MASON, Ohio — Every Friday night, the marching bands are a big part of the high school football experience in Ohio.
But this Friday, one of those bands will be missing. They’re taking part in their own competition — the Grand Nationals in Indianapolis.
What You Need To Know
- Mason High School's marching band is competing in the Grand National Championship in Indianapolis
- Last year, the band placed fourth nationally and consistently ranks in the Top 10
- The band features about 250 members
- Jason Sleppy is the band director
The members of the Mason Marching Band are just like their friends on the football team: they perform at an elite level in a competition all their own.
“The Grand National Championships is the biggest competition for marching bands in the entire country,” said band director Jason Sleppy.
“It’s really cool to go and see all of the different bands and then perform with all of those,” Sleppy said. “It’s a real treat to be among some of the most elite groups of performing individuals in the country — it’s unlike anything else.”
“Having that adrenaline and just being in front of thousands of people — it’s scary but it’s so much fun at the same time,” said Maddie Wielinga, a senior who is one of the drum majors, along with Alex Riley.
“We also are in charge of overseeing the culture and making sure that rehearsal runs smoothly,” Alex said. “We’re just kind of our job is to be there for the band and to do whatever we need to make the band better.”
Their culture of excellence has brought big results: Top Five finishes in the national championships four times since 2014.
“We are competitive with other bands obviously but we are also competitive with each other and that helps make us better and we really have a culture of striving to be the best that we can be,” Alex said
That’s attracted talent to the band program. Some students even move to Mason just to be part of it, like Maddie and her sister, Ally, who is the leader of the color guard.
“My family, we moved here for the amazing band program — specifically to Mason,” Ally.
Sleppy is a big reason Ally’s family was attracted to the program.
“He knows what we need to fix, he’s not going to sugarcoat anything,” Ally said. “He’s going to tell us what we need to do and it makes us better every day and he’s so passionate about the sport — and about us kids.”
“He’s a visionary,” Alex said. “Mr. Sleppy has a lot of ideas and really wants to bring them to fruition and we are excited to be part of that journey.”
Along the way, they’re learning more than just how to perform in a band.
“You learn how to be a person,” Ally said. “You learn how to connect with people, you learn how to solve problems — you learn all the life skills you need and all the people that you have make you a better person.”
“Whether its football or marching band or any other activities, all of them are really important,” Sleppy said. “It’s important for all of the kids in the school to have a place to belong.”