Dr. Thomas Bough joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University in the fall of 2005 as the Director of Athletic Bands.  He directs the Huskie Marching Band and Pep Bands, the University Band, and teaches courses within the music education curriculum.  Dr. Bough holds MM and DMA degrees in Tuba Performance from Arizona State University, where he was a student of Sam Pilafian and Dan Perantoni.  He holds the degree Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Southwest Missouri State University, where he was active in both vocal and instrumental music.  Previously, Bough served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois from 1999- 2005 and as the Band Director at Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona from 1992 to 1999. 

Dr. Bough’s diverse performance background includes the St. Louis Brass Band, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Mesa Symphony Orchestra, SIUC Faculty Brass Quintet, and the Downbeat Dixieland Band.  He toured for two seasons with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and performed as a member of the 1989 Walt Disney World All American College Marching Band.  He is a Yamaha sponsored artist, and performs on the Yamaha 822 CC tuba and Yamaha 822 F tuba.  Bough is a frequent contributor to the Instrumentalist magazine and the Journal of the International Tuba-Euphonium Association.  He has contributed articles to Volumes IV of Teaching Music Through Performance and Teaching Music Through Performing Marches. 

Dr. Bough is an active conductor, clinician, arranger and adjudicator for both concert bands and marching bands.  During the summer of 2005, he conducted the Illinois Band as part of the Bands of America Summer Symposium.  He also served as the tuba master class clinician at the Summer Symposium in 2003 and 2004.  He has presented workshops on recruiting and training low brass players at the state conventions for the Missouri and Arizona Music Educators Associations.  Each year, Bough travels across the West and Midwest as the lead clinician for the Brass Boot Camp, Woodwind and Brass Boot Camp, and Band Boot Camp.  Each three day, hands-on workshop develops the performance skills of student musicians through the use of innovative pedagogical materials developed and published by Bough.