UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Michael Barasch and Dr. Ravi Shah were part of different sections during their time in the Blue Band, but today they are giving back in the same way, by establishing scholarships for Blue Band instrumentalists.
Barasch, chief development officer and executive director of alumni relations at the University of Texas School of Law, has made a five-year pledge of $12,500 to award five $500 scholarships each year for rank leaders or guides in the trumpet section. Also the founder of two band-focused media groups, Blue Line Media and Varsity Music, Barasch was a trumpet section squad leader and guide before becoming vice president of the band during his senior year. He received a bachelor of arts in journalism in 2009 and got his start in the fundraising arena as an intern for Penn State’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations, followed by working as a gift officer in the University’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Shah, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician in the Detroit metro area, has made a five-year pledge of $15,000 to award four $500 scholarships each year for rank leaders or guides in the drumline, as well as a $1,000 annual scholarship over the same time period for the senior Blue Band member with the highest GPA each year. Shah received a bachelor of science in bioengineering in 2012.
The total of 10 new scholarships will be awarded each year for five years.
Gregory Drane, director of the Marching Blue Band and Athletic Bands, said Barasch and Shah’s generosity reflects the continuing impact the Blue Band has on its members.
“Michael and Ravi know first-hand the commitment required to be a member of the Blue Band, and their scholarships will be a huge help to students in the trumpet section and on the drumline,” said Drane. “We are extremely grateful for their generosity and their ongoing support of the band. Once you become a member of the Blue Band, you are always part of our ‘family,’ and their gifts demonstrate that.”
For both Barasch and Shah, performing in the Blue Band was a longtime dream. Barasch wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, having grown up watching him march in the Blue Band Alumni Band. Larry Barasch holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture (1978) and master’s degree in architectural engineering (1979), both from Penn State, and also played trumpet in the band.
“When I got to Penn State, I knew my college experience would revolve around the Blue Band, and I was so lucky to be a first-year trumpet player in 2005 when the team went 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl,” said Michael Barasch. “My last game was marching in the Rose Bowl, which was an experience I’ll never forget and my closest friends even today are all Blue Band alumni.”
Shah had dreamed of performing in a college drumline since he joined his middle school’s drumline.
“I was fortunate to make the cut for Blue Band my freshman year, playing cymbals. I pushed myself even harder that year to make the tenor line, and I was successful in obtaining and keeping my spot on the tenor line and pregame snare line for my sophomore through senior years,” said Shah. “Nothing compares to playing alongside world-class drummers — many of our Blue Band drumline members were on various Drum Corps International drumlines — for 110,000 people!”
Barasch and Shah’s Blue Band experiences also shaped their future careers.
Shah knew he spent a lot of time on Blue Band-related activities, but when he tallied them up during his junior year, he learned it was 26 hours a week during the fall semester. On his medical school applications, he used that number to demonstrate his dedication and ability to juggle multiple tasks. Shah graduated at the top of his class at Penn State and ultimately attended medical school at Columbia University.
As an ENT, he has many patients who are musicians seeking help for issues such as hearing loss, breathing problems, hoarseness and related problems.
“It warms my heart helping performers get back to playing at their peak,” he said.
Barasch maintains a connection to college marching bands through his two businesses, Blue Line Media and Varsity Music, which fosters the use of technology in the music industry. He said one of Blue Line Media’s biggest verticals was creating @CollegeMarching, which shares news and footage from collegiate marching bands across the country.
“It was being a band alum and knowing the ins and outs of gameday that was critical to our success and how we get full access to many of the major college football games of the last decade,” said Barasch. “The bands could trust us and believed in the power of the content we captured and created.”
Both Shah and Barasch encourage current Blue Band members to cherish their time in the band, and said they hope their generosity inspires other alumni to make gifts to the organization.
“I hope other alumni join me in this way and we one day reward all members with a scholarship of some level,” said Barasch. “These kids deserve it, and it’s time to back the band.”
Gifts to the Blue Band advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.