MHS Bands - Welcome to 2025-26!

Hello MHS band students and parents,

Welcome to another year of Middleton High School Band!  September is fast approaching, and we're so excited to start another year of making music together.

1. Please BRING YOUR INSTRUMENT on the first  full day of school!  (9/2 or 9/3)

2. Welcome Night! August 25th, 6:30pm*

We hope to see all band parents (and especially 9th grade parents) at our welcome night on Monday, 8/25!  Come learn all about the band program and how you and your student can get involved in our diverse offerings.  6:30pm in the band room, with light refreshments served beforehand.

* For those interested, MHS Theatre is kicking off at 5:30pm; Orchestra and Choir at 6:30pm.

3.  Calendar of Events

Click the link for the full calendar of events, and you can also subscribe to the google calendar on our  website.

4. Need a Locker or School Instrument?

All students should  fill out this form by the first day of school.  It asks whether you need a band locker and/or a school instrument.

The  rental fee for the 2025-26 school year is $125, and the instrument is yours for the school year.  Percussionists pay a $25 fee to use the instruments at school.  Lockers are free.  All fees go directly into the band department repair budget and are automatically waived if you qualify for free/reduced lunch.

The school mostly rents the largest instruments (think tubas and bassoons), but we also have a limited number of other instruments available primarily for students in need.

5.  School Supply List

Click the link for the supply list.   We will check off materials on the first full day of school.  Freshmen who ordered supplies will receive them at that time.

If you need financial assistance with any of these supplies, no problem.  Please reach out to the band teachers or  student services for your house.

If we haven't seen you already during marching band: we're looking forward to getting back together in the fall!  Enjoy the remainder of your summer, and get ready for a fun and exciting year of music!

Marching Band Updates 8/17/25

Hello everyone,

Firstly a huge congratulations to all of our students, new members, returning members, and leadership for a successful week one of camp! We have two movements on the field already and are excited to continue this momentum next week! 

1.  Band Camp Potluck - The band will host all marching band members for a potluck on 8/22 (5-6pm). Location will be in the stadium (concessions).  We will provide dinner for all students, but we need your help!  We also need a few parents to help with setup and cleanup. Please sign up here to help feed almost 200 hungry marchers! We will break for an hour and use the Breitenbach Stadium for our "Field night" event this year at 7pm! Parent volunteers please arrive by 4:30pm to help with set up. Food drop off will be 4:40-4:50pm and can be dropped off outside the stadium (picture of location attached to this email). 

We will break for an hour for set up and clean up and then use the Breitenbach Stadium for our field event this year at 7pm, so no need for forms! Students, due to good neighbor fest, if you're looking to leave early, we will only be able to do so at the top of the hours to ensure only our students are in and using the stadium. Thank you for understanding. 

2. Good Neighbor Fest - Good Neighbor Fest Starts this Friday, and the parade is Sunday! 

Students remember we wear the provided polo shirts so please wear something comfortable to have on underneath and shorts. Please have a good breakfast with plenty of water, we won't be able to eat until after the parade. Final Schedule out soon! Plan on the morning until around midday!

3. Parent Volunteers - Parent volunteers are what help keep the marching band running. If you haven't already, please sign up to volunteer here. (Don't worry, we'll teach you all you need to know!) 

Upcoming Dates/Events

8/18-22 - Band Camp Week 2

8/22 - Band Potluck 5pm

8/22 - Field Night 7pm

8/24 - Good Neighbor Fest Parade

8/25-27 - Rehearsals

Calendar Changes

9/10 - Rehearsal cancelled (Back to school night)

9/26 - Under the Lights Rehearsal 6-9pm (Football Game was moved to Saturday and this will substitute the time we already had booked for a game)

The BIG Marching Band Updates Email 8/7/25

Hello MHS marching band students and families! We are just a few short days away from the beginning of the 2025-26 marching band season. It's going to be great! This email is long, but it should be your one-stop shop for all the details coming up soon. Please read it in its entirety.

Band camp is always the beginning of a new and exciting time. However, no matter what grade you are in, the first day of band camp can lead to some anxiety. For freshmen it is the fear of the unknown as well as rumors you may have heard about how hot or how hard it is. For returning members it can be the excitement of seeing old friends and the anticipation of a new season, as well as the anxiety of knowing the amount of work ahead. In either case, just push yourself out the door! You will be glad you did. New members, remember that everyone who has done this before you knows how you feel. Relax and enjoy the experience. Before you know it you'll be a senior getting ready for your last band camp.

1.  Calendar - Please triple check the calendar for your applicable section viewable in the marching band handbook. Updates on times for competitions will be updated as we receive them. This calendar is updated as frequently as possible, but there is also a calendar updated by leadership in the band app for your student's convenience. 

2. Physicals submitted to Activities/Athletics - Please submit all physicals to the link before camp begins. You might need to "register" if it is your first time. Otherwise you will need to communicate with athletics/activities as they reserve the right to pull people from rehearsals. 

3.  Band Camp Checklist - ALL STUDENTS should look through the checklist by the first day of camp. It's a great resource to make sure you're ready for band camp! 

4. Location of Band Camp - Band Camp for everyone, will start on the 11th in the band room in the morning at 8am. After day one, students and section leaders will be notified the day before if we are meeting on the field or in the band room via the Band App. Students that drive - If you are choosing to park in the north parking lot, please park in Clark Street or in the east student lot near the stadium. Teachers will be coming back so please do not park in any spots with an "R" or that are reserved. All other spots will be used by HS building staff coming in and out of the building and we don't want you to get a ticket. When picking up, please try not to block main lanes of traffic to avoid congestion.

5.  Band Camp Potluck - The band will host all marching band members for a potluck on 8/22 (5-6pm). Location will be in the stadium (concessions).  We will provide dinner for all students, but we need your help!  We also need a few parents to help with setup and cleanup. Please sign up here to help feed almost 200 hungry marchers! We will break for an hour and use the Breitenbach Stadium for our "Field night" event this year at 7pm! 

6. Parent Volunteers - Parent volunteers are what help keep the marching band running. If you haven't already, please sign up to volunteer here.  (Don't worry, we'll teach you all you need to know!) 

7. Flip folders, lyres, shoes (Excluding color guard) - Please make sure you have purchased the appropriate flip folder, lyres, and shoes by the first day of band camp. Shoes do not need to be worn for camp, athletic shoes will be just fine (no sandals or open foot footwear please). If you have yet to purchase them you can find the links at THIS link. Returning members do not need to purchase any of these if they still have theirs from previous years. (Please also bring a three ring binder to use for holding drill on the field preferably with some page protectors for drill) 

8. Band Show Shirts - Every student will receive a "show shirt" with the current show theme on it in the first few days of camp.  We will try to accommodate for any changes if you have grown since registration pending availability. 

9. Extra Music - If anyone has lost their music or is still struggling with faded photocopies, extra packets can be gotten by contacting our amazing librarians during bandcamp.

10. Lunch - Students will have approximately an hour for lunch every day. Please bring a lunch (unless you have other means of getting lunch). The time of lunch depends on the day, weather, etc., but expect some time around noon. 

11. Pictures/Student Registration Days - Returning HS students will have several opportunities to take their picture/briefly go through the registration process. We will break early for lunch, and also have some time during music block around 3pm that day. There will also be options for picture make ups later in the year. Plan to go mid day or during music block. To make sure new students know the school we'll also do a brief school tour. This is also done on freshman orientation day so you'll have plenty of opportunities to get an understanding of the school before the year begins. Plus you'll have 150 upperclassmen as familiar faces in the hallway!

12. Contact Section Leaders with Initial Questions - Normally you should contact both directors with questions or concerns, but section leaders most commonly have the answers to frequently asked questions and can answer a lot quicker. Otherwise please contact Mr. Rothacker (erothacker@mcpasd.k12.wi.us) and we'll do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.

13. A Final Note to Freshman/Sophomore Parents - Two days before band camp your rookie member will probably decide out of nowhere they don't want to do marching band after all. This is normal -- just shove 'em out the door! We promise to take good care of them.

Upcoming Dates/Events

8/8 - Leadership Camp (Leadership team ONLY)

8/11-15 - Band Camp Starts (All members)

8/18-22 - Band Camp Week 28/22 - Band Potluck 5pm

8/22 - Field Night 7pm

8/24 - Good Neighbor Fest Parade

8/25-27 - Rehearsals

Calendar Changes

9/10 - Rehearsal cancelled (Back to school night)

9/26 - Under the Lights Rehearsal 6-9pm (Football Game was moved to Saturday and this will substitute the time we already had booked for a game)