Penn State University
ALUMNI Blue Band ASSOCIATION

By CURT HARLER

    Beyond music, Blue Band offers members the chance to practice and expand leadership skills. Recognizing this as an opportunity that will serve students well beyond graduation, the Blue Band will soon roll out its Leadership Program.

    The program will last six weeks. It will focus on community leadership. Most of the instruction and participation will be done virtually although there will be some in-person sessions later on-campus.

    “It’s a pretty robust program,” says Dr. Greg Drane, director of athletic bands. The program will involve a sizable chunk of the Band’s members. Dr. Drane says about 70 students are expected to participate in its first iteration. This coterie will include squad leaders, rank guides and the Blue Band’s officer board.

    The curriculum (which will not be for-credit) will be developed in conjunction with an outside specialist group. The second meeting between the Blue Band and the consultants was set for early July.

    The students will delve into topics like communications, team building, culture building with performance sections, and similar leadership necessities.

    Each student will do an evaluation of their own temperament to see what their leadership style might be, how they react to certain stresses, how they best can communicate given their personal proclivities. While the program certainly should bolster the spirit and effectiveness of the Band, it also will prove valuable as students graduate and move into jobs where the leadership skills they have learned will help them be more effective in the broader community.

By CURT HARLER

There will be a new look to Beaver Stadium for the 2026 season and the Blue Band already is preparing to add its sparkle to the facility.

Pre-game, of course, will look the same with its fast-paced entrance and Floating LIONS. But what will the sound be like in the new architecture of Beaver Stadium? Will the sound be deadened? Sharper? Echo around the stadium?

“We know the changes will change our sound,” says Dr. Greg Drane, director of athletic bands. He will not know how or how much until the Band actually plays there with a full house. “Even the temporary stands (last year) changed our sound. We’ll be making adjustments moving forward,” he expects.

This year marks both the 125^th anniversary of the Alma Mater and the enrollment of the one-millionth student at Penn State. Halftime shows will reflect that.

In fact, at Homecoming alums can expect those landmarks to be part of the halftime presentation.

Although none of the season’s shows are set in stone, Dr. Drane says they have a pretty good idea of what the Blue Band will be doing. As he spoke to ABBA in late June, they were in the middle of finishing up the third year of the Band’s high school program. This year, 230 high school students participated.

Things will kick off for the Blue Band when the Nittany Lions host Marshall at 3:30pm on September 5. The next game is at noon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly against Temple, followed by another noon game on September 19 at home against Buffalo. Homecoming is September 26 against Wisconsin (details for ABBA members will follow).

While nothing is confirmed on road trips, it stands to reason that the Temple game in Philadelphia will be on the list. Given the number of Penn Staters in the area, Temple is hardly an “away” contest for the football team. And there will be a lot of knowledgeable spectators watching every move the Blue Band makes, every note the Band plays.

There also will likely be opportunities for ABBA Pep Bands to fill in at games where the full Blue Band can not attend.

“There is a lot going on,” Dr. Drane says. “We are waiting on the powers-that-be to answer some of these questions. Moving forward, we are focused on giving the students the best experience we can.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

How will the new architecture of Beaver Stadium change the Blue Band’s sound?

Fall is rapidly approaching! I hope you're all well and looking forward to an exciting season of Penn State Football, which naturally includes our beloved Blue Band. Big things are in the works with ABBA, including an early merchandise store to coincide with Homecoming (scheduled for September 26th!), more pep band opportunities, and we're excited to bring back our Virtual 5k in the spring. Hopefully you've also heard the great news that the Blue Band Practice Field is finally going to be a reality. As we learn more about fundraising and progress we will be sure to share. 

Looking ahead to 2027, we will have seats opening up on the ABBA Board of Directors. If you're interested in joining us to help run ABBA, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. We usually meet 4 times a year (primarily virtually) and work behind the scenes with other fantastic volunteers to make it all happen. This year during Board elections we will also be asking you all to review and approve some minor changes to our by-laws, so keep an eye out late in the year and thank you for your participation.

Finally, mark your calendars for Sunday, August 22, 2026 - that's the Blue Band "Friends and Family" day where there is an open practice that you can attend in person or watch via livestream. Follow us and the band on social media for details closer to that date!

By CURT HARLER

    Justin Senzer, a third-year member of the Blue Band, will lead the 125^th edition of the Penn State Blue Band onto the field at halftime this year. His path to the Blue Band, however, was a bit unusual. He did not march with his high school band until his senior year. But his twin brother Noah marched all four years!

On football Saturdays, the Nittany Lion and the Blue Band Drum Major electrify the crowd. Here the Lion poses with Justin Senzer in his “other” campus uniform.

In fact, Justin saw himself as a baseball player in high school. He loves the sport but knew he probably would not play at the college level. He got involved in the Blue Band and, as he says, “fell in love with it.”

    Yes, he tells ABBA, he definitely will do the flip! No, he is not a gymnast. Pointing to his baseball career he says, “But I am athletic.”

    Senzer played trumpet for the Blue Band before picking up the mace. But the drum major position has long been on his to-do list. “I wanted to pursue drum major. It was a goal I set for myself…even if I get only one year.”

    Off the field, Justin is an economics major from Marietta, Georgia. In addition to his academic studies and Blue Band commitment, he is in US Navy ROTC.

Justin Senzer’s career goal is Navy Aviation. He spent part of this summer in Florida attached to a helicopter squadron.

    About the time you read this, Senzer will be leaving Florida where he was with a helicopter squadron as part of his Naval aviation track. He will get one day at home and then will head to Drum Major Camp in Illinois.

    One might wonder how a baseball player from Georgia becomes the drum major at Penn State. Why Penn State at all? It explains a lot to know his father Andrew is a Penn State alum, class of 1991. However, Andrew was not in the Blue Band.

    For Justin, the road to drum major started in January 2025. He got a major boost from a good friend, Chris, who also is in Navy ROTC with him and is heavily into gymnastics.

    There are open sessions for non-varsity gymnastics and 18 months ago Justin started attending three or four times a week. After multiple intense practice sessions, he was landing his flips in the gym. By April, he was able to execute flips regularly on grass. Yes, it’s a different thing on the grass.

    Given the range of responsibilities and activities Senzer has taken on, it is obvious that he is driven. “I have a lot of energy,” he acknowledges. “I’m pretty energetic myself and I feed off other peoples’ energy.”

    No doubt the roar of 100,000 fans will top his tank. “I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait!” he says. He feels his time as Drum Major will be a success if he can honor the drum majors who preceded him and pass a worthy legacy on to those who follow.

One of Justin Senzer’s fond memories is hanging with members of the West Virginia University band. An advantage of being in the Blue Band is meeting others with similar interests.

A small but mighty pep band performed at the Southern New Jersey Alumni Chapter Spring Fling in late April. Performers included: Ron Lewis on drum; Carl Vogel, baritone; Jim Westlake, trombone; Cliff Powell, trumpet; and Kristen Chislom, piccolo. The Lion joined in for the trio!

Alumni Marching Blue Band members are advised to set aside the weekend of September 25 for Homecoming festivities. Things will start with ABBA performers entertaining at the traditional Ice Cream Social at the Hintz Center on Friday afternoon, followed by the Homecoming Parade Friday night. The Nittany Lions take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon. The ABBA board will meet Sunday morning at 10am both in-person at the Bundy Blue Band Building on campus and via Zoom. All ABBA members are welcome to attend any meeting although only elected Board members have a vote.  GO STATE!

All ABBA members are welcome to join our Board meetings. They are primarily held via Zoom, so simply email info@psualumnibands.org to request the link. The meetings for the rest of 2026 are currently scheduled for:

Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 7pm Eastern via Zoom

Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 10am Eastern both in-person at the Bundy Blue Band Building on campus and via Zoom

Pep band members should set aside June 6 for an ABBA performance at the Penn State Hershey Park Takeover event. Details coming soon…

All ABBA members are welcome to join our Board meetings. They are primarily held via Zoom, so simply email info@psualumnibands.org to request the link.

Meetings are currently scheduled for:

Sunday, April 26, 2026: 7p-9p

Sunday, July 12, 2026: 7p-9p

...and as soon as we know the Homecoming schedule for sure, we will confirm that date.