ABOUT SCOTT
Scott Boerma (b. 1964) was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame in 2024. For twenty-five seasons from 1989-present he has been the music arranger for the acclaimed Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. From 2008-2014, he arranged for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps. Additionally, Boerma has arranged for drum and bugle corps and bands from Japan, 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. Competitive high school bands around the world enjoy great success with his charts. Boerma has also written arrangements for Broadway’s “Blast,” the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Brass, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (feat. Wynton Marsalis), the Boston Pops, the Boston Brass, and the Detroit Chamber Winds Brass.
Boerma’s original concert band works have been performed by many outstanding ensembles, including “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Navy Band, the Dallas Winds, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, the Kasetsart Winds (Bangkok, Thailand), the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, the University of Michigan Symphony, Concert, and University Bands, the Michigan State University Wind Symphony & Symphony Band, the Interlochen Arts Camp High School Bands, and the Music For All 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, the Chicago Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the American Bandmasters Association Conventions. Boerma’s works have been featured in the popular GIA series, “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band.” He is commissioned each year by high school, university and community bands to write new works for the repertoire.
Scott Boerma is the Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Western Michigan University, where he conducts the University Wind Symphony and Western Winds. Prior to this appointment, he was the Associate Director of Bands, Director of the Michigan Marching Band, and the Donald R. Shepherd Associate Professor of Conducting 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 at 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 at Western Michigan University, where he also studied composition with Ramon Zupko. Boerma has also studied composition with Anthony Iannaccone at Eastern Michigan University.