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Katie Baker, of Reedsville, a Mifflin County High School graduate, has been a member of the Blue Band for the past four years.

REEDSVILLE – Most football fans head to Happy Valley to cheer on their beloved Penn State Nittany Lions.

Katie Baker tries not to dampen their spirits, but the Reedsville native and Mifflin County High School product admits she goes to games just to see the legendary Blue Band marching band parade into Beaver Stadium and perform on the field.

“I went to (Blue) Bandorama, the Homecoming parades and even would drive past the band field during their rehearsals,” Baker said. “One could say I was obsessed.”

Four years later, Baker, who plays the alto saxophone, is preparing for her last performance as a member of the Blue Band on Monday, Jan. 2 when No. 11 Penn State faces No. 8 Utah in the 109th annual Rose Bowl Game.

“My time in Blue Band taught me a lot about myself and about how to be a part of such a large group,” Baker said about the 300-member marching band. “I involved myself in THON (cancer fundraiser) last year and it helped me find a group of people in the band that inspired me to be an active member of the group.”

Baker is grateful for the leadership skills that being a member of the Blue Band helped her build, the friends she made and the work ethic that the band cultivated in her.

Four years have left her with many highlights and fond memories.

“During my first year, I was not in a pregame spot for the first few games,” she recalled. “After the music memorization process, I was placed in a pregame slot for the first few games. The first game that I would have marched pregame in was against Pitt, and sadly the rain kept us from marching.

“I will never forget how grateful I was to finally get to come out of that tunnel for the first time,” she added. “The environment during the games is absolutely exhilarating.”

As a fourth-year, Baker has become one of the tunnel leads and first band members onto the field. She considers this one of her biggest accomplishments in Blue Band.

“After coming out of the tunnel for the last time ever, I get sentimental thinking about all the times I got to experience that special moment and how many years I spent dreaming of coming out of that tunnel,” she said. “Many people have told me that I will never forget the feeling of playing in front of one hundred thousand fans.”

Baker participated in marching band in high school but never realized there was a bigger stage in college until one fateful trip.

“When I was in high school, we competed in addition to playing at football games,” she noted. “I remember going to Mechanicsburg one year and it was pouring. Everyone seemed miserable, but I stayed in the stands to see Towson State’s marching band perform their show.

“They played ‘Through the Fire and Flames,’ ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘Set Fire to the Rain,'” she added. “This was the moment I decided that I wanted to be a part of a college marching band. Naturally, I gravitated towards Penn State, as I became a huge fan of the Blue Band.”

Baker marched with the Mifflin County High School band from 2013 to 2018. During that time, she got to compete against many great bands and saw the program grow and evolve.

“In the end of my time there, we ended up doing incredibly well at competitions,” she explained. “One highlight from my time in band in high school was getting to go to Philadelphia’s ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2018. I got to rehearse and march with a larger band made up of people from many different places. It was an experience that made me even more excited to be in the Blue Band.”

And nervous. Baker said the audition process for the Blue Band is unlike anything she had ever done. She remembered warming up beforehand and hearing how good all of the other saxophone players sounded.

Baker admitted she never thought she would come close to their abilities.

“Those people ended up being the few other saxophones that made the band my first year,” Baker said. “I remember learning how to march the way the Blue Band does, but I do not remember my marching audition as I remember I was very anxious. It all seems like a blur now.

“I remember how bad my feet hurt, but I knew I needed to give it my all and leave it all out there on the field,” she added. “And I remember the shock when I heard my name. I thought I didn’t make it because they didn’t read the names in alphabetical order. My dream was fulfilled when I heard my name.”

Practices were grueling at times.

“We practice for two hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Baker said. “On Tuesdays, we practice for two and a half hours. On game days, we usually arrive early to have our last rehearsal before the performance. Most of the time, we are outside at the band field learning a new show each week, but occasionally we get to sit down as a band and rehearse music in the band room. Those moments are really special, as you’ll never hear a more powerful sound than the Blue Band playing inside.”

Playing with the Blue Band, Baker has been part of some amazing pre- and post-game shows.

“My favorite show has always been the Military Appreciation show,” Baker said. “If I had to pick another favorite, it would be the Space Show from 2019. At this game, I did not march pregame or halftime. Instead, I was a halftime shadow.

“I actually got to use a fire extinguisher in the beginning of the show as the rocket lifted off,” she added. “We took this show on the road when we went to the Cotton Bowl in 2019. I remember standing next to the conductor’s ladder and watching the formations on the jumbotron. I loved the music, I loved learning the show, but most of all, I loved to watch the band that I was finally a part of.”

A middle level social studies education major, Baker hopes to become a teacher. She is currently pursuing a job with the National Park Service in interpretation, which means she would get to use her education skills and share her passion to convey history to the public.