Of all the support jobs, these seem to be the most under-valued contributers (I see the sitting around all the time LFG), and I don't know why. Your group regens HP, you get attack boosts and defense buffs, MP regen (over level 25), Mob debuffs, and much more - all without using MP. They also contribute a bit to Melee and can fill-out a skill chains. This allows the caster classes to not worry about incidentals, and focus on their core business.
Every time I group with one of these folks, a decent party becomes an unstoppable XP chaining juggernaut.
Anyway, just a good word for you Bards. If you see a bard, give them a hug, and a smooch, maybe a few gil. ;)