Penn State University
ALUMNI Blue Band ASSOCIATION

BY CURT HARLER

It wasn’t a trip to balmy Florida or sunny Arizona. But when the Nittany Lions went to the frigid Pinstripe Bowl on December 27, 2025, the Blue Band heated up a frozen Yankee Stadium. The football team took down Clemson by a 22-10 score. And the marching Blue Band took home amazing memories despite not being able to march on the field either pre-game or at halftime.

Perhaps the Blue Band will remember their trip to New York City as a different kind of White Out game. Given the blizzard that struck Christmas week, it was amazing that the Blue Band got to NYC at all. Dr. Gregory Drane, director of athletic bands, spent much of his Christmas day reorganizing the trip. “It was interesting, to say the least,” Dr. Drane recalls.

Those ABBA members (like the author) old enough to recall the 1969 Orange Bowl trip will appreciate the upheaval that a State College snowstorm brings both for pre-trip practice plans and getting to the game. This year’s original plan called for a practice in State College before leaving for New York. That session was scrubbed. 

The Blue Band got to New York safely and ate dinner; then the snow hit with a vengeance. Everyone was confined to the hotel. The musicians were supposed to rehearse in Yankee Stadium on the day of the game but the piles of snow put the kibosh on that. Eventually, the Band played from the stands. Fortunately, TV cameras gave the Blue Band lots of love during the game. 

“The students understood the situation,” Dr. Drane says. “They made the best of it.” And their legacy certainly will be the “other” White Out game of the 2025 season.

Happy New Year to all! Hope you enjoyed time off, visits with family and friends, and all the fun you could!

We have scheduled the Alumni Band Board meeting for Sunday, January 25th @ 7pm via Zoom.

Please reach out to ​president@psualumnibands.org for the link if you’d like to join us!

Holiday Store is NOW OPEN! 

Click here to buy (or go directly to https://www.storessimple.com/homefield/38861)

Please note the November 12 cutoff date to get your items mid-December!

BY: LISA MARZKA

At this year’s Homecoming celebration, Dr. Drane (Director of the Marching Blue Band and Athletic Bands), Dean Carpenter (College of Arts and Architecture) and Dean Ott (College of Agricultural Sciences) jointly announced that the Dedicated Practice Field for the Penn State Blue Band is officially moving forward. This exciting milestone marks the beginning of a new era for the Blue Band. In the coming months, we’ll share more details, timelines, and ways to support the project through advocacy and philanthropy. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to the College of Arts and Architecture Blue Band Liaison Lisa Marzka at lisamarzka@psu.edu or 814-571-2930. Lisa, alongside the Blue Band development and alumni relations team, will be working with us on this project that will positively impact students and this program for years to come!

BY: KATIE FRIST

This year’s Alumni Blue Band Association brought its spirit and sound to the heart of Penn State Alumni Association’s Homecoming 2025 celebrations at Pennsylvania State University’s University Park campus. 

The weekend’s excitement kicked off on Friday, October 10, with the Ice Cream Social at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. ABBA also joined the parade along College Avenue, marching in the same tradition that brings together generations of Blue Band members and Penn State fans. On Saturday, October 11, 350+ Alumni Blue Band Association members took the field for both pregame and halftime to celebrate Finding the Glory in their Story during the game against Northwestern University. 

A huge thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, and helped make this year’s Homecoming a success. Your dedication to building on the legacy is unmatched. 

Photos can be shared to homecoming@psualumnibands.org for future website and social media use. 

Want to relive the weekend? Watch here!

Parade live stream: https://homecoming.psu.edu/live/

Pregame Performance: https://youtu.be/giVoQwTXi84?si=LsUkiMLl52g7IzE9

Halftime Performance: https://youtu.be/CGd4tXVl5P4?si=H36s934J8_o9kBUk

SAVE THE DATE:

The 2026 Fore the Blue Band golf outing will tee off at the Penn State Golf Course on June 13, 2026.  Appropriately, it will be on the Blue Course. Further details will be forthcoming early in 2026. The 2025 golf outing attracted 82 golfers and everyone had a great time (except for that one guy who kept slicing his ball into the far rough!). Hole sponsorships are available for 2026, too. See you there!

FTBBGT-01-SavetheDate.png

BY: SERENA DAVANZO

The next meeting for the board will be on August 17th at 7pm. 

There'll be discussions on a variety of things from performances ABBA did, to the golf tournament, to preparation for Homecoming, and more.

Board meetings are open to all ABBA members, please reach out to psu.abba.president@gmail.com if you'd like to join via Zoom.

BY: CURT HARLER

The 2025 Blue Band season is just about a month away with the Nittany Lion football team on the field between the Band’s pregame and halftime shows. In all seriousness, Dr. Greg Drane and the Blue Band staff have several amazing halftime programs set for home games this year. The musicians will be challenged.

"I’m eager to see what the band can whip up this year,” he says with excitement.

Keep in mind that the Blue Band literally starts anew each season. Dr. Drane and his team will know more as auditions at Band Camp are finalized. The block should be filled. “Numbers are looking good so far,” he adds. 

As the calendar flips to August, music is being sent to arrangers and the Blue Band’s directors are designing drills and formations. The first show of the year at the game August 30 against Nevada will be “Karaoke,” a sing-along with fans in the stands. Exactly which numbers will be played is not yet set in stone but expect the program to feature a medley of popular songs through the years. 

Next show is “The Evolution of Oz,” a musical look at the iterations of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz story including tunes from the original 1939 Judy Garland film; 1978’s The Wiz with Lena Horne, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson; and the 2003 Tony Award winning Wicked which originally starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, and Joel Grey as the Wizard. “It’s going to be a good one!” Dr. Drane says. 

From there, the Blue Band goes “Higher, Faster, Louder.” This will reprise some of a 2017 halftime show which Dr. Drane says will feature “tunes that bands sound great doing.” The performance will include jazz numbers like Duke Ellington’s Caravan and a rip-roaring Louisiana Funk set. The show will wrap with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. 

Once again, each Blue Band stadium performance will conclude with a post-game show and the students getting a post-game meal to replace calories and fluids lost through the afternoon. “You can’t believe how valuable a meal is for the students after a long game,” Dr. Drane says. “They don’t have to hunt down dinner and can go home fed and ready for their evenings.” 

This year, the Blue Band will send a pep band to two of the Nittany Lions’s away games. However, if there is one blemish on the upcoming season it is that none of the visiting teams coming into Happy Valley will be able to bring their band to perform at halftime. “We are not hosting any bands due to the current stadium renovation,” Dr. Drane confirms. There simply will not be room for an additional several hundred attendees.

Board meetings are open to membership, please reach out to psu.abba.president@gmail.com if you'd like to join via Zoom.

• Sunday, April 27th @ 7pm (Zoom)
• Sunday, August 17 @ 7pm (Zoom)
• Sunday, October 12 @ 10am (in person & Zoom)

BY CURT HARLER

               The Blue Band is inviting the Alumni Blue Band to join them in celebrating our 125th anniversary. The Annual Blue Band Banquet takes on special meaning this year and the Blue Band has arranged for a limited number of alums to be a part of the party.

               The Annual Banquet will be held at the Penn Stater Hotel on Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm.

               “This is a special anniversary year for us,” says Blue Band Director Dr. Greg Drane. “The banquet is an opportunity to celebrate our 125 with the alumni.”

               The students are arranging a special guest speaker.

               Presently, there is room for 75 ABBA members (and guests) to attend. To secure your spot use the link below. Tickets can be purchased for $65 each. Of course, part of the ticket price goes to support Blue Band activities. These include such niceties as hand warmers and cups of hot chocolate served during the third quarter to ease the 11-degree temperatures at one playoff game. It also will help defray the cost of the post-game meals the Blue Band provides everyone after every game, home or away.

               Whether it is the Annual Banquet or a football game, the Marching Blue Band is always hungry.

               “There is lots going on during game days,” Dr. Drane says. “I like the students to have a hot meal when they leave the Blue Band Building.” There typically are sub sandwiches before the games so, rounded off with hot eats, the students’ nutritional needs are well met. “The students greatly appreciate it,” he adds. “Everyone is thankful.”

                Not only is the Band’s 125th a great year in retrospect but it marks a watershed for the Band going forward. First year students had to handle back-to-back away bowl games. Dr. Drane says he is excited to see the level of experience those students will bring back to campus next year.

Registration Link: https://www.psualumnibands.org/event-6104154