Penn State Blue Band

 

The Blue Band is open to all students at the Penn State University Park Campus by competitive audition. The Blue Band accepts 290-315 student members annually; returnees must re-audition. All students who participate in the Blue Band are enrolled in a one-credit class and must remain in good standing with the university in order to maintain their eligibility with the band.^[1]

The Blue Band consists of instrumentalists, Blue Band Silks (color guard), Touch of Blue (majorettes), a drum major, a Blue Sapphire (featured baton twirler), uniform managers, and student operations assistants.

The Blue Band performs many times throughout the school year. In addition to home football games, the entire band travels to one or two away games per season, and there is also a small pep band that travels to other away games.

The band also takes part in other performances, including the "Be a Part from the Start" event at the beginning of the academic year to help welcome the incoming class of students. Outside of the Blue Band's obligations as a pep band, the band performs in a concert known as "Bandorama", consisting of a reprisal of the year's halftime music and fight songs.

Separate from the Blue Band is the Pride of the Lions Pep Band, an ensemble which performs at men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, and other various sporting events on campus. Audition is not required for this ensemble.

 

The Blue Band traces its history to 1899 with the formation of a six-member drum and bugle corps initiated by student George H. Deike. A donation from steel magnate and Penn State College Board of Trustees member Andrew Carnegie made possible the formation of a brass band in the summer of 1901.^[2] By 1913, the organization was known as the College Band, and the first permanent director of bands, Wilfred O. "Tommy" Thompson, was appointed in 1914.

In 1923, blue uniforms were purchased towards replacement of the old brown military-style uniforms in use at the time. Blue uniforms were issued on the basis of ability and rank.

The Blue Band made its film debut in the 1977 made-for-TV movie Something for Joey. Appearing again in the 1993 feature film Rudy, they played "The Nittany Lion" in the movie.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, the Penn State Blue Band was honored with the Sudler Trophy.^{[citation needed]}

 

During succeeding eras in which Hummel (Hum) Fishburn (1939–1947), James W. Dunlop (1947–1975), Ned C. Deihl (1975–1996), O. Richard Bundy (1996–2015) served as directors,^[3] the name Penn State Blue Band was kept even though all members were uniformed in blue. Since 2015, the director of the Blue Band has been Gregory Drane.

The Blue Band has appeared at 33 bowl games, including multiple appearances in the Orange, Cotton, Sugar, Fiesta, Gator, Rose, and Citrus Bowls. The band has also performed at the Outback, Blockbuster, Holiday, Pinstripe, Peach, and Rose Bowls, and for the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.^{[citation needed]}

The Blue Band marched in the Bicentennial Constitution Celebration Parade held in Philadelphia in 1987, and made its first appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on January 2, 1995, having made several additional appearances since.^{[citation needed]}

 

Since July 2015, the Band has been led by its sixth director, Gregory Drane. Drane has served as the Assistant Director of the Blue Band since 2005, directing Athletic Pep Bands as well as founding the Penn State Volleyball Band. He has been part of the Blue Band staff since 2002, when he was a graduate assistant.

From 1996 to 2015, the Blue Band was under the direction of O. Richard Bundy. Bundy received his undergraduate degree in music education from Penn State. After receiving a master's degree from the University of Michigan, he returned to Penn State for his doctoral degree (serving as assistant director under Ned C. Deihl from 1983 to 1996). On October 11, 2015, the Blue Band's practice facility was dedicated in Bundy's honor and renamed to the O. Richard Bundy Blue Band Building.

The Blue Band is maintained in large part by student officers who are elected by the band at the end of the season for the next season.

The Penn State Blue Band has one drum major who is chosen in the spring prior to each band camp. The drum major leads the band through warm-ups and fundamentals, as well as instructing the band during rehearsals.

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