Cramer began his career as the band director at Harlan High School in Harlan, Iowa. From 1968 to 1969 he served as director of bands at Parma Senior High School in the Cleveland area of Ohio. He joined the faculty at
Indiana University School of Music in the fall of 1969, and served as director of the
Indiana University Marching Hundred from 1972 to 1982. In 1982, Cramer was appointed
director of bands in the School of Music. He was a professor of music history, literature and wind conducting, retiring in 2005. He is the emeritus director of bands at Indiana University. Cramer is a member of ABA, WASBE and IBA. He is affiliated with
Phi Mu Alpha,
Kappa Kappa Psi,
Tau Beta Sigma,
Phi Kappa Delta and
Phi Beta Mu. He was a guest conductor on the faculty of the
Musashino Academy of Music in
Tokyo,
Japan in the fall of 1990, the summer of 1992 and 1995. Cramer was also the guest conductor for the Indiana Bandmasters Association All-State Honor Band in 1983, 1995, 2001, and 2012. ==Honors==