"Did anybody lose a finger? And are we better human beings? If we can check those two big boxes, successful year."

“For so many of them, band isn’t just an activity. It’s home.”

“You have to be able to take what fits you, work on it, and keep improving.”

“We take care of kids here. That’s what we do well.”

“Sometimes it takes one small thing — just one — and a student’s whole world opens up.”

“Everybody belongs. Everybody improves. Everybody grows.”

“You’re going to go home tired either way — from owning the classroom or from being owned by it.”

“We are a family. We’re invested in their lives. We care.”