Home

From the 30-year stretch starting in the late 1980s and continuing until 2010, the South View High School marching band consistently ranked among Cumberland County’s biggest and best units.
A huge part of its success rested squarely on the shoulders of former band director Jay Bolder.

Bolder was recently recognized for his years of work at South View as he was nominated to be considered for induction into the North Carolina Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame.
“It’s definitely an honor, without a doubt,’’ said Bolder, who is now retired and lives in Indian Trail, near Charlotte, not far from his native Monroe.

A graduate of Wingate College, Bolder’s first teaching job offer came from Cumberland County, where he worked at Armstrong Middle School.

From there he went to South View Middle School then moved to South View High School in 1985. After one year as codirector of the band, he assumed full leadership responsibilities in 1986.
During his tenure, participation in the South View band swelled, peaking at some 225 members in the 1990s.

“I guess people wanted to be part of it,’’ he said. “They pushed one another to excellence. It was exciting to play at halftime.’’

Part of the excitement came from the tremendous success of the South View football program during the band’s peak years, including a state 4-A championship in the 1991 season.
“When they won the state championship, it was exciting football game after exciting football game,’’ Bolder said. “We supported the football team and they supported us.’’

Bolder’s bands traveled frequently for competitions, going all over the southeast as far as South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.
They also traveled to Philadelphia and California and even took a cruise to the Bahamas.

During his career at South View, Bolder’s bands earned 41 superior ratings in competitions.

He sent 40 of his former band members off to college as music majors, with some of them also becoming band directors in their own right.

Bolder was awarded North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, and he was recognized with Jay Bolder Day in his adopted home town of Hope Mills.
In addition to the many awards he has won, Bolder is a composer, arranger and adjudicator.

He has held membership in a variety of organizations, including the Cumberland County Band Directors Association, the Southeastern District Band Association, South Central District Band Directors Association and he’s a member of the American School Band Directors Association.

As a performer he’s been in musicals, community bands, symphony orchestras, top 40 groups and jazz groups. He was also involved in casting and choreography for scenes in the movie "Bolden."

Bolder’s South View bands featured the corps style of performance, which puts emphasis on structure and musical performance, while at the same time offering the band members the chance to have some fun.
Off the field in the classroom, Bolder was also responsible for the teaching side of the band that gave the members their fundamentals in music.

“We had to start teaching them general music,’’ Bolder said. “They start in middle school in the sixth and seventh grade and work to the point where they get to high school and do a lot more performing.’’
In some parts of the country, art and music education are on the wane as local and state government officials direct money to other areas of education.

Bolder thinks it’s important to keep the role of art and music for students in perspective.

“I would personally invite someone who felt that way to go through the program for a couple of days, follow the band leaders around for two days and have a chance to see how we do things and                                                                     what we do,’’ Bolder said.

Whatever Bolder did during his years at South View, it was definitely successful and the results were visible to everyone.

Picture 1: The success of the South View High School marching band can largely be credited to former band director Jay Bolder. Photo credit: South View Safari Staff

Picture 2: Jay Bolder. Photo credit: Bobby Wiliford