2007.11.12

Dear Mr. Montgomery and BMB,

I had the pleasure of attending your Season in Review Concert yesterday at Miller Auditorium, and I have to say that I was literally blown away with the sound and quality of performance that was put forth.

When I was in BMB, I had the opportunity to perform under both you and the previous director (showing my age a little!). The BMB has really transformed! The band has maintained its high level of professionalism and has managed to loosen up in a fun way. The drum majors as The Village People and the new section songs are two examples of this!

There seems to be a greater sense of camaraderie and closeness within the ensemble. It is obvious that the band works very hard, but they have so much fun in the process of putting on a show.

There is an excitement that is emitted from their joy of performing. As a spectator, I can't help but to be drawn in whenever I hear the BMB.

Mr. Montgomery, as an alumni of the BMB, I know the hard work and dedictaion that goes into each season. I am proud to say that I was a member of the best band in the MAC.

When it comes to creating excitement, musical zeal, school spirit, and pride for the university, nothing says WMU like BMB!

Well done band,

Jon T. North

2007.11.7

Mr. Montgomery,

Just wanted you to know that last night's halftime performance was fantastic. The third set was the best visual and music clarity presentation I have ever experienced. One of my guests at the game spend several years at a Big Ten University (Purdue) and he also said that your performance was better than he had ever seen in all his big Ten experiences. Please take a bow for a job well done.

Lee Gilbert
Holland High School
600 VanRaalte Ave
Holland, MI

2007.10.29

Dear Mr. Montgomery,

I got your address from Friday's issue of the Kalamazoo Gazette and I have long wanted to let you know how great a job you do and how wonderful it is to watch the band perform. So please know that you deserve a pat on the back and as far as I am concerned the band is the best part of the football game.

Thank you for what you do and please let the band know that they are appreciated and a joy to watch.

Sincerely,

Craig and Kathy Omo

2007.10.23

Dear Mr. Montgomery,

It was my pleasure (along with Chrissie's brother & sister) to bask in the sun while enjoying your Homecoming performance last Saturday!! The efforts of the football team pales in comparison to the energy put forth by WMU's marching BAND!!!!! These are adjectives I use to describe your overall performance, but with special emphasis on your post-game concert:

INCREDIBLE! UNBELIEVABLE! WONDERFUL! POWERFUL! WOW! WOW! WOW!
(I reserve the word AWESOME for God............but you came close)

SPARKLING, SCINTILLATING, INCREDIBLE, SWEEEEEEETT!! AMAZING.......SUPERB!!!!!
I tell you, I kept shaking my head in amazement thru the entire day!!!! It's a good thing you weren't under a "dome" because Your SOUND would raise the roof off!!!!

PERFECT INTONATION......PERFECT POWERFUL UPLIFTING AND ONCE AGAIN UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

I belonged to a 100 piece high school marching band an entire half a century ago........in Talladega Alabama. (We moved there when I was 14 or 1 1/2 years only)......drums and brass always make my heart pound!!! and I always wanted to play the piccolo!!! (I especially like that shortest blonde french horn player & the trombonist that does a back-bend)Mmmm MMMMM!!!

THANK YOU TO ALL YOUR PARTICIPANTS FOR A MOST MEMORABLE DAY.......i WENT HOME "PUMPED".....AND I SMILED THE ENTIRE DAY!

Please convey my utmost pleasure to ALL the band members!

Cathy Tift
Zeeland, MI
(Chrissie Snyder's Grama)

2007.10.21

Dear Mr. Montgomery,

A few years ago, I emailed the WMU Marching Band to let them know how much I had appreciated the band's performance during Homecoming. This year, again, I feel I need to let you know how outstanding the performance of your group was. In addition to enjoying the halftime performance, I was fortunate enough to learn about the pregame "sneak preview" at the Fieldhouse.

In late July, I happened to be spending some time with my best friends in NY., and during that time my friend's cousins came to visit, and I met Sally, Jeff and Ben Tomlinson. This little fortuitous moment led to having some new friends who filled my friend and I in on the pre and post game opportunities to hear the band. How could we have been missing this all these years?

My friend Holly Noble and I came initially, of course, to see Ben who is such a truly warm and friendly young man. He radiates energy and leadership which, in fact, were apparent characteristics of all the drum majors, making them so much fun to watch. It didn't take long to see that the entire band exudes a special energy which is contagious. Additionally, we were very touched by being invited to sing WMU's Alma Mater with your fine group. It was an inspirational moment that neither of us will forget. We then walked with the band to the stadium and enjoyed that too!

It was one thing to see the group on the fielsize='1px' noshade='true'd for many years (even while I attended WMU more than a few years ago) and quite another to be a part of the show. To see the faces of each of the band members and to feel their pride, their positive attitudes and their genuine love not only for the group, but each individual member, was quite a thrill. We talked about it all the rest of the day with the group of friends we were with, and I can tell you (with a smile) that the group hanging around you next year will be noticably larger.

Your dedication and the dedication of the staff and of the families of the band members was obvious on Saturday. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of that moment.

Sincerely,

Jill Driggs

2007.10.11

Good Afternoon,

I am belatedly writing regarding Saturday's football game.

The Band blew me away! I was really pleasantly suprised to hear the band play on Saturday! They play really well, and have a depth of sound I have not heard in a marching band!

I was also very suprised at how active the band is during the football game. I have NEVER seen a band play after virtually every play before! And they look like they are having so much fun - it makes me want to come up and join them!

By the way, I am the band director at Milford High School, in Highland, Michigan on the east side of Michigan, and have been teaching for over 26 years, so I have seen my share of bands and know a bit about marching bands.

Congratulations to you and the Bronco Marching Band! You should be very proud of your accomplishments already!

Sincerely,

Paul A. Schreiber
Director of Bands
Milford High School

2007.10.8

Mr. Montgomery,

Your band is amazing! They stand for 2-3 hours, playing & cheering for everything that happens, never losing their energy. Your wind players can manage to keep their "chops" on very demanding pieces without missing an opportunity to raise goosebumps. You follow that up with a post-game performance that showcases everything you have been doing & include flawless solo performances that most performers would choke on after that much playing.

Even after all that, your band members stay on the field, playing & dancing!

That is awesome! What spirit! What a performance!

Thank you.

Cordially,

Ross Emerton
(Father of Elyse Emerton, one of your colorguard members)

2007.9.25

Dear Prof. Montgomery,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and the Bronco Marching Band for a wonderful Band Day experience. Our son, Kyle, was apprehensive about performing with the BMB because he was only one of two students from Lawton High School. He couldn't wait for the music to come up on the website and practiced for at least an hour every night getting ready. He said he was nervous but we could tell that once he joined the other 'tubas' he was having a great time. His Band Buddy, Adam obviously made him feel comfortable because when we were in the car going home Kyle didn't stop talking long enough to take a breath.

Lawton High School Band has approximately 25 members so being a part of a large, cohesive and enthusiastic marching band gave him such a wonderful experience that I just had to say how much it's appreciated. I have no doubt that Kyle will be in marching band when he gets to college.

I'm sure it's not easy organizing and carrying out this project but please know it's well worth it and you can be sure that Kyle will be there again next year!

Thanks again,

Ben and Amy Culp
Lawton, MI

2007.9.25

Dear David,

My daughter Ariel attended your Bronco Band Day on Saturday and had the time of her life. She is only a junior in high school and has decided to make Western her college choice. She was so thrilled to be with your band who enjoyed playing great music. I realize it is probably early yet, but do you know when band day will be next year? I want to encourage our South Haven High School kids to go and I thought If I could put a flyer in our band camp information about your program, parents would get the information and possibly more children would come from South Haven. Thank you for such a fun day!!!!!!! Your Staff does an outstanding job, and is so courteous, and pleasant to the kids. They all need to be complemented and told how fine a job they did!!!!!!! Thank you for a great program.

Kristina Lang
Volunteer Director & Admissions Manager

2007.9.24

Dear Jessica, Mr. Montgomery,

Just wanted to thank you again for inviting all these great kids to participate in your BMB Band Day. This was a first time for us. I know my son had a great time. He was a little apprehensive about coming all by himself but after that day said he would love to come back next year. We certainly had a great time just as parents watching all your hard work. Loved the one on one buddy . Certainly helps with the comfort level to feel at ease. Your band performance has such energy. What an experience for these kids. Your precision certainly shows all the hard work put into such a fantastic performance.

We hope to promote this for next year and have more kids from our school show up.

Thanks again. It truly was a wonderful day for us and my son. Perfect weather too and the best time of the year.

Sincerely,

Deb/Tom Rohde
Benjamin Rohde - Sophomore Participant
Walled Lake Western High School
Walled Lake, MI

2007.9.24

David:

Your kids are wonderful again! I was at the game against Iowa. And I didn't leave until after half-time, when the rain got really serious.

I hear rehearsal almost every time I'm on campus. My friends, who live in Crosswind, hear them often also and love it!

Hope all is well with the Montgomery family!

Love, Marti

2007.1.9

Dear Sir/Madam:

My wife and I had the pleasure of attending the International Bowl game last Saturday in Toronto. I just wanted to take the time to say how much we both enjoyed the efforts of the University of Western Michigan Band. Not only was the song selection of music by Chase and Tower of Power dynamic but well arranged and performed as well. Equally impressive was the enthusiasm and movement displayed by the musicians in the stands. I suppose that your role is to support the football team but, even though the game was excellent, you almost stole the show. Thanks for greatly increasing our enjoyment of the first International Bowl.

Daryl Cumpson
Ottawa Canada

2007.1.8

Hello!

I just wanted to let you know that I attended the International Bowl on Saturday in Toronto, and the best part of the day - even better than the very exciting game - was the WMU Marching Band. We were sitting just around the endzone from the band, and could not have had better seats. The sound and musicianship was fantastic. (The halftime show was a little hard to hear, but looked well-coordinated and fun.)

But we really enjoyed the in-game music, especially the WMU first-down song.

In particular, we enjoyed the directing (and dancing) of the two guys who were standing on the platforms in front of the band. (From looking at the staff page online, we think one is Spencer White; we aren't sure who the other one was.) They were both very high energy, and directed very well. (And were very cute! Especially when dancing!)

Thank you so much for playing at the bowl - honestly, it was the highlight of our day!

Best wishes,
Stephanie Abba
Toronto, Ontario

2007.1.8

David, I have to send you a note and let you know that we are SO PROUD of the BMB during the trip to the International Bowl in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY was so impressed with the c lass and character of all the students and staff. The battle of the bands was fantastic, the breakfast at the Sky Dome and the pre-game rally was absolutely amazing! I commented at least twice to Dr. Spradling of how much fun and excitement the band brought to Toronto and I could tell he was a very proud individual of the entire event. Even Sally’s cousin (1969 WMU Alum) from upstate New York was so impressed with the halftime performance as you played the second piece of music to the Cincinnati fans and when their band performed they did not face us.

Those small things made the BMB a fantastic representative for WMU, the City of Kalamazoo, the State of Michigan and the USA as your organization reflected on all of us. Yes, if we would have won the game it would have been great, but we are proud to say we are WMU supporters no matter what the score.

What a great experience for the young people and us……… We are tired today……. But we will never forget this past weekend. We made new friends and met old…..

Thanks…….

Sincerely,

Jeff & Sally Tomlinson

2006.10.31

Good Day!

The 2006 WMU Band Day was a fine day! Thank you to you and your staff for all the work that went into making things come together for the high school students and parents. As a parent of a Bronco tenor sax and a high school tenor sax it was wonderful to see and hear them on the field together! There were 12 students from our high school, Warren Mott, and each had a wonderful experience.

Thanks again,

Lisa Murchison

2006.10.30

David,

What a wonderful job you and your band members did on Saturday at the game. The halftime activities were terrific and I could see from a distance that the guest students were having a great time. What a wonderful recruitment activity this was.

I know you and our students spent a cold rainy morning preparing for the program. Your efforts paid off with a terrific performance.

Thank you for a very nice job.

John Beacon
Vice provost for Enrollment Management

2006.10.30

Mr. Montgomery,

I just wanted to say congratulations on a great pre-game/show this weekend at the EMU game! I brought my Dad, who is a WMU alum, and we both had an incredible time. I marched for years in high school and college and I know how logistically difficult Band Days are with that many high school students, but the wall of sound coming at the crowd was incredible with that many musicians playing at once. (It is also a very good recruiting tool.)

Also, I was very impressed with the band taking the field on time, despite the EMU players refusing to leave for the pre-game performance. I've never actually seen a band do that, no matter how many times we thought about it. Good luck with your last home game and I'm looking forward to the indoor concert!

Best,
Elizabeth Wheat
Doctoral Student, Political Science Department

2006.10.24

Dear Mr. Montgomery,

Just a note to tell you how much our family enjoyed our evening at Mongolian Barbeque. As usual, the band kids were full of enthusiasm and smiles. I have been listening to the 2005 CB that I purchased there and just love it. Of course, the Bronco Marching Band is close to my heart.

Stacey Clancy
Sindecuse Health Center

2006.9.21

Dear David,

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you and the members of the Bronco Marching Band for your stellar performance last Friday at our home football game.

Your performance motivated, inspired, and entertained my students, as well as the Plainwell Community. The enthusiasm, character, and high level of performance is to be complimented. The group is a wonderful ambassador of the university.

I am proud to be an alum of the School of Music and to have former students of mine in your fine organization.

All the best and Bravo! to you and the 270 fine members.

Sincerely,

Mr. Paul L. Mundo
Director of Bands
Plainwell High School

2006.9.11

David, having seen Toledo (of course) and UM so far this season, you're at the top of the list. And the second is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY behind.

Love, Marti

2006.9.11

David,

Thanks again for being such gracious hosts for the RMB this weekend. Our students had a great time (except for outcome of the game, of course!), and were very impressed with your band’s performance, on the field as well as in the stands. You, your athletic directors, graduate staff, and all of the members of your band went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and represented your program in a first-rate manner. Thanks again, and best wishes for an outstanding season!

Carl Collins
Assistant Director of Bands
Director, Rocket Marching Band

2006.9.5

David,

A quick note to congratulate you and the BMB on a fine performance last Saturday. I know you guys had to drive quite a while to the game, but I know our fans appreciated your show. I hope the trip was worthwhile!

I hope you have a great rest of the season!

Dave Woodley
Director of Athletic Bands
Associate Director of Bands
Jacobs School of Music
Indiana University

2006.9.1

Hi David:

I jog between West Main St. & Oakland everyday. Yesterday 8/31 I listened to your rehearsal as I ran by.The attention to detail and the effective improvement was amazing. The kids really get it and you are all working as a winning team. The fact that as many people as you have can work together shows how much it matters and that you are true winners. The touchdown happens before you enter the stadium. You have already won!

I have a message for the band. You are off to a great start. Being the best is about sacrifice and you have a lot of other people counting on you. Your commitment to excellence can change peoples lives, and yours too. You are always on stage even off the field and being part of the marching band starts the second you wake up. See you at the winners circle.

John