September 14, 2025 Band Notes

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 14

• Travel waivers for Toledo due by 11:59pm

Monday, September 15

• Full Band: 6-9pm; MHS

Tuesday, September 16

• Medication Drop-Off: 5:30-6:30pm; MHS Staff Dining Room
• Sign up for a drop-off time in BoosterHub
• Full Band: 6-9pm; MHS

Wednesday, September 17

• Full Band: 3-6pm; MHS
• Color Guard Uniform Fittings 6-7pm; MHS

Thursday, September 18

• Full Band: 6-9pm; MHS

Friday, September 19

• Full Band: 3-6pm; MHS
• Bring Toledo Secret Buddy
• Medication Drop-Off: 3:00-6:30pm; Band Aid Tent (or stadium–wherever band is)
• Sign up for a drop-off time in BoosterHub

Saturday, September 20

• BOA Northwest Ohio Regional in Toledo
• Student Itinerary
• Mason Prelim Performance: 10:45am
• Finals Performance: TBD

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

1. For families needing travel waivers for Toledo - complete the BOA Toledo Travel Waiver Form by 11:59pm TONIGHT September 14
2. Senior Families
1. Complete the form for Senior Night by September 19. 
2. Please fill out the Senior Spotlight Note to be placed in the Invitational Competition Program. These are now PAST DUE. 
3. Sponsor a Trophy for the Mason Invitational (Oct. 11th) - complete this form by this Friday, September 19.
4. Order group photos and schedule individual portraits (optional) by Sunday, September 21.
5. Complete the Hilinski’s Hope survey by this Saturday, September 20 if you attended the event (parents and students).
6. Purchase car raffle tickets, and spread the word about this fundraiser.

NEW INFORMATION

Hilinski’s Hope Thank You

A very special thank you to Kym and Mark Hilinski of Hilinski’s Hope for sharing their story and their message with all of us. We hope everyone was able to take away something helpful and meaningful from the program.

If you attended the event, please complete this short survey to provide feedback.

Thank you also to Salvagnini America, and to Crystal Langbein and the Langbein Memorial Fund for making this event possible. For more information, or to donate to the fund, click here to visit the page on the band website.

Toledo Regional Information

General Information

This Saturday is our first competition of the season - the Bands of America (BOA) Northwest Ohio Regional Championship at the Glass Bowl in Toledo! 

This will be the first time in seven years competing at a Regional championship. Unlike the Super Regional we’ve done recently, Regionals are a one-day event with Preliminaries earlier in the day and Finals in the evening. Regionals also happen earlier in the season - yes, it is only September, but it is September for everyone.

Mason will hopefully perform twice on Saturday:

• Prelims - guaranteed (10:45am)
• Finals - likely, yet never guaranteed (evening, TBD)

Because the event ends very late at night, the band will stay in Toledo overnight, returning to Mason on Sunday.

More information can be found at https://marching.musicforall.org/northwest-ohio-regional/.

Itinerary

See below for our high-level itinerary. The full student itinerary is available here.

Any changes to times will be communicated via Remind. See the MB 2025 Remind Information guide for instructions on how to join and codes for each group.

Meals and Snack Information:

Meals 

All meals (lunch, dinner, and breakfast) will be provided by Bob Rogers Travel and will be based on the information you provided via their travel form online.  This means that if you have a special diet requirement you will have a boxed lunch and boxed dinner LABELED WITH YOUR NAME.  Please be mindful and only grab that meal with your name on it to ensure everyone is able to have the meals they requested. 

For those curious what meal options are available for each of our special diets please see the attached link for all meal and snack accommodations: 2025 Toledo Food

If these selections do not meet your needs please feel free to pack alternative options for your student, but be mindful DO NOT pack meals or snacks with any form of tree nut/peanut or shellfish as we have multiple students with severe allergies to these items.

Bus Snacks (Provided)

In addition to meals ordered via the Bob Rogers Travel registration process, students will also be provided a snack during travel to/from Toledo. These will include:

• Regular/No Pork or Beef - Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bar and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
• Vegan/Dairy Free/Lactose/Egg Allergy - GoGo squeeZ Fruit on the Go (variety) and SkinnyPop Popcorn
• Vegetarian/Halal - Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Soft Baked Breakfast Bar (variety) and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
• Gluten Free - Annie’s Gluten Free Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and Skinny Pop Popcorn.
• Nut Allergy  - Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Soft Baked Breakfast Bar and SkinnyPop Popcorn

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

NOTE: Please note that the “Midnight Snack” this trip is a self-provided snack option.  Please pack the healthy snack option you would like to enjoy after the awards in your hotel room.  These snacks should not contain peanuts/tree nuts or shellfish as we have multiple severe allergies to these items in our group. 

Uniforms

The plan is for both instrumentalists and color guard to wear competition uniforms. See the competition uniform section of the look books for what to bring.

• 2025 Instrumentalist Look Book
• 2025 CG Season Look Book

If you have any questions, please contact the Uniform Crew at uniforms@masonbandboosters.com for instrumentalists or Erica Sleppy (sleppye@masonohioschools.com) for color guard.

Packing List

Here is the full packing list for the tip.

Key items to make sure your student has with them on the bus (NOT in their overnight bag):

• Personal water bottle
• Uniform undergarments - we recommend students wear these Saturday morning under their day clothes
• Deodorant
• Phone chargers
• Cards for Stadium Free Time (this is a cashless facility!)

Medication

Drop-Off

Students are NOT permitted to bring any medications with them unless they have a DMS form on file for self-carry.

There are two medication drop-off opportunities this week. If your student will need medication on the trip that is not already on file with the band, please ensure you have submitted a DMS form (click Here to access our Medication Policy, blank DMS forms, and upload instructions), and sign up for a drop-off time in BoosterHub.

Drop-off times:

• Tuesday 9/16/25 5:30-6:30, staff dining room
• Friday 9/19/25 during practice, red tent (or stadium–where band is)  3-6pm 

Current plan for medication distribution during trip:

• Saturday
• Morning med 7-8 am in Toledo
• Mid-day: with lunch 12:30-1:00
• Dinner: 5:00ish
• Night at hotel 12:30-1:00 am
• Sunday
• Morning around 8:00 am. 

If these times will not work with your student, please discuss this with Sally and Lori Ulsh, who will be traveling with the band, when you drop off mediations. 

If you have any questions, please contact Sally McDonald at medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com.

Hotel

The band will stay at the Delta Hotel Toledo in downtown Toledo for the BOA Northwest Ohio Regional (1 Night-Sept 20-21):

Delta Hotels Toledo
3100 Glendale Ave
Toledo, OH 43614

A few things to note regarding room assignments:

• Rooms will be 4 to a room
• Each room will have two Queen beds. (no King rooms this year)
• Students have submitted their preferred groups and have been assigned rooms
• Students may only room with students of the same gender assigned at birth.  
• We will be using the same room lists for BOTH TRIPS  this season! (Toledo and Indianapolis)

Secret Buddy

Reminder:  Secret Buddy occurs during 3-6pm Full Band Rehearsal on Friday, September 19.  Do not bring this gift on the Toledo trip.

Spectator Tickets

BOA recommends that you purchase your tickets online before arriving.

You can purchase tickets for Prelims and Finals separately if you are only able to attend one or the other, or you can purchase a Day Pass that gets you into both events (cheaper then buying them separately). Note that students, military, and senior citizens get a discounted rate, and children 10 and under are free.

Band students and volunteers who are part of our Travel Team for this event do not need tickets. Only those who are NOT volunteering at the event and wish to travel and watch the Band perform need to buy tickets. Totally OPTIONAL for families as students will be bussed via charter buses to and from Toledo. 

There is a NO BAG POLICY for the event. Also note that the venue is CASHLESS.

Live Streaming on Box5 TV

BOA is again partnering with Box5 TV this year to live stream all BOA events.

For the Toledo Regional, go to https://box5tv.com/product/northwest-ohio-regional-toledo-oh-9-20/. Note that there are options to purchase Preliminaries and Finals separate, or both combined for a lower price.

There is also a Pro Pass for the whole season available here: https://box5tv.com/product/boa-pro-pass/

Spirit Send-Off

Join us Saturday 9/20 @ 3:45 AM to see our students off to regionals! 

Please DO NOT park in the band lot after dropping your student off. Park in the A-Pod lot adjacent to the bus circle.  

Bring signs, pom poms, noise makers, & glow sticks - anything you’d like to show our support as the band heads out to compete! 

Please stay on the sidewalk & grass area, do not enter black top area.

MB Fees

IMPORTANT: STUDENTS MUST BE CURRENT ON ALL FEES DUE TO DATE OR MAKE A PLAN WITH THE DIRECTORS in order to travel with the band! Our costs must be paid in advance, so it is critical that the band has student payments on time.

There are LOTS of Student Experience fees still outstanding. You should have received two invoices from Quickbooks, both of which are now PAST DUE:

1.  $400 - Due 8/1/25 sent from quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
2.  $400 - Due 9/1/25 sent from quickbooks@notification.intuit.com

If you have not yet paid either of those invoices, you should have receive an email from the treasure - please pay them TODAY as it will greatly help us reduce the amount of work for our volunteers who work so hard on these experiences for our students! If you aren’t sure whether you have paid or not, you should have received a payment confirmation email from Quickbooks or if you find the original invoice emailed to you, click on “Review and Pay” and it will tell you your balance is $0.00. If you did not receive any invoices, please email treasurer@masonbandboosters.com. 

Note that Experience Fee #3 is not due yet, and will be due on 10/1/2025.

Marching Band 101 for Parents - 9/14 Edition

It’s first competition week! Let’s dig into a little bit of what to expect if you’re new to marching band competitions.

Competition days are long for both parents and students. Many students leave their belongings on the bus and really focus on practicing, bonding, and playing. All that is to say, do not be surprised if your texts and calls go unanswered. Your student is in good hands with the directors and chaperones. Cheer loudly from the stands - they will know you are there!

The Bands of America (BOA) Northwest Ohio Regional Championship will feature 22 bands. During preliminaries, bands will perform one after the other in fairly quick succession. You’ll see incredibly hardworking pit crews from all the schools hustling props, equipment, and instruments on and off the field. Mason will perform at 10:45am. Following preliminaries, results are tabulated and at an award ceremony attended by the drum majors the finalist bands are announced. The finalist bands will then perform again in the evening. We hope to be a finalist band!

How are bands judged? 

Marching bands are judged on three broad categories: Music, Visual, General Effect.

Music - this category focuses on the quality of musical performance including intonation, rhythm, balance, blend, and stylistic interpretation. 

Visual - this category focuses on the precision, uniformity, and control demonstrated in marching, body movement, and equipment manipulation. 

General Effect - this category speaks to how effectively the music and visual components are integrated into a cohesive show - essentially, how well everything comes together to communicate and deliver on the show’s theme and purpose. 

Attention and consideration are given to the difficulty of the music and movements. Bands are then judged on how well they execute those components. Since band is a musical endeavor before all else, music is given slightly more weight than visual components. Multiple judges evaluate simultaneously with each assigned to specific categories. You will even see some judges on the field moving among the students. 

At the end of the competition awards will be presented for best in Class (based on the size of the band) as well as best overall in each category. 

If you want a real deep dive into adjudication rules and procedures, a comprehensive guide to BOA Adjudication Procedures can be found here BOA Adjudication System.  

Here’s to our William Mason High School Marching Band having a great first competition! See you in Toledo!

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. 

Sponsor a Trophy - Due this Week!

We still have almost 30 trophies that need sponsors!

If you or a family member would like to join us on the field to present a trophy at the Mason Invitational please fill out the Trophy Sponsorship form.. 

We know this is a busy week, but we need all trophy sponsorships submitted by this Friday, September 19, 2025 please.  

Volunteers Needed for Mums Pickup

Mums orders will be distributed on Saturday, October 4 outside the Performing Arts entrance in front of the Middle School.

We need volunteers that morning to help sort the orders, distribute them to families, and then clean up afterwards. If you are able to help that morning, please sign up in BoosterHub.

REMINDERS

The 2025 Car Raffle is Here!

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!  

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.

Individual Portraits Sign-Ups and Group Photo Orders are Live!

Don’t miss this! Sign up by September 21!

Individual portraits for both instrumentalists and color guard this year will be:

• Tuesday, September 23 from 2:30pm to 5pm
• Tuesday, September 30, from 2:30pm to 5pm

Click here to order and schedule your timeslot. The popular time slots go quickly, so don’t wait till the last minute!

This year, your timeslot is the time you should arrive at school to get your uniform, change, and be photo ready in the auditorium. Plan on around 45 minutes total to get ready, take photos, and change back out of your uniform. 

For new families, this is when marchers can get their picture taken for the show-themed buttons that you see everywhere, especially on competition days! There is also an option for digital photos, which is extremely popular for things like social media posts for our competitions.

Top 4 Regrets After Portrait Day

How portrait days work and fun swag you don’t want to miss

Mad Monks Dine & Donate

Our next Dine & Donate event will be at Mad Monks Pizza Company, located at 753 Reading Road on Monday, September 29th from 6pm-9pm. This Dine and Donate event is during the Monday Night Football game for the Bengals. The band will get a portion of all pizza sales that evening. No flyer is necessary, just mention you are supporting the Mason band when ordering. 

Sponsorship

Know a company that would like to see their name and logo on the band’s semi trucks, t-shirts, website, and programs? All while helping our our amazing band program continue to thrive?

We are always looking for new sponsors!  We cannot do all the wonderful things we do as an organization without the generous support of our sponsors. 

If you own, work for, or know of a business or person who may be interested in sponsoring our program, please forward their contact info to our Sponsorship committee-Jennifer Rodway and Marlo Swanson at sponsorship@masonbandboosters.com. We are a 501c Non-profit and happy to talk to anyone. 

You can also find more information on our website.

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 10/11 and the MSBA Championship on 11/8. 

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 Openings:

• Band Check-In/Band Guides/Water Station - shadow needed
• Programs - shadow needed
• Spectator Parking - sub-committee lead needed, partner with Competition co-chairs

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

And as a reminder, ALL marching band families are required to donate their time to help with each competition.  Signups for volunteer shifts will be posted in BoosterHub as we get closer.

Senior/Family Night

Attention Seniors and Senior Families: The William Mason High School Marching Band senior night is one of the most looked forward to and special events we do throughout the year. We want to honor our seniors and their families for their dedication to our program. In the midst of our planning, we need to collect a little information from our seniors so they can be honored accordingly!

Please fill out this form 2025 Mason Marching Band Senior Night Information with the names of those planning to escort your student during the on-field recognition of seniors. Traditionally, escorts have included: parents, step-parents, guardians, siblings, and/or grandparents. We will need the list of all those escorting the student - including phonetic spelling so that everyone can be recognized. Please submit this information NO LATER THAN Friday, September 19th, 2025.  

Also, please fill out the Senior Spotlight Note to be placed in the Invitational Competition Program. These are now PAST DUE. 

The 2025 Senior Night/Family Showcase will take place on Friday, October 3rd. Below you will find the schedule for the night for your planning purposes.  Thanks so much for your help!

Please contact Kaja Harper at seniors@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

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! 

• Full Band 3-6pm Rehearsal Friday, September 19th
• Home Football Game Friday, September 26th (HOCO)
• Mason Band Invitational Saturday, October 11th
• Home Football Game Friday, October 24th  
• 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: 
• 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
• Student Experience Fee #2, $400 to Mason Band Boosters
• Invoice were sent on 8/19 via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
• FINAL FORMS
• Fill out all forms
• Upload a current physical
• 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
• Complete Bob Rogers Registration Forms Bob Rogers 2025 Registration link 

Other Marching Band Documents: 

• Marching Band Summer Dates 2025 - One Pager
• Marching Band Summer Dates 2025 - Packet
• 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”

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. 

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.