November 5, 2023 Band Notes

Review Grand Nats Itinerary (See below)
Order Spirit Wear if desired (Details below)
Complete Grand Nationals Transportation Waiver due Tonight at 11:59pm if you plan to transport your student home (see Grand Nationals Transportation Waiver section below).
Senior Parents- Please submit pictures to be used during Marching Band Awards Ceremony. Please see below for details. All pictures must be submitted no later than November 22nd.
Parents-Check out the information below about Grand Nats. send-offs and decorating the band wing!

NEW INFORMATION

Congratulations To The Marching Band!

Congratulations to the William Mason High School Marching Band on their first place finish in Class AAAAA! This is the 14th time William Mason has placed first at championships. We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our students put into their stellar performance.

Congratulations to the all of the AAAAA bands on incredible performances yesterday: Lakota West, Lebanon, Milford, Fairfield, Miamisburg, Campbell County, West Clermont, and Kettering Fairmont. We enjoyed and were impressed by all of your shows!

MSBA Competition Thank You!

Yesterday was a huge success thanks to many people coming together in support of our kids and other band students in the area. It takes many hands to host an event as large as the MSBA Championship. Thank you to the following individuals for their contributions in making it a fantastic day:

MSBA Competition Chairs- A huge thank you for your leadership in planning and executing such a large and important event for our band program. We are so appreciative of all of you.

Jeanie Knuth
Hinrich Knuth
Howard Pinsky

Band Directors-We are grateful for your support and guidance throughout the planning phase of the competition and during the event itself.

Competition Committee Leads- Special thanks to all of you for taking on the task of running specific areas of the Invitational! The day ran smoothly due to your leadership, flexibility, and the hard work you put in all day.

Jason Langbein/John Siedlecki - Announcers
Bridget Siedlecki-Ticketing
Jim Mills/Kelly Berling-Concessions
Peter Huisman/Avious Jackson - Tabulations/Judges
Hinrich Knuth/Zach Hinson - On Field Staging, Control & Exit
Chris Minnear-Band Guides, Band Check-in, and Watering Station
Chris Riva-Guest Parking
Lori Stackpole/Emily Huisman-Bake Sale
Gina Marshall-Spirit Table and Program Designer
Johanna Chasse/Jennifer Livingston-Hospitality
Howard Pinsky/James Grim-Truck and Bus Parking
Kim/Michael Bishop-Volunteers and Ushers
Scott Cook - Sponsorship

Uniform Crew-Once again you pulled out all of the stops to make our students look fantastic! Thanks to all of the parents who washed uniforms, styled hair, mended uniforms, and made sure our kids were dressed their best. You are all simply incredible!

Pit Crew- We are so thankful for all you did to make sure everything was set up for the day and torn down at the end. Thanks as well for taking the lead in ensuring all the trucks and buses of the visiting bands were parked safely and assisting all of the bands with any needs they had. On top of all that you took care of our props and made sure our kids had everything they needed for their performance.

Photo Crew- What would we do without all of you? Thank you for capturing the special moments in such a beautiful and professional way! Your photos will ensure the memories of the day last a lifetime.

Financial Team- Thank you for taking on the difficult task of keeping our finances in order and keeping track of our profits we make from such a large event. Your job is often unseen by others but is incredibly time consuming and important to our organization.

Angie Anthos
Tabytha Lopez

Booster Board- Thanks for all of the hard work behind the scenes you did to both support the competition and to make sure the event ran smoothly. You are an incredible bunch of individuals who do so much to give our students the best possible band experience.

Band Aids and Chaperones-Thank you for taking care of our kids. We can always trust our kids are in good hands and well cared for with you. Hopefully you are able to get some much deserved rest between now and Thursday! :)

Every Volunteer-Thank you to all the parents, students, alumni, extended family, and friends who stepped up to volunteer a shift, and in some cases the entire day, to make sure we filled all the critical spots we needed to make the day run smoothly. We are also grateful to those who contributed yummy food and drinks for both the bake sale and for hospitality.

School administrators, facility coordinators, janitors, and other school staff,-Your support and behind the scenes work did not go unnoticed.

Students-Most importantly thanks to you for putting on a fantastic performance and making us so proud! You are the reason everyone listed above goes to so much effort.

Grand National Championship

Hello Families! The week we have all been working so hard towards is 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

Student Itinerary - Click HERE (there is a page for each day).

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 last Friday night.

STUDENT DROP OFF/PARKING INSTRUCTIONS

THURSDAY:

Arrival and Departure/Pickup will be from Wall 2 Wall. Students may leave their cars at Wall 2 Wall but MUST park in the last two rows of the W2W lot (between the tree banks).

WE WILL BE ARRIVING BACK AT W2W SO PLEASE PLAN TO PICK UP YOUR STUDENT FROM W2W ON THURSDAY ONLY! PLEASE BE AWARE THE CHARTER BUSES WILL BE PULLING IN THE FRONT ROW SO WE HIGHLY ADVISE YOU NOT PARK THERE TO WAIT FOR YOUR STUDENT AS YOU WILL GET BLOCKED IN UNTIL THEY DEPART!

FRIDAY:

The Band will be departing from Wall 2 Wall/Let’s Play Sports Friday and returning to Mason High School Bus Circle Sunday afternoon.

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

PLEASE NOTE: 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 (see Itinerary).

Students may park cars in their SCHOOL ASSIGNED spot at MHS on 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 Friday morning.

Chaperones! Michael Bishop and Bridget Siedlecki will be shuttling us to and from MHS on Friday morning, so if you need a ride over the MHS to park your car, please make sure you see one of them to arrange that transportation. School IS in session on 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

NOTE: Each student should use their THREE travel tags for instrument/equipment bag, day bag, and luggage. NEW TAGS WILL NOT BE GIVEN! PLEASE USE THE SAME TAGS FROM SUPER REGIONAL! If you lost one, feel free to put your own tag on the bag. The important thing is it makes it back to the owner if it gets lost.

Instrument/Flags/Rifles with travel tags
Backpack or day bag for bus with travel tag
Water Jug FILLED ready for rehearsal each morning.
FRI-SUN Overnight Bag - will go under the bus on Friday. MAKE SURE IT HAS A TRAVEL TAG SECURED!!
Performance Clothes (including WHITE underlayers!);
Guard - Undergarments , Hair Supplies, Makeup. Shoes and tights need to go in Day Bag and on the bus with you!
DEODORANT!!
Casual Outfits, socks, underwear, shoes (to change into out of uniforms).
Mason Band Jacket/ Sweatshirt/hat
Overnight gear and toiletries (toothbrush, DEODORANT!, brush, etc,)
Portable Charger for Phone
Snacks for bus/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.
Clear Bag (if needed) and Spending money for Lucas Oil (Cashless so credit card or cash to card station required). Travel lanyard can be used to store money, credit cards and hotel key.

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 Gina Marshall or email her 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; please see below.)
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 machines located throughout the stadium.

HOTEL

Friday and Saturday Nights:
- Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 West Maryland Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46225
- Will return to Mason HS on Sunday!

TRANSPORTATION WAIVERS

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 TONIGHT, November 5, 2023 at 11:59pm. See form for check out times/locations and for more information.

2023 Grand Nationals Transportation Waiver Form

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.

PARENT GROUPS
*Remind Group:*	*Code to text in the message to 81010:*
*Woodwind PARENTS*	@wwpar23
*Brass PARENTS*	@brpar23
*Percussion PARENTS*	@percpar23
*Guard PARENTS*	@ grdpar23

Indy Grand National Championships Travel Waiver Remind Group (For those picking up on Thursday 5:45pm, Sunday 1am, or Sunday 8am only.

Text @23GNTW 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 (Thurs & Friday) $35 each day + Fees (GA Tickets) Grand Nationals: Thursday 11/9 Preliminaries
- Semi-Finals $45-$70 + Fees (GA and Reserved available) Grand Nationals: Saturday 11/11 Semi Finals
- Finals Tickets range from $20-$150 + Fees (GA and Reserved available) Grand Nationals: Saturday 11/11 Finals

MEDICATIONS

Please contact medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com or registration@masonbandboosters.com with any questions or concerns regarding prescribed or over the counter medication during the trip. Please note that we will not be able to dispense over the counter medications to your student such as Ibuprofen, Tylenol, or Benadryl unless you have filled out the appropriate forms that are signed both by a parent or guardian and a physician.

Please fill out the appropriate Dispensing Medication at School (DMS) Forms found HERE.
Upload all completed DMS forms HERE. For tips on how to download the forms please click here.

SECRET BUDDY

Due to space restrictions please bring Secret Buddy gifts on Friday of Grand Nats only.

BAND SEND-OFFS FOR GRAND NATS

What Is It? The Send-off is an opportunity for families to cheer on the Band as they drive off in the buses to Indianapolis. This is optional, but also A LOT OF FUN!
- Bring anything you can think of to send them off in Style! Ideas include : fatheads / signs / flags / balloons / noise makers
- We are there to cheer them on and make them feel like the SUPERSTARS that they are!!
- EVERYONE IS WELCOME - Family, Friends, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Etc. We would love to see as many people as possible.
When Is It?
- Thursday, November 9 - at Marion's Piazza (THIS IS THE BIG ONE!!!)
  - 11:30 AM -12:00 PM
  - Come Early - If the band finishes lunch early they will leave early
  - Someone from the Spirit Committee will bring the section signs and personal signs from the Music Wing Decorations for people to hold up. You don’t need to return to the school to retrieve yours.
- Friday, November 10 - in the Wall2Wall Parking Lot
  - 12:30 - 12:45 PM

** Watch the band schedule as this gets closer. The times could still change!!!

If you have any questions about these events please contact Gina at spirit@masonbandboosters.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Families cannot go into Marion’s or Wall2Wall during this time. There are a lot of moving parts to get the band on the buses and moving ON TIME. We are there to cheer them on, but we cannot get in the way. Thanks!!

We don’t usually plan anything, but many parents bring items to welcome them home from Indy, too.

REMINDERS

Attendance Reminders

Attendance is a vital component of a successful marching band program during these final two weeks of the season. During these final two 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. We ask that during these final two weeks that students and families make an effort to keep any absences within the excused/unavoidable absence category, to ensure the success of the entire organization as we approach Grand Nationals.

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.

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

Decorating The Music Wing - Spirit Committee

TOMORROW, Monday, November 6, we are decorating lockers and hallways at the high school to wish our band members good luck for Grand Nats! We need some volunteers to help on this day right after school, 3:00pm - 5:30pm. You will be hanging signs and other themed items to dress up the hallways. If you are able to help, please let Gina Marshall know at spirit@masonbandboosters.com

If you have a personal sign to hang please bring it to the school during that time and we will make sure it gets hung up even if you are not able to stay and help.

We will take down all the signs from the school Wednesday the 8th and take them to the send offs on Thursday for spectators to hold.

If you have any questions about this event please contact Gina at spirit@masonbandboosters.com.

Rose Parade Spirit Wear Available

Rose Parade Spirit Wear is available for purchase from OCD Unlimited. Spirit Wear is available to students, family and friends and is able to be personalized. Go to https://ocdunlimitedinc.com/masonmarchingband to order. The ordering window will be from 11/1/23-11/15/23. Orders will be delivered to students at practice. Questions can be directed to Carrie Upchurch at vp-marketing@masonbandboosters.com.

ATTENTION Class of 2024 Parents

We would like to recognize each of the seniors at our Marching Band Awards Ceremony tentatively planned for Tuesday, January 16, 2024. 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 about 3-4 pictures from infancy to now. Please scan and email them to: seniors@masonbandboosters.com

Be sure to include the name of your student.

****We need this information NO LATER THAN November 22, 2023****

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

Marching Band Secret Buddies

Reminder: The last Secret Buddy exchange is this Friday!

Dates:

11/10- Grand Nationals (Friday of Grand Nationals) Like during our Super Regional trip there will not be room on the buses on Thursday of Grand Nats. The uniforms will be in the overhead bins.

Band Spirit Merchandise For Sale

Are you interested in buying Band merchandise themed for "Enchanted Promises" or the Rose Parade? You may have seen Fan Flags, Stickers or Magnets floating around this season. There are many places to find Band Merchandise.

General Spirit Items - including NEW ITEMS (Buttons, Luggage Tags, Stickers, etc.)

https://form.jotform.com/Masonbands/mason-band-product-order-form
More items are added to this form throughout the season so bookmark this link so you can find it again quickly.

Redbubble - Band art on a variety of products:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/MasonBand/shop?asc=u

Friday Threads - Apparel:

https://www.fridaythreads.com/store/mason-band-spirit-wear

If you have questions, contact Gina using the email Spirit@masonbandboosters.com

Marching Band Next Steps

Next Up

November 15th- Remaining Rose Trip Balance Due. (For Students) Payment can be made to Bob Rogers Travel

Please contact medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com with any questions regarding medications or physicals. If you have any questions regarding fees, please email Mr. Sleppy at sleppyj@masonohioschools.com.