Scott Boerma (b. 1964) is the Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Western Michigan University. Prior to this appointment, he was the Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Michigan Marching Band at the University of Michigan. Before those positions, Boerma was the Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University, and he began his career teaching music in the Michigan public schools at Novi and Lamphere High Schools. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting at Michigan State University and his Master of Music degree in music education from the University of Michigan, where he also studied composition with Pulitzer Prize winning composer William Bolcom. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Western Michigan University, where he also studied composition with Ramon Zupko. Boerma has also studied composition with Anthony Iannaccone.
Boerma’s concert band works have been performed by many outstanding ensembles, including “The President’s Own” Marine Band, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, the University of Michigan Symphony & Concert Bands, the Interlochen Arts Camp High School Symphonic Band, and the BOA Honor Band of America, to name just a few. His music has been heard in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Hill Auditorium, the Myerson Symphony Center, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and at the Chicago Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Boerma’s works have been featured in the popular GIA series, “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band.”
Also a prolific arranger, Boerma receives yearly commissions to write music for many university and high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps. From 1989-2006 and from 2014-present, he has been the music arranger for the top-ranking Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. From 2008-2013, he arranged for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps. Additionally, Boerma has arranged for drum and bugle corps and bands from Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Thailand. Other credits include marching band arrangements for the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Texas (both Austin and Arlington), the University of Illinois, Purdue University, Towson University, Texas Tech University, Baylor University, Jacksonville State University, and Western Michigan University, to name just a few. Most of the Big Ten university marching bands have performed Boerma’s arrangements. Boerma also writes arrangements for the Detroit Chamber Winds Brass.
