks located at Lucas Oil sections 105 & 129).  The provided travel lanyard can be used to store money, credit cards and hotel key.
• FRI-SUN Overnight Bag with tag - will go under the bus on Friday.
• Overnight gear and toiletries (toothbrush, deodorant/hair brush if not in day bag etc,)
• Daily casual outfit, socks, underwear, SHOES (to change into/out of uniforms)
• Snacks for hotel

We will have VERY LIMITED water bottles available on the bus or at the hotel so please ensure students have a water bottle to fill. Ice machines are available at the hotel.

LUCAS OIL STADIUM INFO

• Lucas Oil Stadium has a clear bag policy. Clear bags cannot exceed 12”x 6” x 12” or a 1-gallon size freezer bag
  • Mason Bands Spirit is selling stadium-compliant clear bags.  Please see Michelle Andre / Laura Deardorff or email them at spirit@masonbandboosters.com
  • Small clutch bags or a purse approximately the size of a hand are allowed.
• Medication/medical equipment bags are allowed but will be searched. (Students may not carry their own medication unless they have submitted appropriate documentation per our band medication policy)
• Cameras are allowed but no tripods or video cameras.
• Students will be provided with a passport-sized lanyard to store cash/cards/etc
• Lucas Oil Stadium is a cashless facility. 
  • Please keep this in mind when spectating and sending money for concessions/souvenirs with your student. 
  • There are cash-to-card kiosks located at Lucas Oil sections 105 & 129.

HOTEL 

• Friday and Saturday Nights:
• JW Marriott Downtown, 10 S West St, Indianapolis, IN 46204
• Will return to Mason HS on Sunday afternoon.

TRIP COMMUNICATION

If you have not done so already, we highly recommend that you join the parent Remind group associated with your student’s section.  This will be the main form of communication to parents throughout the trip.

Indy Grand National Championships Travel Waiver Remind Group (for those picking up on Sunday 1am or Sunday 8am only).

• Text @GNTW25 to 81010

TICKETS

We encourage family and friends to make the drive to Indianapolis for the Grand National Championship to cheer on the band!  This is a ticketed event and tickets may be purchased on the Bands of America website.  See links to purchase tickets below:

• Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at Ticketmaster.com OR the Southeast Ticket Office of Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday-Saturday of Grand Nationals.
• Will-Call tickets may be picked up at the Southeast Ticket Office.
• Prelim Tickets (Mason performs on Thursday) $45 each day + Taxes (GA Tickets) Grand Nationals: Thursday 11/13 Preliminaries   
• Semi-Finals $58-$80 + Taxes (GA and Reserved available) Grand Nationals: Saturday 11/15 Semi Finals
• Finals Tickets range from $35-$90 + Taxes (GA and Reserved available) Grand Nationals: Saturday 11/15 Finals

Grand Nationals - Transportation Waiver

If you plan to check out your student to transport them home from Grand Nationals, you will need to complete the Google form below by Next Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 11:59pm.  See form for check out times/locations and for more information.  

2025 Grand Nationals Transportation Waiver Form

Student and Adult MUST also join the Indy Grand Nationals Travel Waiver Remind Group: text @GNTW25 to 81010

OMEA HONOR BAND AUDITIONS - Sign up by Nov. 9

Click here for SIGNUP FORM, MUSIC and MORE INFORMATION! 

OMEA Honor Band Music has been released! It is available for download in the link above. Paper copies are also available in the band room, in the bins near the woodwind room on the table. This audition music will also be re-used for Concert Band Auditions (more info in December). 

Honor Band Auditions are on Saturday Dec 6th, and the deadline to register to audition is Sunday, November 9th

Grand Nats Good Luck Gift

Spirit is offering this custom Regency mug candy bouquet as a gift you may purchase for your student. You may order using this Jot Form & will receive an email with details for pick up the evenings of Nov. 9-12. If your recipient has food allergies or avoidances, you may indicate on the order form and we will substitute allergen-free candy in your bouquet.

https://form.jotform.com/Masonbands/2025-mug-bouquet

The 2025 Car Raffle - FINAL WEEK!

This gorgeous 2025 Audi Q3 S line 45 TFSI quattro could be yours! 

Mason Band Boosters is thrilled to once again be partnering with Audi Cincinnati East for our 2025 Car Raffle. A HUGE thank you to them for the donation! We are very excited! 

This fundraiser is a very important one for our organization as it helps provide some much needed funds to help with the expenses of our program as well as allows us to reach outside of our band family and community to help raise funds!

We Need Each And Every Family To Help Reach Our Goal Of Selling 4,000 Tickets And To Give Away This Fabulous Vehicle Or A Cash Prize!  

We’d like to thank the students (and director!!!) who have 10 or more tickets sold under their name so far:

• Kayla McCarthy - 35
• Mr Reese - 25
• Landon Whited - 24
• Quinn Rodway - 22
• Neha Sullivan - 15
• Charlotte Kennedy - 13
• August Robinson - 12
• Sarah Wray - 12
• Josh & Bella Baxter - 11
• Sam Robiglio - 11
• Eli Smith - 11
• Abby Baker - 10 
• Annabelle Chavez - 10
• Alayna Day - 10 
• Jadyn Lopez - 10
• Brody Ruston - 10
• Kent Swedinovich - 10
• Troy - 10
• Sean Wesley - 10

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW

Raffle Period - Raffle runs NOW until November 7th at 5pm OR until 4,000 tickets are sold...whichever comes first!

Drawing - Saturday, November 8th, 2025 at the MSBA AAAAA Championships, hosted at Mason. Need not be present to win!

Prizes - 

• Grand Prize -  2025 Audi Q3 S line 45 TFSI quattro or a cash prize!
• 2nd Place Prize - $1000 cash  
• 3rd Place Prize - $500 Cash

Car Raffle Rules And Regulations - Please Click Here for complete Car Raffle rules and regulations. Must be 18 years of age or older and a Resident of Ohio to purchase or be named on the ticket.

Ticket Prices - 1 ticket-$25 or 5 for $100 (to same individual)

• Note: If purchasing a bundle, all tickets in the bundle must have the same name, address and phone number with them.      

Ticket Purchases - Tickets can be purchased two ways:

1. Online via the 2025 Car Raffle Ticket Order Form
2. In person at home football games and the Mason Invitational

Band Family Sales - We are NOT distributing paper tickets to band families this year, but we are still asking each family to sell (or buy) at least 9 tickets to help make this a successful fundraiser.

• Please share the link and QR code with family and friends. Feel free to share it via social media as well.

Information regarding the Car Raffle can be found on our website Here. 

Questions? - Please direct those to carraffle@masonbandboosters.com.

Booster Meeting Slides and Q&A

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

10-30-2025 Booster Meeting Slides

Slido Questions & Answers Doc

Marching Band 101 for Parents - 11/2 Edition

New to Marching Band and have questions about what your student is doing or learning? Have you watched rehearsal and wondered how it all works? Each week in Marching Band 101 in Band Notes you’ll learn a little something new. 

Grand Nats is Almost Here!

It’s almost here! The culmination of our students’ long hours and hard work when the entire show comes together in the largest high school marching band competition in the country! Grand Nationals is an exciting and entertaining weekend! I encourage you to watch the marvelous shows of the schools that come from across the country. 

If you are unable to travel to Indianapolis you can watch the competition virtually on Box5. Keep an eye out on the Facebook Page for parents posting about watch parties. 

If you are making the trip to Indianapolis, take in the shows of other bands. Kids from all over the country are coming to the biggest marching band stage in the nation after months of hard work and practice. Stay for the awards and watch the full retreat - it is something to see! When told to break ranks watch how the kids interact with each other - trading trinkets, creating congo lines, complimenting each other on their performances, and demonstrating exceptional camaraderie and sportsmanship. The very best of the marching band community is on display during Grand Nationals and the full retreat. 

For many of our students, these weekends are the first time they are traveling without family. I want to reassure you your student is supervised, fed, and cared for. Our chaperones and Student Care Team take seriously the job of ensuring our students’ safety and happiness during these weekends. We are lucky to have the specialized medical and mental health skills of staff members traveling with us. 

For a marching band to perform well as a cohesive unit, they must be a bonded, unified group. Critical bonding and team building activities happen over these weekends. These out-of-rehearsal experiences - traveling together, eating together, being in the hotel together - are essential elements of creating that cohesive unit that allows the band to function well together. When your child goes out to the world after high school, they will take with them the memories made on these weekends. Enjoy the show and know your student is being cared for and making memories!

Website Tip:

As the season goes on you’ll see and hear a lot of acronyms used when discussing competitions. The Mason Bands website contains a helpful Glossary of Acronyms. Check it out! 

Parent Section Ambassadors

Freshmen parents should have received an email introducing your Section Parent Ambassador. They are a great resource for quick questions and an opportunity to meet other parents in your student’s section. If you did not receive an email, please reach out to vp-membership@masonbandboosters.com 

Attendance Reminders 

Attendance is a vital component of a successful marching band program during these final weeks of the season. During these final weeks, there will be many changes and finishing touches to the show that will help students truly feel the energy and emotions that make a marching band show so memorable! Absences, no matter the reason, have a negative impact on the achievement and environment of the entire group since the students rely on the other performers in the ensemble for success. 

As a reminder, here are the description of absences from the Marching Band Handbook: 

• Excused Absence Examples: Illness, conflicts approved by a Director (more than 2 weeks in advance), death in the family, private lessons.
• Unexcused Absences Examples: Absent with no communication, homework/work, birthday dinners, fall vacations, family gatherings, concerts. Unexcused absences during the week of a performance can result in not performing that week.
• Reporting: The student/family will communicate known absences at least 2 weeks in advance, and report absence due to illness prior to rehearsal. All absences must be reported to the section director.

The latest and most up to date calendar is always the Mason Bands Calendar. You should bookmark or sync this calendar and check it often: https://www.masonbands.com/calendar/

Continue to communicate with the director that works with your section as soon as possible if you have attendance concerns.

Competitive Winter Guard Audition Registration

If you are planning to audition for the CWG team, please be sure to fill out the CWG Audition Registration Form and notify of any conflicts to the season calendar. 

The form has information on auditions, season calendar, and fees.

REMINDERS

MSBA Class 5A Championships

We’re proud to share that Mason will once again host the Mid-States Band Association (MSBA) AAAAA Championships on Saturday, November 8 — our second and final host event of the season!

This exciting day will run much like our successful Mason Invitational in October, with a full schedule for students and many volunteer opportunities for parents and families. We'll need help staffing a variety of roles, as well as donations for Hospitality and the Bake Sale to help keep our guests and volunteers fueled throughout the day.

However, there’s a big difference this time — Mason will be competing in this event rather than performing in exhibition. That means our band will be judged alongside the others, and we’re thrilled to have drawn the final performance slot of the night — giving all of our volunteers a chance to watch Mason perform!

This year’s Championships will feature five other large bands joining us — so we’re expecting a big crowd and will need extra hands on deck to ensure a smooth and successful event.

🎉 Special Performance Highlight – 9:30 PM
We’re excited to welcome the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Band, performing in exhibition — the first time a college band has performed at the MSBA Championships hosted by Mason!

🚗 Car Raffle Drawing – 9:45 PM
Don’t forget — the drawing for our Car Raffle will take place at 9:45 PM, right after the performances and just before the awards ceremony. Be sure to stick around and see if you're our big winner!

🏆 Full Retreat Awards Ceremony
Just like at BOA Super Regional Finals, this event will conclude with a Full Retreat — a memorable awards ceremony where all student performers are recognized on the field. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to celebrate their hard work and connect with musicians from other schools.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and enthusiasm — we couldn’t do it without you! Let’s make this final home event a fantastic experience for our students and all visiting bands!

Student Schedule (Tentative)

Source: MSBA 5A Championships Guidebook 2025

Feed the Band- 11/8/2025

This Saturday’s menu, November 8th, will be sponsored by Mason Band Boosters and provided by:

Jet’s Pizza- 7916 Mason Montgomery Rd, Mason, OH 45040

The Menu* will be as follows:

Regular/Nut/Egg Allergy - Pepperoni or Cheese Pizza with multipack Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit Snacks, Gatorade.

Vegetarian/Halal/Onion Free - Cheese Pizza, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit snacks,  Gatorade.

Vegan/Dairy Allergy - Jet’s Plain Breadsticks with marinara sauce, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit Snacks,  Gatorade.

Gluten Free - Gluten Free Cheese Pizza and/or Salad, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit Snacks,  Gatorade.

Note:  The special diet foods are ONLY for those who have declared a special dietary need as we only have a limited number of those meals.  Everyone else is expected to eat the Regular Diet meal.  Likewise, those that have declared a special diet are expected to eat their special diet offering. Thank you for your cooperation!

*If the above do not meet your dietary preferences or needs, you always have the option of having food dropped off or packing your own dinner!

Any questions can be directed to our new Feed the Band Chair, Annie Baxter at Baxterra@gmail.com.  We wish to thank Smita Ankola for her time in leading this large task during previous seasons!!!

We Need Our Amazing Parent Volunteers Again!

We received numerous compliments from band directors and guests on how professionally and efficiently the Mason Invitational was run in October — a true testament to the dedication and teamwork of our incredible volunteers and band community!

It’s time to volunteer again!!! We cannot pull off an event of this magnitude without the help of every single band family. This is another important event for our program, community, and most importantly the students who benefit from its success. These are a few of the many reasons we include it as a parent volunteer requirement in our Commitment & Financial Agreement Form.

Volunteer sign-ups are now live in BoosterHub. Job descriptions can be found there as well. Sign-ups are first come, first served, so sign up early! The areas where we still need help are:

• Band Guides
• Candy Grams/Shout Outs
• Concessions
• Guest Parking
• Ticketing
• Ushers (especially percussion entrance)
• Water Table

We also need donations for:

• Bake Sale (please sign up through BoosterHub)
• Hospitality
• Link for Hospitality monetary donations.
• Link for Hospitality food donations.

Note: Because Mason is the last band to compete this year, all volunteers will be able to watch our band!

***Please remember all marching band families agreed to volunteer one shift of each of our competitions that we host. Please see the marching band handbook for details. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Competitions Co-Chairs at competitions@masonbandboosters.com, Laura Minniear at secretary@masonbandboosters.com, or the area chair listed in the BoosterHub event.

Spectator Information

Times:

• Gates open: 7:00 pm
• National Anthem: 7:45 pm 
• First band performs: 8:00 pm
• Mason performs: 9:15 pm
• UC Bearcat Band: 9:30 pm
• Car Raffle: 9:45 pm
• Awards/Full Retreat: 9:45 pm

Ticket Prices:

• $15 General Admission
• $10 Seniors
• $5 Children Age 5-12
• Children under 5 years of age are free
• Event volunteers are free

Cash and Credit Card are accepted.

Parking:

• Spectator parking is at Mason High School, north of the stadium, as well as at Mason Intermediate across the street.
• Parking is free.
• Disabled parking for properly identified vehicles is available across from the stadium entrance. For those in need of assistance there will be a golf cart transporting guests from disabled parking to the entrance of the stadium.

Other Information:

• Programs and T-Shirts will be available on site for purchase.
• Spirit Shout-Outs and Candygrams will be available.
• Both concession stands will be open.
• Hot beverages available at food truck vendor Tom’s Coffee.

Event information is available here on our website.

Senior Parents: Pictures Needed for Awards Night

We would like to recognize each of the seniors at our Marching Band Awards Ceremony planned for Tuesday, December 2, 2025. If you have attended this celebration in the past, you know that we like to put together a slide show of pictures submitted by each senior’s family. The family keeps the picture choices a secret from their student until the big night. So how can you help us? 

Please start picking out your favorite pictures, usually 3-4 pictures from infancy to now. Please email them to: seniors@masonbandboosters.com.

Be sure to include the name of your student.

****We need pictures NO LATER THAN November 21, 2025****

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to seniors@masonbandboosters.com. 

Grand Nats Decorating and Send-Offs

The week of Grand Nationals we adorn the Music Wing with signs and show themed decorations to celebrate and encourage our students. Families are welcome to make a poster to hang in the hallways to be admired by all staff & students during the school week leading up to our final performance.

Decorating the music wing will take place Sunday Nov. 9th from 3-6 pm.  You may come to the band door to drop off your poster to a Spirit committee member for hanging, come in and use provided supplies to make a poster, or join us to hang decorations.

If you already made signs for the regional send off, those will work for this. If you would like to make a poster, here are some ideas:

>Create and Print a Poster Board via Walgreens Photo 

• Some do 16x20 and others do 11x14
• Create directly in Walgreens Photo or in another app and upload as a single image
• They usually have a photo discount for up to 50% off and same-day pick-up available 

>Print on cardstock at Office Depot or Staples

• A full-color 11x17 cardstock print is fairly inexpensive

>Hand make a poster using printed photos and/or artwork and tape to a poster board

• We will have plenty of poster board, supplies & embellishments laid out at the school during decorating if you’d like to make a poster then.  Bring printed photos or make a poster without photos.

SmugMug has a whole season’s worth of pictures you can download and use. There is also a gallery for show artwork: 

smug mug shared art

We will also send off our students for both Prelims Nov.13th & Semis/Finals Nov.14th, using these same posters as the buses leave Mason for Indianapolis.  More detail to come on poster pick up from the school for use at send-offs & logistics of the send-offs themselves as we get closer.

Questions?  Contact spirit@masonbandboosters.com

Mmm…Cake

If you attended our last Booster Meeting, you heard about our exciting new fundraising opportunity partnering with Nothing bundt Cakes, targeted for January/February.

We are still in need of one more enthusiastic individual to help chair this event. Please contact Jennifer Rodway at fundraising@masonbandboosters.com for more information.

Medical Secretary Updates

The remaining Medication Drop off are listed below. Please make sure you have an uploaded DMS sheet on file prior to dropping off the medications. Also ONLY bring the amount of medications we need.  Thank you for helping us support your students’ needs. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sally McDonald by email: medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com. 

Remaining Medication Drop Off Dates for Travel:

Grand Nationals Medication drop offs listed below.  Please sign up for a time slot on Booster Hub! 

• 11/10 4:30-6:30 at Let’s Play practice
• 11/12 4:30-6:30 at Let’s Play practice

You can still order the standard Memory Book by December 2!

Every year, the Photo Corps puts together a memory book to celebrate the season, covering  band camps, rehearsals, games, competitions, and behind-the-scenes moments. This year’s memory book will be a soft cover book with approximately 70 pages, priced at $55.

memory book

Secret Buddy Reminder

We are glad so many students chose to participate in Secret Buddy this year!  Here are the remaining dates during band season to bring secret buddy items.  Please make sure everyone takes good care of their buddy! 

• MSBA Championship Saturday, November 8th
• BOA Grand Nationals Friday, November 14th  

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

2025 Marching Band Next Steps

Marching Band Registration Next Steps:

• Registration Guide is now live.
• PAST DUE: 
• All payments for the 2025 MB Season are now PAST DUE.

Other Marching Band Documents: 

• 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”

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.