The Cadet Bugle Corps of 1899 was the predecessor of Penn State’s first Cadet Band. Back then, male students took four years of military tactics as part of their education, and Old Main was a barracks dormitory. One morning during barracks inspection, the bugle of student George H. Deike 1903 EMS (front left) was found, and Deike was appointed chief musician. Others soon joined him to create a bugle and drum corps, and the following year, they solicited funds to buy more instruments. Penn State Archives.

An $800 donation from Pittsburgh industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to a fledgling “brass band fund” campaign in late 1900 gave the Board of Trustees the incentive it needed to permit the formation of the college’s first Cadet Band. Penn State Archives.

The Cadet Band soon became known as the College Band, but it still functioned in those early years as part of the campus’s military organization. In this photo from 1918, the band—in the left foreground—is accompanying Student Army Training Corps cadets, with an earlier incarnation of Old Main in the background. Penn State Archives.

This 1929 Yankee Stadium appearance by the Blue Band­—so named in 1923 for its new blue uniforms—for a football game against NYU was directed by W.O. Thompson. He led the band for 25 years, during which time its ranks swelled to 129 members. Penn State Blue Band.

While women were temporarily admitted to the Blue Band during World War II to make up for its thinning ranks due to the war, by 1947 the marching band was back to its all-male status. This changed permanently in 1973, when women were allowed to audition and join (thanks to Title IX). Penn State Archives.

The band’s on-field formations changed as Penn State evolved from a college to a university, and both have grown with the times, too—today’s Blue Band averages 315 members. Penn State Archives.

First performed in 1965, the iconic “Floating Lions” drill involves a lot of tricky choreography. “The Blue Band never turns left,” Arnoldi says. “So if you have to make a right turn, you’re gonna three-quarter. You’re really spinning in there; there’s one spot they call ‘the washing machine.’” The trombones are the occasional exception to this no-left-turns rule, Arnoldi concedes, “so they don’t take someone’s head off with their slide.” Penn State Blue Band.

Lori Bowers Uhazie ’82 Com was the first feature twirler to have the title Blue Sapphire. In this image from a 1981 game, she’s held up by drum major Richard Gorodesky ’82 Bus (whose audition included the signature running front flip) and Nittany Lion mascot Roy Scott ’82 Lib. Penn State Alumni Association Archives.

The Blue Band majorettes, shown here at a football game in 1983, were added to the band in the early ’70s, along with a feature twirler and the flag-bearing Blue Band Silks. The majorettes, now called Touch of Blue, were national champions in their sport 16 times from 1999 to 2019. Current Blue Sapphire Mackenzie Bronk is also the 2024 Teenage Miss Majorette of America. 1984 LaVie/Chuck Kullman.

To earn a spot in the band, instrumentalists must clear a two-part audition: music and marching. “The high step itself is very, very taxing,” Arnoldi says. “There’s a correct posture, you have to hit that 90-degree angle, and you’re going at a decent clip.” Penn State Blue Band.

Band members rehearse five days a week plus game days, earning one credit per academic year. During home game weeks, those not in the current pregame lineup are allowed to challenge a bandmate for their spot. Says Arnoldi, “The challenge process is to make the band better.” Here, former band director O. Richard Bundy ’70, ’87 DEd Edu oversees a mid-’90s rehearsal. Penn State Archives.

The band celebrated its 100th birthday in 1999 at the opening home game against the Arizona Wildcats. The halftime show began with just six musicians on the field—four trumpets, one snare drum and one bass drum—representing the original Cadet Bugle Corps, and ended with all 276 musicians in a celebratory “100” formation. Penn State Blue Band.

“Every single [Blue Band member] will tell you that coming out of the tunnel is a feeling like you’ve never experienced, especially for a White Out,” Arnoldi says. “You can’t hear yourself think. You can’t hear the person next to you. You really have to lock in. The White Out pregame is the best experience you ever get.” (1 of 2 by Jaydyn Isminger/Penn State Blue Band)

Photo 2 of 2 by Jaydyn Isminger/Penn State Blue Band.

In its early days, the Blue Band—shown here at Beaver Field circa 1916—played to crowds that echoed its formal attire. Penn State Archives.