"Lion Fanfare and Downfield" is a

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

medley of the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

. It is performed at the beginning of every football game in which the Penn State Blue Band is present. The "Lion Fanfare" is performed with a

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

step which follows the traditional Blue Band

high step ''High Step'' is a jazz double album credited to bassist Paul Chambers and saxophonist John Coltrane, issued in 1975 on Blue Note Records, catalogue BN-LA451. It is a compilation taken from the 1956 ''Chambers' Music'' on the Jazz West label and ...

, but the changing between feet is extra crisp, and performed at half-time. The piece consists of a high intensity fanfare performed with a 45 degree snap to the left, 90 degree snap to the right, and another 45 degree snap to the left which brings the band back facing the direction it started in. The fanfare segues directly into "Downfield", which moves the entire block band to midfield to the tune of "

The Nittany Lion "The Nittany Lion" is a traditional fight song played by the Penn State Blue Band at football games and other sporting events. During the pre-game show of home football games at Beaver Stadium, it is part of the traditional Lion Fanfare and D ...

External links

Mp3 of "Lion Fanfare and Downfield"
at the Penn State Blue Band website {{authority control American college songs College fight songs in the United States Penn State Nittany Lions fight songs Year of song missing