It’s almost time for….
Music in the Castle 2025!
Saturday, October 4th 8 AM to 11 PM
This is our most important event, our biggest Fundraiser and requires the help from EVERYONE.
The money we make at this event allows us the opportunity to be the band we are today. When we work together as a family, this event goes off without a hitch and is a lot of fun for both the students and the adults! To make sure that happens, we ask that every band student has two adult helpers that sign up for at least one shift to help spread the love throughout the day. This year we are putting information online for our fantastic parents so that you all can learn about the volunteer positions (including descriptions) and determine where your little bit of awesomeness will best fit. See you there!
So, what exactly what is it? Music in the Castle (MITC) is an all day, all-hands-on-deck music competition that our band has been hosting for over 70 years. It is a local tradition and is always held on the first Saturday in October (so, mark your calendars!). We host over 30 bands and all of their fans each year as well as food trucks to feed the masses. It is a full day of fun comradery and competition. Bands arrive by bus and the students must be led to the changing rooms where parents help them get dressed or repair minor wardrobe malfunctions. While they are getting ready, parents are also directing their buses and trailers to a parking spot, checking in the band via their directors or waiting in the wings to feed or offer beverages to the band’s staff in our hospitality area. During the event, we have parents assisting with getting the competing bands on and off the field, helping in the concession stands, providing water to the students, helping with those that get hurt, and getting the band’s instruments to and from the practice and competition fields. And, lets not forget those parents that assist with selling tickets, programs and fun notes that are read aloud to the students as they come on the field to perform. As you can see, it’s a fun full day that goes more smoothly the more helping hands we have. So, how can you help? Look through the descriptions and sign up for the position that you feel you can handle the best. Thank you for your support! We really cannot do this without all of you!
Please Scroll Below to view a description of the various Volunteer Opportunities and sign up where you feel comfortable. However, we also have various items that will need to be donated for use during the day. This list will change as we get closer to time, but you can view our “Wish List” here.
Hospitality
The Hospitality Room serves two functions. One, as a place for guest band staff to eat and relax and two, as a separate and private area for the judges to take their breaks away from the competing bands and their staff. Working in hospitality means setting up food and drinks in the morning, attending to the food and drink stations and/or breaking it down at night. This is a relatively low key volunteer position for those parents that enjoy simple conversation and helping out in the kitchen. There will be more information on food and drink donations needed/supplied closer to time. Ideally, we need at least 6 parents throughout the day to assist in this position.
Medical Tent
The Medical Tent, of which there are usually two or more, provides first aid to students that fall and get scrapes, do not drink enough during the day and suffer heat stroke or other minor injuries. We have emergency personal on hand for any major medical emergency that might come up. However, if you have medical training, this would be a good place for you to help our band family. Ideally, we need at least 10 parents to assist in this position throughout the day.
Concessions
Just like with any football game, our two Castle concession stands will be in full gear during the entirety of the event. This is especially important as the Castle doors must remain closed during all performances due to the echo effect from the stone walls both inside the Castle and in the alley way. Volunteering in this area consist of handling money and food orders. As a group, the band boosters are bouncing around various ideas as to how to make this position both run smoothly and produce the most profit. If you are interested in helping in this area, please sign up, but also come participate in the band booster meetings as this will part of the agenda as we make plans for this year’s MITC. Ideally, we need at least 12 parents to assist in this position throughout the day.
Parking
Volunteering in the parking sector is a very important job. The MITC event coordinator will determine how the parking for handicap, buses and instrument trailers will run, therefore, all you will oversee, is the parking in one specific section after being given directions, instructions and a parking map. While this sounds like a complicated position, it really is not. Most of your time will be spent under a tent and out of the sun simply assisting with parking information. You can bring your favorite camping chair or we can find you one. Ideally, we need at least 10 parents for this volunteer position throughout the day.
Chauffeur
The chauffeur position is exactly like it sounds. We need parents to follow the band buses to their parking place and give them a ride back to campus as well as the reverse. Kind of like a MITC Uber. To ensure that one single parent is not Ubering for 12 hours, we need several parents who are willing to do this throughout the day.
Ticket and program sells
Any spectator that wishes to come watch our bands perform must purchase a wrist band. This position requires our parents to sit in a tent and either pass out wrist bands that were pre-purchased or sell additional ones as well as the programs. To ensure this runs smoothly we need at least 6 parents to volunteer throughout the day.
Band check-in
Volunteering at the Band Check-in Tent is an easy position that simply requires you to check off a band as they arrive and handing them their packet of information. While you may need to answer questions that some band directors may have, most bands have competed here many times and know the drill. They simply just need their wrist bands. To allow breaks for our amazing parents, we need at least 6 volunteers for this position throughout the day.
Band-O-Grams
Parents and students alike love sending embarrassing, funny or supportive shout-outs to their favorite band students. volunteering in this tent means you are seated and taking money and notes from the spectators that will be collected from you and taken to our announcer throughout the day. So that one singular parent is not stuck in this tent all day, we need at least 6 volunteers for this position.
boys and girls wardrobe
We need both male and female parents to assist in this volunteer position which involves more talk therapy than anything else. Students will come to your room located just inside the building to change, use the bathroom and grab a drink. The students will be nervous and may need to talk it out. Your job will be to listen, provide encouragement, cheer them on, direct them to the bathroom and assist in minor wardrobe repairs and malfunctions. If you like to hang out with the kids indoors, this a fun place to volunteer.
Equipment Trailers and Trailer Parking
This position involves coordinating band equipment trailer parking as the bands arrive, perform and then leave as well as getting their equipment to the practice areas and then to the staging area. This position will coordinate and work with those in parking to ensure smooth movement throughout the day. The volunteers in this position will be working off a precise schedule as the arrival, practice and performance times for each band are laid out ahead of time. These volunteers will also get to drive the 4x4s and assist with loading and unloading the trailers.
Field Marshall
This volunteer position helps coordinate the bands as they march on and off the field and ensure that everyone follows all rules and protocols.
Finances
In Finances, you will be supporting the Treasurers by collecting money and providing change to the ticket booth, concessions and band-o-grams. You will also help count the proceeds and verify accuracy of the deposit. The Finance Team is housed in The Keep for security purposes.