Quotes Page
Marching Season 2006
“The final reason I liked band was band camp. I was nervous but then I met a lot of new people and had a lot of fund, even though I wanted to get mad a lot, it was worth it.”
Brittany S
“I have found a new respect for band and military procedures of discipline. I thought I knew what discipline meant, but at Band Camp I was proven utterly wrong.”
Rebecca A
“Band requires discipline, the ability to think for yourself, and most of all, a sense of humor.” Ashley R
“In the year of two thousand and five, I, Stephanie S, danced my heart out! The others on the team would weep when I danced. I moved like a gazelle as the band played my song. Gliding down the street with the sun at my back, I added something incredible to the parade routine. On even days I would come to school wearing nothing but a unitard and dance pants. Second hour band was my time to practice the talents that God gave me.” Anonymous
“One positive aspect would be the tuba section. We were amazing! In the year of two thousand and five, we, the tuba section, danced our hearts out! The others on the team would weep when we danced. We moved like gazelle as the band played our song.”
Richard M
“The negative aspects of band are schedule changes, bossy people and early band” Anonymous
“Band has been fun at times and confusing at other times.”
Anonymous
“I wish we could have more marching competitions. We should get snack time to feed our minds. I don’t know what I could do to make the class better. Maybe I could give everyone a quarter.” Annie G
“What can I say about band? It definitely allowed us to loose a few calories.”
Melissa H
“I have experienced things through band that I will never forget. Homecoming parade, Christmas parade, and CMSU were only a few memories I will have forever.”
Ashley A
“The class would be better if we worked harder to stay on task and not talk”
Stephanie G
“Marching band has not always been my favorite, however, this year made me like it much more!”
Signey K
“Early band became tiresome, people flaunted their authority, and people who need to practice didn’t.”
Anonymous
“In the beginning, early band was helpful. After a while, people got lazy and didn’t take it seriously. At that point, our practice for field shows worsened, thus our field show suffered. Many people in authority took it upon themselves to become a tyrant to all under them.”
Anonymous
“Our performance could improve tremendously if people would practice.”
Anonymous
“My parents and other parents I talked to really thought the field show was spectacular.”
K W
“I couldn’t ask for a better band!” I came from a band that was smaller, less organized, poorer, and had a lot less discipline. Thank you for your time.” Brandt D
“One thing that would make band better…Don’t leave the guard inside when the band goes outside!” L S
“Marching band has taught me discipline and endurance.”
Brianna K
Some negative aspects of the whole band idea are that we had to practice outside when it was rather cold. Sometimes it caused me to get sick, and I don’t like to get sick.”
Anonymous
“Mr. McClard is my hero.” K R
“I don’t like having to wear clothes to school…” Anonymous Dance Team Member
“My name is Whitney S and I have caused an undesirable amount of disturbance in band class.” Anonymous
“For one, I am in the class. Of course, that makes it positive. Clarinets ROCK!”
W S
“I personally believe it’s not how we look, it’s that we have fun.”
W S
“I really enjoyed band this semester. Thank you for letting us be a part of this experience. It has been extremely helpful!” Danielle J
“On the field we could probably have used a little more discipline so we wouldn’t have had so many wrecks of people running into each other.” T S
“In band camp and marching events, discipline must be used to keep the band together and not destroying itself.” Tyler H
“Perhaps, when we go on trips like to CMSU or the State Fair, we could take charter busses, not those awfully hot, bouncy yellow ones.” Tyler H
These past few years of marching band have been the best years of my life. I’m proud of every show and everything we’ve done. I will never forget anything.” Brandi A
“What did she say?” Mr. McClard
“Sometimes, when I’m feeling bad, all I have to do is think of band. When my parents are yelling at each other and throwing things at each other and the people from the police station come to my house and take my daddy away-band always cheers me up.” Kaleb P
“When I get to feeling bad, I just get on my computer and go to www.bolivarmusic.org and all of my problems go away.” Kaleb P
“I think it would make the class better if the percussionists would put up their stuff after home games, and maybe rotate on helping with loading up pit stuff.” Anonymous / Mr. McClard / Mr. Knupps / the entire band / all descent hard working people everywhere
“Some people ask me if I’m in band. I say YES! I’m in the Bolivar High School Band! Of Course! People respect me for that.” Kaleb P
“Hello, my name is Levi.” Anonymous
“Even though you spend tons of money, you still get to make new friends, new skills, and a chance to travel.” Levi
“Everybody knows that money doesn’t grow on trees and that’s one thing I didn’t like about band.”
Anonymous
“There are also people in class that do not pay attention and that keep people from playing at their best, and that bothers me.” Anonymous
“I am the greatest band director in the country.” Anonymous
“Mr. Knupps has been great.” Tiffani D
“Mr. McClard is a wonderful, caring and honest teacher who listens to you when you need a friend.” Tiffani D (Paraphrased by Mr. McClard)
“I have several friends in band, and the trumpet section as a whole is just fun. All of these people made band camp pretty enjoyable, and I like to be with them. Also, marching provided me with some exercise, and band camp didn’t exactly hurt my tan.”
E S
“I know it may not seem like a lot, but some hot coco on those cold nights is really nice.“
E S
“I think we had a great year. I liked the show, and I think we performed it well. I think it’s the best season I’ve ever been in. Some of the positive aspects were that people have actually stopped after a parade and told us that this is the best that we have ever done.” Keaton
“Band’s Amazing!” Emily E
“I enjoy band because I have learned to start my car, even when it is already running.” Andrew D
“Well, band is a fun class because it strengthens me physically and mentally.” K K
“This class is fun, but CRAZY! It’s exciting and you never know what’s going to come next.” Kendall M
“Nachdeim ich in Bolivar jur meinen Austausch, habe ich mir nach einigein Tagen…” TRANSLATION “Mr. McClard has been like a father to me and band is a really great class that has taught me to respect the hard work and dedication that Mr. McClard and Mr. Knupps put into their job. It hard to say how much positive impact that these two guys have made on me in the short time that I have been in this country. So much can be learned from the tireless way these two just seem to keep going and going and going. WOW! What a great team they make”. Julian L
“Hi, my name is Kristen G. Band is fun because I learn new words, like Fortissimo.”
“Band makes me feel happy. Times will fly by as we get older and I will not forget the days of my high school and being in band. Band doesn’t have negative aspects. It’s a hot roll to fat boy. Hot rolls for breakfast would make this class better.” Caleb S
“I, Caleb S, will bring in hot rolls to band for everyone some morning in 2006.” Anonymous
“I wish I was still in band.” Jared R
“Now, for the things that might break your heart-the negatives. That guy you brought in during percussion camp. I wanted to kill him. He was a nut case. Not Ryan-the other guy. I like Ryan.” Austin W
“There were a lot of positive aspects in this class. First, the pit actually had a full section. The band was also big this year. I also enjoyed the field show. It was really good. This band year was great.” J S
“One thing I didn’t like about band was that the pit had to do so much marching.” Lauren C
“First semester band was a good experience. We had a lot of fun, but worked hard too. The huge amount of freshman added to the success of marching band.” Katie L
“Looking back through all of these experiences there is nothing I want to change. This year has been fantastic and wonderful. I had so much fun this year in band and I hope that the rest of the school year will be the same.” Leann H
“It’s been a great experience to play an instrument and be a part of the band.” Rachel G
“This year marching band was great. 223 words.” Mary T
“I enjoyed all of the parades. Parades are my favorite part of marching band. I think we should march more of them next year. At least six or seven.” Micaiah E
“I enjoyed going on the trips. The band needs more sectionals.” Patrick S
“This class could be better, but it could be worse. There are some positive aspects and some negative aspects. This class could be better or worse. Band is my favorite class.” Abby W
“I hope it has 200 words.” Blake (120 words, actually)
“When I’ve done something wrong, most people will come up and nicely show me what I’ve done wrong and how to fix it.” Jynnifer C
“There aren’t too many negatives, the only thing I can think of is that we don’t have enough parties.” Austin B
“Overall, band hasn’t been all that bad.” Katlyn T
“I don’t know of anything else that would improve this class.” Kayla S
“For the most part, I enjoyed band.” Derek C
“I have been in band since 6th grade. I enjoyed marching band more than the other three years put together. Marching band was a lot of fun!” Ryan L
“Positive aspects include: fun band directors, popsicles at band camp, and going on exciting trips. Of the three, however, the fun band directors are best. Mr. McClard and Mr. Knupps are the most fabulous band directors in the history of the world.” Heidi T
“My experience in band was very pleasant. I enjoyed going to the football games and playing the field show, and had a most memorable experience. There were no negative parts at all really, except when my mouthpiece got stuck.” Aaron D
Maybe in order to understand marching, we have to look at the word itself: "Marching". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mar" and "ching". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why I love band.
Andrew D
“I bet if I threatened the band director I could get out of early band. A good way to threaten the band director is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call on the phone and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. "Hear that?" you say. "That's dynamite, baby."
Anonymous Bassoon Player
“I’ve made a lot of new friends this semester, with about 90% of them being in band.” Katy P
“I’m not going to quit band. You’re stuck with me forever.” Bonnie H
“I really like band and I’m going to stick with it all through high school and college.” Brittany Sh
“I love playing with my tuba brothers.” Corey S
“In the year of two thousand and five, I, Corey S, danced my heart out! The others on the tuba line would weep when I danced. I moved like a gazelle as the band played my song. My feet moved like butter. Ummmm, butter!”
Corey S
As I bit into the nectarine at band camp, it had a crisp juiciness about it that was very pleasurable - until I realized it wasn't a nectarine at all, but A CLARINET SWAB!!
Corey S
“The best thing about band is the fun we all have. The majority of my friends are all in this class. There are a lot of challenges, but they are all worth it in the end. People in this group make this a really good band.” Tallie S
“This first semester in band has been memorable. The memories I have accumulated will be with me until I’m old and senile.” Luke S
“What did I just say?” Luke S
“Have I mentioned that the band needs more sectionals?” Patrick S
“I like going to different towns and colleges to see what they are like.” Tony H
“I found exhibition/show marching to be quite pleasant, yet challenging.” Ethan D
I hope if dogs ever take over the band program, and they chose a head director, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good field show ideas. Ethan D
“Some of the positive experiences we had were getting to meet lot’s of people and all of the movie parties we had.” Halley H
“Band has taught me discipline in learning music and taking care of my instrument. I also enjoyed the dancing. Thank you and good night.” Zach B
“One bad thing about marching band is the early bands. Another is that we wear ugly uniforms.” Rachael M
“My favorite part of band was the band slaves. They got us whatever we wanted (that was really fun).” Jackie W
“One negative aspect of band is seniority. I hate how the upperclassmen think they are ten times better than we are. We may be new, but we are not retarded and we do have problem solving skills. We don’t need to be yelled at all the time because we are not doing everything perfectly” Anonymous
“I think an earlier longer band camp would greatly improve our band.” Leigha H
“This year we had a better show, better theme, more band members and a better schedule.” Joel T
“This year we had a butter show, butter theme, more band members and a butter schedule.” Ummmm. Butter! Corey S
“We need 2nd Alto Parts for Ghost Fleet.” Mike H
“P.S. There are no 2nd Alto parts in the folder.” Mike H
“I see dead composers.” Mike H
"Why do I have a 2nd alto part to Ghost Fleet in my folder?" Kayla R
The face of a band director can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.
Kayla R
“To tell the truth, I couldn’t really do anything to make band better.” Alicia G
“I liked banging on the big bass drum.” John C
“My favorite part of marching band was being inside.” Tarah D
“One of the negative aspects of this class is that people talk too much and don’t show respect for the directors or their classmates.” Anonymous
“I enjoyed having four tuba players to play and dance with. This is the end of the first paragraph.” Danny M
“We count on each other for help and all of us are kind to each other.” Calista S
“Marching band actually made a big impact on my life. Without band I would not be the person I am nor would I have the lasting friendships that I have now. I am very thankful for band and for the directors who care very much not only about music, but also about the students. Kacey R
“This year marching band has been an amazingly awesome class.” DD
“It’s a rude awakening to someone who is in it for an “easy A”. The band directors became strict about working hard and it helped us become better as a marching band. Another thing is that the directors have faith in us. That gives the rest of us hope for future events.” Anonymous
“Band is a place where you can express yourself and have fun with you friends.” Hannah
“Mr. McClard got offended that I used the word "puke." But to me, that's what his BBQ tasted like. Go figure” R N
“I think sometimes we show a lack of respect to each other and our directors when we talk out of line and disrupt the rehearsals. Sometimes we don’t think past having fun and aren’t motivated to work harder and learn tougher music to become better.” Anonymous
“I was really impressed with the freshman this year. The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that they all seemed to know how to play their instruments. I think that a lot of the freshmen can actually outplay the upperclassmen.” Lauren C
“I think more marching stuff could show what Bolivar is
capable of to the surrounding towns.” Greg W
”I really enjoyed how we worked and worked until we got it right.” Dianna A
“This class would be better if everyone shared the same goal, to be a great band.” Jason B
“I like band a lot, have had a lot of fun, and look forward to the next few years of being in band.” Lindsey L
“If you're an assistant band director and you're co-worker’s pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh and to let the band members laugh too, because, come on, life is funny.”
Anonymous Assistant Director of Bands, Bolivar, MO
“I think next year we need to put in more events (harder competition).” Lindsey L
“I think, overall, marching season was good and fun.” Kayla R
“I think that there should be some time at camp just for freshman.” Kayla R
“The negative aspects of marching band were having to wake up very early to march in a very long parade that we didn’t even win, after I had been at a dance until midnight!” Kelsey K
“We learn to have PRIDE!” Charli B
“Kids are lazy, that is one of the negative aspects of marching band. If everyone tried harder, we could have a better band.” Anonymous
“During marching band, each section has grown as a family.” Brian B
“The positive aspects this year are that the freshmen were trying hard and willing to listen to us. It was fun getting to know them.” Kara S
“It was fun working with the kids and capturing the memories of the fun times. Especially that silly flute girl Kacey, who made funny faces and drooled on herself.” Julie Q
“I enjoyed all of the free food that the band boosters gave us. It was fun to eat the free food. Did I say that I like to eat? Free food mmmmmmmmm.” C.J. H
“I enjoyed band because I got to hang out with friends and play cool music.” Tyler K
“All in all, my first year of marching band was an enjoyable experience. I made many friends, got my daily exercise, just had a great time doing something fun. I am really looking forward to next year.” Kristen R
“I Weston M, could personally take my trombone home and practice more.” Weston M
“I’m going to miss band so much and I just want the band to grow and get better.” Megan W
“Did she say, I’m going to miss band so much an I just want the band to go and get butter?” Corey S
“To make band better we should add more marching events around November and December.” Marissa M
“There is no reason that someone would not love this class. Not just band, Jazz Band too.” Randall V
“This was my first year to be in High School Band and it was a great experience. There were a lot of things to do and places to be, but they were all very fun.” Emily T
“One thing that could make this class better is everyone learning to keep their mouths shut and listen.” Anonymous
“Band is a good thing to be in, and everyone will enjoy it, pretty much.” Zach W
“I would like to thank the parents for providing food after the games and parades.” Colin D
“Band looks good on your college interview.” Katie C
“The End.” Dalton E