Matthew Armstrong is an educator, conductor, percussionist, and arts advocate whose career spans more than two decades of leadership in music education. He currently serves as the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for San Marcos Unified School District, where he has been a music director and district leader for over 20 years. His work has earned numerous honors, including California Music Educators Association Music Educator of the Year (2015).
An Arts Fellow with California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), he is the Program Manager for an innovative arts-integration teacher residency program that prepares future educators for multi-modal education through the arts.
He holds master’s degrees in education, music technology – studio technology, and music mechnology – game audio, and is a highly sought-after performer, clinician, and arts leader.
Since 2017, Armstrong has been an annual guest conductor for the Banda Nacional de Cuba de Havana. In 2015, he founded the San Diego Percussion Festival in partnership with the San Diego Symphony and Yamaha, offering world-class concert percussion experiences for students across Southern California. Under his direction, his ensembles have performed seven times at the prestigious Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival.
As a performer, Armstrong has held an artist-in-residence position with Camarada and appeared with Westwind Brass, Seaside Brass, Presidio Brass, and the California Chamber Orchestra, where he served as Principal Percussionist. He is an artist with Yamaha, Vic Firth, and Zildjian.