Scott Moilanen’s percussion career began at an early age. After being told he had to play a “real” instrument first, he started his musical journey on the clarinet, though he quickly made the switch to his first love, the drums. Scott studied a variety of percussion instruments throughout his junior and senior high school years and then made the decision to turn his love for music into a career. He studied percussion performance at Michigan State University where he honed his skills and had the opportunity to learn a diverse range of styles and genres of music.
Scott’s passion for teaching is evidenced by his active teaching schedule. He is the band director, choir co-director, and teaches fourth grade music at Trinity Lutheran School in Jackson. In addition to giving private lessons through the JSO Community Music School, he runs sectionals with Jackson Youth Symphony Orchestra percussion section and directs the percussion ensemble, works with the Columbia Central High School marching band during the summer and fall, and gives clinics at local schools.
Active in Jackson’s musical community, he performs with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, the Capital City Brass Band, and the Jackson Community Concert Band, with whom he has been featured three times as a soloist. He also freelances with various church and musical theater groups. He is a board member of the Jackson Youth Symphony Orchestra and is involved in the music ministry at Jackson First Church of the Nazarene. He lives in Jackson with his wife Rebekah and their three children.