October 4, 2026 Band Notes

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 5

• Full Band: 3-6pm; MHS

Tuesday, October 6

• Full Band: 6-9pm; MHS
• Coffee Talk: 7-8pm; MHS Staff Dining Room

Wednesday, October 7

• Marching Band Visit to MMS: 1:15-2:30pm
• Color Guard: 6-9pm; MHS

Thursday, October 8

• Brass and Woodwinds: 3-6pm; MHS
• Percussion: 6-9pm; MHS

Friday, October 9

• Full Band: 3-5pm; MHS
• Dinner provided (Feed the Band) - see menu below
• Football Game vs. Fairfield: 6:00pm to approximately 9:30pm (see typical schedule below)
• Note: Any timing updates will be sent through Parent Remind. Details on how to set up parent Remind can be found HERE.

Saturday, October 10

• Mason Invitational (see detailed schedule below) - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

• • • Mason performs: 8pm

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

1. Sign up in BoosterHub to volunteer for the Mason Invitational.

• • URGENT VOLUNTEERES NEEDED - **High schoolers can volunteer for service hours.

• • • ALL POSITIONS WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH MASON PERFORM
    • Sixty-nine volunteer spots still open AND 37 Food donations needed between Bake Sale and Hospitality
    • Band Check-In - 6 
    • Band Guide - 19 **
    • Water Stations - 4 **
    • Concessions - 15 **
    • Hospitality - 6 
    • Parking - 10 
    • Ushers - 9 **
    • Bake Sale Donations - 18 bake sale items needed
    • Use Sign Up Genius for hospitality to bring one of the 19 remaining items needed.

2. Sponsor a Trophy! Only 9 trophies left. Click here

3. Purchase car raffle tickets 2026 Car Raffle Ticket Order Form, and spread the word about this fundraiser. 

4. Join us for our next Coffee Talk session on Tuesday at 7pm in the MHS Staff Dining Room.

5. Order your memory book by October 27 for a 10% discount. Order form

NEW INFORMATION

🔥🐎  A Fiery Congratulations! 

Congratulations to the William Mason High School Marching Band on earning first place in Class AA at the OMEA Buckeye Invitational at The Ohio State University! In addition to earning first place, the band also earned the class awards for Best Music, Visual, General 

Effect, Percussion and Auxiliary (Color Guard). 

This incredible experience takes a tremendous team behind the scenes, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped make the trip to Columbus a success! From those working behind the scenes to those cheering from the stands, every contribution makes a difference. Thank you to our Pit Crew, Uniform Crew, Color Guard Crew, Chaperones, Band Aids, Photo Corps, Staff, and all of our families and supporters who traveled to cheer on the band! We also appreciate everyone who came out for the send-off, especially our Mason cheerleaders, who helped hype up the students as they boarded the buses. 

What an incredible day for the Mason Band! Congratulations to our students and staff on an outstanding performance! 

Check out pictures on SmugMug, later this week.

Mason Invitational - THIS SATURDAY

This Saturday, October 10th we are hosting the Mason Invitational Competition. This event gives bands in the area, as well as our own kiddos, the opportunity to showcase all of their hard work and for our visiting bands a chance to get some feedback on their show. It truly takes a village to make this wonderful opportunity happen for our young musicians. We cannot pull off an event of this magnitude without the help of every single band family. 

As a gentle reminder, each family agreed at the beginning of the year to work at least one shift of the Invitational as outlined in the Marching Band Handbook.

As the hosting school, and just like any hosting event at your home, we need to provide sustenance and volunteer time for our visitors. Please consider signing up to bring something AND to greet our guests at one of several volunteer opportunities. 

Student Schedule

Here is the student schedule for the Mason Invitational on October 10:
Mason MSBA Student Guidebook

Feed the Band

The Mason Invitational Lunch Menu is sponsored by the Band Boosters and catered by:

Costco Wholesale

7135 Veterans Blvd, Liberty Township, OH 45044

The Menu* will be as follows:

Regular/Halal: Costco Artisan Bread Sandwich Platter: Roasted Chicken & Swiss Sandwiches with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Lettuce, Garlic Herb Aioli (on side), Pickle Chips (on side), Frito/Lays Chips, Nabisco Cookie, Gatorade/Lemonade. 

Vegetarian/Vegan/Dairy Free/ Peanut Free/Nut Free: Jammies Brand Sunbutter Crustless Sandwiches, Frito/Lays Chips, Nabisco Cookie, Gatorade.

Gluten Free: Rudi's Bakery Brand Gluten Free Sandos:  PBJ Crustless Sandwiches,  Boulder Canyon Chips, MadeGood Granola Minis. *please note Sandos are gluten free, but contain peanuts/peanut butter.

Dietary Restrictions & Allergies

Dietary designations are for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of safety for individual dietary needs. Families are responsible for referring to restaurant/product nutrition and allergen information, determining what is appropriate for their student and making alternate arrangements as needed. 

*If the menu does not meet your dietary preferences or needs, you always have the option of having food dropped off or packing your own dinner. 

*There are still slots available in Booster Hub to Feed the Band for the Mason Invitational!*

Volunteering and Needed Donations

Volunteer opportunities are now in Booster Hub.  

From the app - You can go to the calendar feature and click on Oct. 10 to see all volunteer opportunities.

From the browser - Click on Volunteer in the left navigation. Then select Invitational 2026 under the "Filter by Tag” section on the left side under the Calendar.

The Hospitality donation sign up can be found here. - Hospitality feeds visiting bus drivers and band directors, as well as the judges. Help us keep our reputation as a welcoming host.

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS IN ALMOST EVERY AREA! Below is a list of the areas where we still need volunteers and donations. You will see volunteer signups for each of these in BoosterHub, with job descriptions for each. Volunteers receive free admission to the Invitational!

Sixty-nine volunteer spots still open AND 37 Food donations needed between Bake Sale and Hospitality

• Band Check-In - 6 
• Band Guide - 19 **
• Water Stations - 4 **
• Concessions - 15 **
• Hospitality - 6 
• Parking - 10 
• Ushers - 9 **
• Bake Sale Donations - 18 bake sale items needed
• Use Sign Up Genius for hospitality to bring one of the 19 remaining items needed.

SHOUT OUT to the 23 families who have signed up for multiple shifts and food item donations. 

**High-school students can sign up for these positions. (Volunteers for all other positions must be 18 or older.) 

Ticket Information

Admission is $15.00 at the door only (children under 5 years of age are free).Tickets are for general seating and will be sold at the entrance to the stadium. The ticket office will open at 3:00pm

Reminder: Volunteers receive free admission!

If you or someone you know donated $50 or more for Tag Day and did not receive their Invitational tickets, please contact tagday@masonbandboosters.com.

Senior/Family Night Wrap

What a great night celebrating our Marching Band seniors!

A huge thank you to Kaja Harper and the many volunteers who made this year’s Senior Night so special! 

Thank you to Sally McDonald, Florencia Rush, Kristi Cetti, Desirae Richey, Casey Morton, Amy Malich, Julie Chaney, Rachel Rose, Michael Rose, Melinda Botkin, Heather Smith, and Senior Chair Shadows, Kristin Day and Lauren Carsen for help with decorations, corsages, and dinner. Thank you to our sponsor, Carrabba’s (Mason). Their contribution allowed us to provide a delicious meal to celebrate our Seniors. The Seniors also enjoyed a tasty, and beautiful, cake donated by Jamie Morton at A Piece of Cake by Jamie. 

Lastly, a huge thanks to Nancy Riley and our talented Photo Corps members who captured the evening so beautifully. Check out the pictures later today on SmugMug.

Order Your Memory Book by October 27!

Speaking of pictures, every year, the Photo Corps puts together a memory book to celebrate the season, covering  band camps, rehearsals, games, competitions, and behind-the-scene moments. This year’s memory book will be a soft cover book with approximately 70 pages. If you order by October 27, you have the option to create your own custom pages to make sure your students have their favorite pictures featured!

Books are $50 if ordered by October 27, 2025. After that, the price increases to $55.

memory book order form

Marching Band Visit to MMS - Wednesday

Students will be excused from their 7th bell class to walk over to MMS and perform for the 8th grade band students. This is always a very fun event for our future marching band members to get them excited for 8th grade night this Friday! This was on the provided list of absences from Mr. Jackson to teachers at the beginning of the year. Students are responsible for making up any missed work during 7th bell, and should not miss class if there is an important test or project. Communicate any absence needs for this event to your section director

Eighth Grade Night Football Game This Friday Night!

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 will be sponsored by the Mason Band Boosters and Dewey’s Pizza.

Dewey’s Pizza- 7663 Cox Lane, West Chester, Ohio 45069

The Menu will be as follows:

Regular/Nut/Egg Allergy  - Pepperoni or cheese pizza, assorted Lays/Frito chips, Rice Krispie Treat, Gatorade/Lemonade.

Vegetarian/Halal - Cheese pizza, assorted Lays/Frito chips, Nabisco cookie pack, Gatorade/Lemonade.

Vegan/Dairy Free/Gluten Free- Dewey’s gluten free/dairy free cheese pizza, Boulder chips, MadeGood Granola Minis, Gatorade/Lemonade.

Dietary Restrictions & Allergies

Dietary designations are for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of safety for individual dietary needs. Families are responsible for referring to restaurant/product nutrition and allergen information, determining what is appropriate for their student and making alternate arrangements as needed. 

*If the menu does not meet your dietary preferences or needs, you always have the option of having food dropped off or packing your own dinner. 

Tickets

A reminder to our new families, tickets are required for anyone who wishes to enter the stadium to watch the game (and the band’s pregame and half-time performances).  

Information on tickets for all Mason sporting events can be found HERE. Tickets can be purchased directly HERE the week of the game or by using the HomeTown ticketing app (select:  William Mason High School).

Mason Bands Football Primer--Key Things to Know

1. Students rehearse right after school and do not have time to leave campus. They should have their regular rehearsal gear and filled water bottle with them to keep hydrated throughout the evening on long Friday game nights. 
2. Students should bring both rehearsal and performance clothes (either summer uniform or what they wear under their uniform) to school on Friday. Directors will communicate in advance what uniform students will wear at the game. This week they will be wearing the summer uniform.
3. Students are not allowed to leave campus for dinner. The Band Boosters provides dinner for students on Friday nights between rehearsal and game time. You may bring dinner to your student at 5:00 pm if you wish. Each week the dinner plan will be shared in the Sunday Band Notes. 
4. The Band plays in front of the Beacon building before they enter the stands. If you want to see that, stay outside the football stadium at the entrance and then enter after they play the fight song,
5. Parents not working to support the band at the game, have to purchase tickets to enter Beacon Stadium. Please see above for information on how to purchase tickets.
6. Students will stay with the band through halftime performance and then have third quarter off to visit friends, family and the concession stand! Students need to bring money if they want anything at the concession stand. Students cannot leave the stadium during third quarter. They will be bringing their personal water bottles up with them for the game.
7. Students will return to the End Zone for the 4th quarter.
8. Parents pick-up students at the High School after they have changed. Students will need time to put away all instruments and equipment and ensure their uniforms are properly put away.

If you have questions about Friday, feel free to contact Tyler Buckner at  vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com

Typical Friday Night Home Schedule - All Times are Approximate

Marching Band 101 for Parents - 10/4 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. 

I Know I am Supposed to Volunteer for the Mason Invitational (10/10) but What Are These Volunteer Roles and What Would I Have to Do?!

Every family in the Mason Bands program agrees to volunteer two times during the year. Our competitions, like the Mason Invitational coming up on Saturday, October 10 are the perfect opportunity to fulfill this commitment. But if you’re new to band it might be unclear what some of these roles do. Good news is many of these roles are simple and FUN! 

Feed the Band: help distribute dinner to our Mason Marching Band students. A great way to meet and interact with our awesome band members!

Band Check-In: Meet competing bands and their staff as they arrive in the middle school parking lot. Escort bands off their buses and direct them to restrooms, eating area, etc. This is a super easy role and a great way to make a great first impression for Mason and the Mason Bands program. 

Band Guides: You will be hosting one of the competing bands by escorting/directing your assigned band to their practice and staging areas, onto and off the field for competition, and being available to them for any resources they might need (restrooms, directions to hospitality area).

Ushers: you will be stationed in the stadium and will help ensure an efficient and welcoming environment for competing bands and spectators by holding pedestrian traffic  during performances and directing spectators to necessities such as concessions and restrooms. Ushers often get to see all the performances!

Hospitality: help host the hospitality area in the Arena where bus drivers, competing band staff and judges are able to rest, get some food, and generally relax. An excellent way to showcase our friendly Mason culture.

Parking: help direct vehicle traffic to appropriate parking facilities to ensure safety and efficiency. Bring your sunscreen!

Concessions: man our concessions booths to keep spectators and bands fed. Everything from grill cooks to cash handling is needed here as we will have over 900 people in Dwire Stadium! Wonderful way to interact with a wide variety of people and to meet many fellow band parents.

Remember: Every volunteer will be able to see Mason perform! 

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!

Grand Nats Booster Meeting - Save the Date

Our next General Booster Meeting will be on Thursday, October 29, at 7pm. This is a CRITICAL meeting, as this will be our last parent meeting prior to Grand Nats.

REMINDERS

Spirit Updates

SHOW-THEMED ORDERS ARE IN!

Good news—show-themed merchandise orders are in!

Orders will be available for pickup at the Spirit Booth at the Mason Invitational. 

🔹 Orders are labeled under the last name of the person who placed the order.
🔹 You’re welcome to send your student to pick up your order!
🔹 Can’t make it to Mason Invitational? No problem! We will have an alternate pickup date later in October. Watch band notes and the band Facebook group for more announcements.

HELP NEEDED! Spirit needs volunteers who can help with assembling swag bags for Eighth Grade Band Night. We will be meeting 6-7pm on 10/5 in the Small Commons. Please sign up in BoosterHub or email spirit@masonbandboosters.com.

Picture Yourself in a Brand New Audi!!!!

This HOT 2026 Audi Q3 could be yours! 

Mason Band Boosters is thrilled to announce we will once again be partnering with Audi Cincinnati East for our 2026 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!  

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW

Raffle Period - Raffle runs NOW until November 6th at 5pm OR until 4,000 tickets are sold...whichever comes first!

Drawing - Saturday, November 7th, 2026 at the MSBA AAAAA Championships, hosted at Mason. Need not be present to win!

Prizes - 

• Grand Prize -  2026 Audi Q3 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 2026 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 13 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.

Competition Subcommittee Leads Needed

The competition committee is in need of your help!  We are looking for subcommittee leads to handle several different areas for the Mason Invitational on 10/10 and the MSBA Championship on 11/7. 

Competitions are an important fundraiser for the boosters, but most importantly provide a high quality competition experience for the many bands and students we host.  Subcommittee leads are vital to making sure we continue our reputation as one of the best marching band competitions in the area. Please note that shadow positions will learn the ropes from current leads who have seniors, with the shadow taking over the role next year.  

Areas with Shadowing Needs:

• Band Check-In/Band Guides/Water Station 
• Programs
• Awards/Trophies
• Spectator Parking
• Shout out/Candy Grams
• Ushers

Please email the competition committee at competitions@masonbandboosters.com for more information.

Grand Nationals Hotel Update

We know families are eager for hotel information for Grand Nationals. The BOA Housing Bureau has not yet released our hotel assignment, and this timing is entirely outside our control. We will share hotel details with all families as soon as they are released.

Please note: The final Student Experience Fee will not be sent out until hotel confirmation is received.


If you have other Grand Nationals questions in the meantime, please reach out to travel@masonbandboosters.com.

Social Media Reminder

A Quick But Important Reminder:
To protect the integrity and impact of our show, please do not post any videos of the band, props, competition uniforms, or show art on public platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter just yet. This is essential both for maintaining competitive fairness and respecting copyright guidelines.

We want judges and audiences to experience the full effect of the show live, just as it’s meant to be seen—for the very first time on the competition field.

That said, feel free to record personal videos and privately share them with only close family through direct messages or unlisted links.

Thank you for supporting our amazing students and helping us make this season unforgettable!

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.  Signed-up students will now 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 no later than August 28th. 

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 are four remaining Secret Buddy exchanges this season:

• Oct 10 - Saturday Mason Band Invitational
• Oct 23 - Friday Home Football Game
• Nov 07 - Saturday MSBA Championship
• Nov 13 - Friday BOA Grand Nationals  

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

Medical Secretary Notes

A FEW REMINDERS:

1. Our Chaperones and Band Aids are at most practices and ready to help. The safety and health of our students is our number one priority, but we can only help out with issues we know about. Please assure them that we are here to help! 
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 by email: MedicalSecretary -
1. Current Medication Drop Off Times – Please sign up on Booster Hub for a time!
1. BOA GRAND NATIONALS: travel 11/12 - 11/15
1. date/time TBD, watch Band Notes and BoosterHub for sign-ups
3. You can continue to submit Medication forms as the need arises. Please think ahead to get them filled out by your doctor and submitted prior to our travel dates.  Click Here to access our Medication Policy (i.e. blank DMS forms and upload instructions).

Informational Coffee Talks

Have questions about Marching Band? Not sure what terminology means? Lost in the sea of information and to-dos? 

This is the place for you!

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

Our next sessions will be:

• Tuesday, October 6, 7-8pm in the Staff Dining Room

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.

Tuesdays, weather permitting, the full band rehearses in the stadium. So come attend Coffee Talk and then head over to the stadium to watch rehearsal!

2026 Marching Band Registration Forms Are Live

The Marching Band 2026 Registration Guide is now live! 

The Registration Guide has detailed information about each step in the process. 

Marching Band Registration Next Steps:

• Due October 1 (postponed until Grand Nats hotel is confirmed):
• Student Experience Fee #3, to Mason Band Boosters
• Invoice will be sent out via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
• PAST DUE:
• MB 2026 COMMITMENT FORM
• Marching Band School Fee #1, $400 via PaySchools Central or check to Mason City Schools
• Marching Band School Fee #2, $400 via PaySchools Central or check to Mason City Schools
• Consumables Form and Payment
• Instrumentalists
• Color Guard
• Marching 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 7/12 via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
• Student Experience Fee #2, $400 to Mason Band Boosters
• Invoices were sent on 8/16 via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
• FINAL FORMS
• Fill out all forms - be sure to switch to 2026-2027
• Upload a current physical - blank physical form
• 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 (new families)

Other Marching Band Documents: 

• New Member Meeting Slides 2026
• New Member Meeting Handout 2026
• MB 2026 ATTENDANCE POLICY
• MB 2026 FINANCIAL AGREEMENT & REFUND POLICY
• MB 2026 PARENT VOLUNTEER EXPECTATIONS
• MB 2026 Code of Conduct
• MB 2026 Grading Policy
• MB 2026 Travel Policy
• MB 2026 Registration and Data Use Policy

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.