October 1, 2023 Band Notes

7th Bell - Marching Band Visit to MMS
- check with your teacher to make sure you have any makeup work/assessments
Wind Symphony Dress Rehearsal 3:00-5:00pm
Color Guard Show Hair Trial 5-6pm
Color Guard Rehearsal 6-9pm; HS
Instrumentalist photos; at your scheduled time in HS Choir Room
Senior Parents, This form regarding Senior Night is due.
Instrumentalist fittings (schedule below)

Thursday, October 5

Brass and Woodwinds 3-6pm; HS
Percussion 6-9pm; HS
Pick up Car Raffle Tickets or bring in tickets sold/money 5-6pm by the band aid tent
Color Guard photos; at your scheduled time in HS Choir Room

Friday, October 6

Full Band Rehearsal 3-5pm
Football Night (Please see below for complete details)
Attn. Seniors: Votes For Senior Song Close At Midnight! (See link in Checklist)

Saturday, October 7

Mason Invitational (Please see details including the student schedule below)
Secret Buddy exchange

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

Please sign up to volunteer for the Mason Invitational. We still have some critical spots that need to be filled. (See below for details)
Rose Trip Payment # 5 of $575 is due tonight. Payment can be made to Bob Rogers Travel
All MB instrumentalists must sign up for a uniform fitting this week. Please see below.
Order Tour Shirt apparel from Friday Threads. CLOSES MONDAY (10/2) AT MIDNIGHT. (Please see below for details)
MB Senior Students-It’s time to vote! Please place your vote for your Senior Song for Family Showcase/Senior Night HERE (Student responses only please)
Schedule and order your pictures today! (Please see below for details)
Order Memory Book (Please see below for details)
Purchase individual Rose Parade Gala tickets if desired. (Please see below for details; The deadline to order is October 15th.

NEW INFORMATION

Mason Invitational Details-We Still Need Volunteers!

The Mason Invitational is this Saturday Oct. 7th!

Student Schedule

9:00-12:00	Full Band Rehearsal (Stadium)
12:00-1:00	Move Front Ensemble/Podiums/Tubas to MMS Auditorium Move props to the MMS Truck Parking Lot Clean up the Stadium track and field area for the competition. Everyone else take their gear back to the High School Lunch (bring your own, concessions, or leave to eat during break) Small Commons available to eat in Students can also choose to head to the Stadium and eat concessions (Bring $$).
1:00-5:30 or 1:00-6:30	Break - options during the break: Students can go to the Stadium complex and watch bands, eat concession, etc Students can go home for their break Students can help their parents with the competition Students can sign up for a volunteer slot to help with the competition. (Ex. BAND GUIDE and USHERS are good places for students to help)
5:30-7:30	COLOR GUARD Guard report to HS at 5:30pm. Dinner is NOT provided. Eat before you arrive. Show Hair & Makeup checks will start at 6:45pm before uniforms are distributed. Change into competition uniforms with the correct undergarments (see Color Guard Lookbook slide 4).
6:30-7:30	BRASS/WOODWIND/PERCUSSION Report to the HS at 6:30pm. Dinner is NOT provided. Eat before you arrive. Change into competition uniforms (white undergarments).
7:30	Students form Block in Bus Circle ready to leave for Warm-Up
7:45	Leave for Warm Up
8:00	Warm Up Area A (MMS Front Parking Lot)
8:45	Rose Parade Presentation Rose Parade President Mason City School District Leaders, City of Mason Leaders, Mason Band Sponsors Car Raffle Drawing
9:00	Mason Performance at MSBA Mason Invitational
9:15	Meet in our end zone band stands for instructions. Students who are presenting awards need to stay and organize for awards. Pit Crew & Front Ensemble move instruments back to HS Students not presenting awards, block up on track in 3’s and head back to the High School.
9:30-11:00	Put away all equipment Change out of uniforms Students dismissed!

Uniforms

We will be debuting our new competition uniforms!! (Please see below for additional important information regarding uniform fittings and shoes!)

Instrumentalists

VERY IMPORTANT!-UNDERGARMENTS MUST BE ALL WHITE WITH ALL WHITE UNDERWEAR AND CONTAIN NO PRINT OR LOGOS! All undergarments must be tight fitting and PANTS MUST GO ALL OF THE WAY TO THE ANKLE! SHIRTS MUST BE SLEEVELESS! We highly recommend a synthetic material vs. cotton as synthetics handle sweat and moisture much better than cotton. CLICK HERE for more information and links to suggested items to buy. You do not have to buy these, these are just examples of what you can buy. You can purchase the undergarments anywhere you wish as long as they meet the requirements. Any uniform related questions should be directed to Emmy Weiss at uniforms@masonbandboosters.com.
Socks will be provided by the Uniform committee for both sets of uniforms so you do not need to buy socks!

Color Guard

For color guard uniform undergarments, please see CG Season Lookbook. Please see slide 4 for complete details on the competitive uniform look.

Invitational Information

All the details regarding the Invitational including ticket prices, parking, performance schedule etc. and be found HERE.

Volunteer Needs

We still have a few more volunteer and food donation slots to fill for the Invitational! We have made great progress from where we were earlier this week thanks to many of you! If you have not signed up to help yet, now is the time to do so. Volunteers receive free admission to the Invitational! Thanks again for your support in making sure we have an amazing event!

Concessions- 6 slots available (We need grill cooks the most.)

Guest/VIP Parking-5 Slots available

Ushers-1 slots available (You can watch all the bands perform during your shift!)

Truck/Bus Parking-2 slots available

Extra Helpers- 2 slots available (floaters)

Hospitality Food and Monetary Donations-several slots available (Does not count towards volunteer hours)

Monetary donations can be made HERE

Bake Sale Donations 5 slots available (Does not count towards volunteer hours)

Band Aids and Chaperones For Rehearsal-3 slots available (Must be on the approved chaperone/ band aid list)

Band Aids and Chaperones For Performance Flow-2 slots available (Must be on the approved chaperone/ band aid list)

Sponsor A Trophy

Each year for the Invitational, we offer the opportunity to our Band Families to sponsor a trophy! If you sponsor a trophy, your family name will be listed in our Program as the trophy sponsor, and you can select your student or another person to present the trophy. This is a fun way for us to be gracious hosts and involve our students for all these hardworking bands!

For more details and to sign up to sponsor a trophy please click HERE. Should you have any questions, please feel free to send an email to competition@masonbandboosters.com.

Important Uniform Update!!-Please Read

Attention Instrumentalists-As stated above, we will be debuting the competition uniforms this Saturday. The new uniforms just arrived earlier this week. Therefore, we need to have a quick turnaround between fittings and the performance on Saturday. It is imperative that everyone helps us to do this by doing the following two things. This will ensure that everyone looks their best on Saturday.

All instrumentalists that are using last year's white shoes need to bring them in. Please bring them in during any practice day this week and put them in your Green Uniform Bag. Racks will be out in the hallway.
Please schedule your uniform fitting. All instrumentalists need to get fitted for their pants, jackets, and sleeves. Please pick a slot below and wear your white undergarments for your fitting.

Monday, Oct. 2 Fitting Sign-up

Tuesday, Oct. 3 Fitting Sign-up

Wednesday, Oct. 4 Fitting Sign-up (Please make sure you do not schedule this at the same time as your individual portrait.)

Color Guard fittings will take place during rehearsal on Monday- (No appointment required.)

Thank you for helping us to make sure this important task gets done. Please contact uniforms@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Tour Shirts Available For Purchase!

Please note that the highly anticipated 2023 TOUR SHIRTS are available for sale online. The order Site for the Tour shirts is open for a VERY LIMITED TIME. In order to get the Tour Shirts delivered to our students before their first competition in Indianapolis we must cut off the order collection at midnight, Monday, October 2nd. Orders can be placed HERE.

***All students receive one short sleeve tour shirt as part of their consumable fee, so you do not need to order a shirt for your student.

The online form offers the design on cotton, triblend, long sleeve, hoodie, and crewneck. You may also use this form to order extra shirts for your students, for yourself, friends, and family. This will be the ONLY opportunity to order the official 2023 William Mason High School Marching Band Tour Shirt, so please take a moment to order now before the deadline on October 2nd. The shirts that you order online will ship out/be available for pick up in store the day or day after delivery to the students depending on when the students receive their shirts.

A special note to our new band families to let you know that the design on the order form is generic and does not represent how the shirts will truly look. The color shown will be the color of the shirt you receive; however, per tradition, the actual design is kept secret until the students receive their shirts. The staff does a great job designing these show theme shirts every year, so you won't be disappointed! This is a fun tradition for friends and family to show their love and pride for the Mason Marching Band throughout the season.

Please email Gina at spirit@masonbandboosters.com if you have any questions.

Optional: Rose Parade Jackets Available

Rose Parade Jackets are available for purchase from Friday Threads at the following link: 2024 MHS Rose Parade Jackets. The jackets are available to students, family and friends and are able to be personalized. These jackets are completely OPTIONAL. Orders must be placed by October 10, 2023 at midnight.

Football Game This Friday Night!

The next football game is this Friday night! The eighth graders will be joining us for the pregame performance! They will then get to spend some time in the stands with high school students and watch the halftime show. We are looking forward to these students getting a taste of what marching band is like, and having them join us for the 2024 marching band season!

Mason Bands Football Primer--Key Things to know:

Ticket information, schedule, and other important information for Friday night can be found HERE.

Uniforms

Plan A is for instrumentalists to wear classic uniforms and the color guard to wear their spirit uniforms. Please read all communication from the directors in case it changes due to the weather.

Feed the Band

All students will be offered food every FOOTBALL FRIDAY compliments of our sponsors and/or the Mason Band Boosters!

This Friday’s Menu, October 6th, 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 Feed the Band Chair, Smita Ankola at smita.ankola@gmail.com. We thank Smita for volunteering her time and taking on this large task for us this year!!!

Marching Band Secret Buddies

Reminder: The next Secret Buddy exchange is this Saturday!

Dates:

10/7- Mason Invitational
10/20- Super Regionals
11/4- MSBA Championships
11/09- Grand Nationals

Medication Drop Off For Super Regionals

We will be having a medication drop off opportunity on October 14th from 1-2pm in the High School staff dining room (location is tentative). This is for any prescribed medication or OTC med (other than our central OTCs acetaminophen/Tylenol, diphenhydramine/Benadryl, and ibuprofen) that a student may need during our trips to Indianapolis.

Please sign up HERE if you plan to drop off medications. Please also carefully read the Medication Policy and review all of the information about how we manage medication on MasonBands.com in advance. You will need to prepare your student’s medication with a completed med insert card placed in a ziploc bag with their medication following the instructions in our Medication Check-in Guide. Remember to upload all DMS forms here prior to bringing medication to check in. Please be sure to drop off enough medication for both trips to Indianapolis. We will not be dispensing bedtime medications on Friday night of Super Regionals or Thursday night of Grand Nationals because students will be coming home and sleeping in their own beds.

It is also more important than ever that you fill out DMS forms for any over the counter medications your student may need while traveling. We maintain a central supply of Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and Benadryl for students to take if needed during rehearsals or travel. We refer to these as “Central OTC (over the counter) Meds”. Students are not permitted to carry these medications themselves or give any medications to their friends so it is imperative that the proper forms are filled out so we can provide your student with a little bit of relief for muscle pain, headaches, and other minor discomforts. We recommend submitting DMS forms for Central OTC Meds if your student has ever needed one of these medications in the past. Please follow the below steps, if you have not already done so, to make sure your child can have the medications they may need.

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.
Only submit the DMS forms your student needs; you do not need to submit multiple forms with different dosages for the same medication.
Forms must be signed by both a healthcare provider and a parent/guardian.

If you have any questions or need to make an alternate drop off appointment, email medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com or registration@masonbandboosters.com

Attention Band Aids and Chaperones

Please mark October 24, 2023 at 6:30-8:30pm on your calendar. We will be having a special mental health training session for our band aids and chaperones in the Mason Intermediate cafeteria. More details will be sent soon via email.

Please also note that more volunteer spots are now open in Charms. Check back periodically for additional spots that will be available as we continue through the season. Thanks so much for everything you do!!

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who attended our booster meeting this past Thursday. If you were unable to attend you can view the slides for our presentation HERE.

REMINDERS

Don't Miss The Deadline To Order Portraits!

The deadline to schedule instrumentalist portraits is Monday, October 2, and the deadline to schedule color guard portraits is Tuesday, October 3.

You will also be able to place orders for the panoramic picture of the band, section photos, buttons, ornaments, and more. To schedule and place an order, please click HERE.

Appointment dates:

Instrumentalist photos: Wednesday, October 4th.
Color Guard photos: Thursday, October 5th.

** Please Note** If you are in the Wind Symphony please schedule your appointment after your rehearsal. Your rehearsal ends at 5pm. This will ensure that rehearsal will not be disrupted. For those who are not in the Wind Symphony, if your schedule allows, please sign up for an appointment prior to 5pm. We appreciate your cooperation.

Time To Order Marching Band Memory Books

Each year, our talented photo volunteers put together a beautiful memory book filled with the many moments of our season including rehearsals, football games, parades & competitions. This is a beautiful 8.5x11 inch soft cover photo book with about 90 pages. Orders for books without custom pages must be received by January 10, 2024.

You have the option of adding custom pages to your book that you design with your own pictures. The first two custom pages are free, and additional pages are available for a small additional cost. If you choose this option, you agree to have your child’s name and your email address shared with the book company, Tree Ring, so you can personalize the pages in the book associated with your student’s name.

This option is only available for books ordered by October 25, 2023 and all pages must be finished by January 10, 2024 along with final book orders.

Place your Memory Book order HERE.

Rose Parade Trip Gala Only Tickets Now Available For Purchase

Due to high demand, families now have the option to purchase individual tickets to the Gala event taking place on January 1, 2024 at the SoFi Stadium in California. Tickets are $169 per person and can be purchased HERE. Please note that the price is set by Bob Roger’s Travel. This option will be available only through October 15th. When you go to the above link and log into your account or create a new one, you will see the following 2 options. You will need to click on the Fan Gala Celebration Dinner Only option.

This is only for individuals who are not purchasing a Ticket Only package or the Friends and Family Package. In other words this is for anyone who is planning their entire trip to California themselves but would still like to attend the Gala. This event is not the low key New Year’s Eve celebration that students and those with the Friends and Family Package will celebrate at their respective hotels. Please contact parade@masonbandboosters.com

Mason Bands Car Raffle

Last week to sell and purchase Car Raffle tickets to win a 2023 Jeep Wrangler or a cash prize! Please help us reach our goal of selling 3000 Tickets before the drawing on this Saturday.

Information on the Car Raffle can be found HERE.

If you have not yet done so, please pick up tickets to sell near the band aid tent on Thursday from 5-6pm. Adults ONLY please! You may also drop off money/tickets you have already sold during this time. We are asking each family to sell at least 9 tickets. We welcome you to sell as many as you can! The three families that sell the most tickets will win a $100 gift card to Topgolf!!

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

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

Details On Trips To Indianapolis

The most up to date information on our upcoming trips Indianapolis can be found HERE. The linked page contains what we know so far about performance times, how to purchase tickets, and housing information. If you have any questions, please contact travel@masonbandboosters.com

Marching Band Next Steps

Next Up

Tonight- Rose Trip Payment # 5 of $575 is due. Payment can be made to Bob Rogers Travel
November 15th- Remaining Rose Trip Balance Due. 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.