August 4, 2024 Band Notes

Sign and upload Miami University waiver for Team Building/Mental Health Day (see below).
Sign up Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior instrumentalists for uniform fittings (see below).
Bring in Comet Cupboard Donations this week.

NEW INFORMATION

Tag Day Thank You - And It’s Not Too Late to Donate!

A huge thank you to Nancy Wagner, Rebecca Synan, all our drivers, and our amazing students for another successful Tag Day! Thank you as well to all our band families who donated.

And did you know - it is not too late to donate to Tag Day! Our friends and family campaign runs through the month of August. Donations can be made online HERE, or by sending a check made out to Mason City Schools addressed to Mason Band Boosters, P.O Box 310, Mason, OH 45040-0310.

Our final fundraising numbers by team can be viewed here.

Invitational Tickets (for band families and friends and family who named students in their donation) will be passed out at evening practices later this month (more details to follow). For donations that did not include a student name - tickets will be mailed by the end of the month.

Comet Cupboard

Our wonderful community has shown their love and support for the band during Tag Day. Now it is time for us to pay forward some of the love we were shown to our neighbors in need. Please support the Mason Band’s service project as we collect donations for the Comet Cupboard/Comet Closet. Donations will be collected beginning 8/5 through 8/9 during rehearsal. Top Needs include: Ramen Noodles, Tuna Pouches, Cereal Bars, Applesauce and fruit cups. Please contact vp-studentexperience@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Instrumentalists Classic Uniform Fittings (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior)

It is time for each freshman, sophomore, and junior musician to sign up to get fitted for their classic, black uniform. They will wear these uniforms until the new competition uniforms come in later in the season. Sign up links can be found below. Please sign up for any day. Fittings will be at the high school in the guitar room (where we did fittings in May).

Please wear tight fitting shorts, tank top, and socks to your fitting. Sophomores and Juniors bring your black shoes!

Monday, August 12 - 5-8 pm
Tuesday, August 13 - 6:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, August 14 - 5-8 pm

Note: Guard members and Senior instrumentalists do not need to sign up.

Please email uniforms@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Team Bonding/Mental Health Day - August 12

On Monday, August 12, we will be having a fun-filled day of activities at MHS while the students learn about the importance of maintaining their mental health and well-being as they begin to balance their academics and the demands of their extracurricular activities, jobs, and life! We are so excited that our Band Directors support this initiative and realize the importance. Please thank them next time you see them as we are the only organization with a full day supporting mental health! Special thanks to the Langbein family as the Jacob Langbein Memorial Fund, established in honor of their son Jake who passed in 2021 and who are advocates for mental health awareness, is fully funding this day.

As part of this day of wellness, two organizations will be joining us: The Miami University Recreation Outdoor Pursuit Center and 1N5. IMPORTANT: The Miami University group is requiring all students to have a completed waiver to participate in the event. They will be doing physically interactive/low risk leadership activities with our students and Miami requires the waiver of every group they work with.

Click Below for a Detailed Schedule of for each section:

AM - Group 1 - Woodwinds
AM - Group 2 - Percussion, Trumpets, Drum Majors
PM - Group 3 - Color Guard
PM - Group 4 - Brass (without Trumpets)

IMPORTANT! IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE, EACH PARENT/STUDENT MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING MIAMI UNIVERSITY WAIVER! They will be doing physically interactive/low risk leadership activities with our students and Miami requires the waiver of every group they work with.

Miami University Permission/Waiver - Sign and Upload HERE

Only ONE Parent Signature required.
Please be sure to sign Page 1 AND Page two where indicated.
Parent signature is most important.
PLEASE BE SURE STUDENT’S NAME IS NOTED IN THE MINOR PARTICIPANT PORTION OF THE FORM!
If the student is 18 years or older, they may sign the form themselves.

If you continue to have questions, please contact Tiffany Williams at travel@masonbandboosters.com.

New Member Coffee Talks

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

Our first three sessions are scheduled for 7-8 pm in the high school Staff Dining Room on the following dates:

Monday, August 19
Tuesday, September 17
Wednesday, October 16

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.

Booster Meeting Slides and Q&A

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

7-30-2024 Booster Meeting Slides

SLIDO Questions Answers Doc

Parking Reminders

As a reminder, you MUST PARK when picking up students at the end of rehearsal - do NOT pickup along the curb.

Forming a pick-up queue through the lot blocks parked cars from getting out, and blocks the proper one-way flow through the lot. This creates an unsafe situation for our students and drivers.

A few tips from veteran parents:

The staff lot outside the B Pod is a great place to park for pick-up - much less congested.
Arrive a little early and watch the end of rehearsal - they often do a nice, long run at the very end.

Also, please remember that the Band Lot is one-way. Drive slowly, be patient, and always watch for pedestrians.

We appreciate everyone’s help keeping our student safe!

Uniform Guidelines

We had some great questions on Uniforms at the Booster Meeting this past week.

We have three different uniforms for Marching Band. Some items are school-owned, and others are personal. Most personal items were purchased through your Consumables order, or were already needed for Tag Day. You may need to purchase underlined items if your student does not already have them.

Summer Uniform

Generally worn for: parades, Tag Day, and early season football games
Instrumentalists:

Personal: green Mason Bands polo, black shorts, black belt, black shoes (can be tennis shoes), low black socks

Guard:

Personal: M Tank, black shorts, white spirit shoes, no-show socks

Classic Uniforms

Generally worn for: football games once the weather cools, early season competitions
Instrumentalists:

School-provided: gray/green jacket, black pants/bibs, long black socks

Depending on section: shako (hat), gloves

Personal: black marching shoes, tight-fitting black shirt, tight-fitting black shorts or leggings

Guard:

Personal: M Dress (ladies) or Shirt (men), shorts, white spirit shoes, no-show socks

Depending on section: gloves

Competition Uniforms

Generally worn for: competitions
Instrumentalists:

School-provided: competition uniform (details to be provided)
Personal: black marching shoes, tight-fitting white shirt, tight-fitting black shorts or leggings, long black socks

Guard:

Personal: Competition uniform, taupe competition shoes.

Depending on section: gloves

Both instrumentalists and guard will have official lookbooks for each of our three uniforms that include apparel, hair styling, makeup, etc.

Also note that our Classic and Competition uniforms need measured and fitted separately. When you see each round of sign-ups for fittings, it may feel like your student has already done those, but it’s actually a different fitting.

SmugMug - Band Camp Edition!

Check out the amazing photos from our Photo Corps! Thank you for all your time and hard work to capture these memories for our families and students.

REMINDERS

Culver’s Dine and Donate

Our next Dine and Donate event will be at Culver’s on Wednesday, August 14th. Bring the flyer and the band receives 10% of the proceeds. If you do not have the flyer with you, ask for one at checkout.

When: Wednesday, August 14, 2024 from 10am-10pm

Where: Culver’s is located at: 5742 Tylersville Rd., Mason, OH 45040

Band Camp Guidebook 2024

It’s July, and that means Band Camp is soon to be upon us! Be sure to check the BAND CAMP GUIDEBOOK as the “one stop shop” for all the information. The most important aspect is the weekly schedule with times, special events, and theme days!

Most important is to check the schedule for each of the three weeks. For our veteran families, the first two weeks of camp looks a bit different than last year, but we believe it will have a positive impact on the student experience. Working with the “1pm-9pm” format (which we use regularly on Saturdays) with a staggered color guard arrival will allow for several new enhancements during the first two weeks. This includes the ability to have Full Band in the Stadium when available. At the end of camp we will also be looking for both student and parent feedback (via an email survey sent to all families) on the schedule as it helps us plan for future schedules.

2024 Marching Band Next Steps

Marching Band Registration Next Steps

2024 Registration Guide
Past Due
- Experience Fee 2 - $400
  - Invoice sent on 7/10/24 via email from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
Due September 1
- Experience Fee 3 - Amount To Be Announced (we are still waiting for some final information for our hotel)
  - Invoice will be sent via Quickbooks
Your student must have an ACTIVE physical on file in order to participate throughout the season
- Examination must have been performed within the past 13 months
- Medical Eligibility Form must be completed in its entirety signed and dated by the healthcare provider
Dispensing Medication at School (DMS) forms may be submitted any time throughout the season via masonbands.com >> How To Submit Forms
- All medications that a student will be taking while at Band Camp require a form (OTC and Prescription)
- Must be signed by a parent/guardian
- Must be signed by a healthcare provider
- Only valid for up to one full season
- Marching Band DMS forms are separate from any other DMS forms submitted through Mason City Schools administration or nursing staff
- Medication Drop-Off: Please review the medication check-in process in the 2024 Marching Band Registration Guide for more details. Email medicalsecretary@masonbandboosters.com to schedule a drop-off time.
Parents/guardians should electronically sign the necessary documents in FINAL FORMS.