September 8, 2024 Band Notes

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 8

• Winter Guard Interest Survey due

Monday, September 9

• Full Band: 3-6pm; MHS
• Color Guard Sophomore Headpiece Fittings - 6pm

Tuesday, September 10

• Color Guard Junior Headpiece Fittings - 5pm
• Full Band: 6-9pm; MHS

Wednesday, September 11

• Wind Symphony Rehearsal: 2:45-4:45pm; MHS
• Color Guard Senior Headpiece Fittings: 5pm
• Color Guard: 6-9pm; MHS

Thursday, September 12

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

Friday, September 13

• Full Band: 3-5pm; MHS
• Home Football Game vs. Hamilton: 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, September 14

• Full Band: 1-9pm; MHS
• On-campus dinner break 4:30-5:30pm

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

Parent To Do Checklist For This Week

1. Senior Parents- Reminder to please fill out this form with information for Senior Night no later than September 25th.
2. Please have all fees up to date by Monday, September 9th. In order to travel with the band, students must be current on all fees due or have made plans with a director. (Please see below for details) 

NEW INFORMATION

BOA Housing Update and Room Sign-Ups

We are happy to report we have secured housing for our students, directors, staff and chaperones for the upcoming Bands of America trips in Indianapolis. The entire band will stay at the following hotel in downtown Indianapolis for both the BOA Super Regional (1 Night-Oct 19-20) and BOA Grand Nationals (2 Nights-November 15-17):

JW Marriott Indianapolis
10 S West St
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(Note: This is NOT the Marriott Downtown we stayed at last year)

This means we will be creating room lists coming up very soon. Have your student work on creating their twosome or foursome (4 students to a room) and we will plan to have sign-ups after rehearsal on Monday, September 9th, 2024 6-6:15pm.

A few things to note regarding room assignments:

• Rooms will be 4 to a room; we will not be assigning any rooms of 3 this year!
• Each room will have two Queen beds. (no King rooms this year)
• If your student submits a group of 2, they will be paired with another group of 2.
• 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!

Fees

IMPORTANT: Due to the challenges we have experienced getting confirmed travel costs this year, we will be allowing all students to sign up for rooms on Monday, regardless of current payment status. However, 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 4/1/24 sent from quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
2.  $400 - Due 8/1/24 sent from quickbooks@notification.intuit.com

If you have not yet paid either of those invoices, 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. 

We are working to send each family a statement via email as we did prior to Mini-Camp. This statement will include any past due fees.

Note that Experience Fee #3 is not due yet, as we are still waiting for final costs from our hotel.

Marching Band Secret Buddy Reminders 

We are glad so many students chose to participate in Secret Buddy this year! Here are the dates for the entire season to bring secret buddy items: 

Football Games

THIS Friday: September 13th 

Sept 27 (HOCO)

Oct 25

Competitions

Oct 5 Springboro Invitational 

Oct 12 Mason Band Invitational 

Oct 18/19 Super Regional (TBD which day) 

Nov 9 MSBA Champs

Nov 14-16 Grand Nats (TBD which day)

Football Game #2 This Friday Night!

We had so much fun at our first game, let’s do it again!

Uniforms

Students will wear Summer Uniforms again this week. They should bring their summer uniform with them to school so they can change into it prior to the game.   

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, September 13th, 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, Cuties, Gatorade.

Vegetarian/Halal/Onion Free - Cheese Pizza, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit snacks, Cuties Gatorade.

Vegan/Dairy Allergy- Jet’s Plain Breadsticks with marinara sauce, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit Snacks, Cuties Gatorade.

Gluten Free - Gluten Free Cheese Pizza and/or Salad, multipack with Lays/Frito Chips, Rice Krispies, Fruit Snacks, Cuties 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!!!

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. (You will need to log into Schoology to view) Tickets can be purchased directly HERE the week of the game.

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/TriHealth Stadium 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/TriHealth 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 Tiffany at  Travel@MasonBandBoosters.com

Typical Friday Night Home Schedule - All Times are Approximate

Food Dropoffs - Please Park

When dropping off food for your student for on-campus lunch or dinner breaks, unless your student is standing at the curb waiting for you, you must park. We have been experiencing issues in the parking lot with cars idling along the curb while waiting for their student. This has caused some safety concerns, as well as inconveniencing other drivers.

Once parked, you can either have your student come out to your car, or you are welcome to drop the food off at the Band Aid table for them to pick up.

Note: We realize that some orders arrive via Door Dash or other delivery services. Delivery drivers do not need to park, but if possible, your student should be waiting outside for them. 

REMINDERS

Office Hours with Mr. Jackson

As another avenue for connecting with parents and addressing our needs, Mr. Jackson will host weekly office hours. CLICK HERE to sign up for a time. These will be open to all parents with a student enrolled in a Mason Bands program class. 

MHS Winter Guard Interest Survey

Planning for the 2025 Winter Guard Season has begun! 

STUDENTS: Please fill out the 2025 MHS Winter Guard Interest Survey by Sunday, September 8th. Interested members will receive updated information catered to their selections to this survey throughout the marching band season, as the winter guard season planning develops.

City Barbeque Dine & Donate

Take the night off from cooking and support Mason Band at the same time! Head to City Barbeque at VOA on Wednesday, September 18, any time 11 am - 8 pm for our next dine & donate opportunity. If you are dining in person, just show the flyer. For online orders, use the promo code GIVE.

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 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 Wednesday, September 25th, 2024.  

The 2024 Senior Night/Family Showcase will take place on Friday, October 4th. Below you will find the schedule for the night for your planning purposes.  Thanks so much for your help!

Please contact seniors@masonbandboosters.com with any questions.

Social Media Reminders

We are so excited to have made our first public performance of our 2024 competition show! We are extremely proud of all the hard work our students put in, and excited to debut what we have so far!

As a reminder, it continues to be very important that you do not post any videos of the band on public websites (YouTube) or social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) at this time. This also includes pictures of the props, competition uniforms, and show art. This is particularly important for our competition show in order to maintain competitive integrity and for copyright reasons. We want the audience and judges to see our show for the first time at competitions, so that they can enjoy the hard work of our students in a live setting. You are more than welcome to capture your own videos and share with family using a “private” link or message.

Follow Mason Bands Online!

Hey! Are you following us on all of our social media channels? If not, now is the time! Our band members are becoming more involved showing personality, light-hearted band humor and student perspective. Questions? Email our team at social@masonbandboosters.com.

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 15 - DUE DATE EXTENDED DUE TO DELAYED INFO FROM BOA
  • Experience Fee 3 - Amount To Be Announced (we are still waiting for some final information on 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.
  • Medication Drop-Off Event: October 3rd 6:00-7:00pm in the staff dining lounge. Please see BoosterHub to sign up for a drop-off timeslot if needed.
• Parents/guardians should electronically sign the necessary documents in FINAL FORMS.