|
A native of Dalton Georgia, Alan Armstrong is a Graduate of Jacksonville State University with a BS in Music Education. In his 33rd year of teaching in public schools, he is in his 26th year at Northgate HS in Newnan GA after opening the school in 1996. His bands have consistently received superior ratings in marching, concert and jazz events. They have appeared in the Alabama Governors Inaugural Parade, the WSB TV "Salute to America Parade" and four times in the Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Christmas Parade. The marching bands at Northgate have won in excess of 160 Class, Divisional or Grand Championship honors in both regional and national competitions. The Viking band has appeared in Holiday parades in San Francisco, CA, Hollywood, CA and Chicago, IL, New York City and Washington DC. The Northgate Symphonic I Band was selected to play for the Georgia State Leadership Convention in 2003 and performed for the Ambassadors from Gifu, Japan in 2004. In 2012, the band played as a featured Guest Ensemble at the University of Alabama Honor Band Clinic. Mr. Armstrong has served twice as the Director of the GA Lions All State Band and serves as a clinician and consultant for concert bands, marching bands and drum corps both nationally and internationally, having consulted with bands and drum corps in Japan for 6 years. In 2012, the Northgate Band Program was also honored by the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) with their first "Exemplary Performance Award" for High School Bands in recognition of the commitment to the total music education of the students at Northgate HS.
Mr. Armstrong served 18 years as a member or staff member with the internationally competitive Spirit Drum and Bugle Corps, and was an arranging consultant and brass caption head for this group in his final year with them. He returned in 2016 as a consultant for the corps. He was named the founding staff coordinator, brass Co-Caption Head and Brass arranger for Court of Honor Drum and Bugle Corps in 2003 and then served as the Program and Instructional Coordinator for the corps in 2004, leading them to a fourth place finish in Drum Corps International Division III competition and an undefeated season in brass. He served as the Brass Caption Head for the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2005 competitive season and helped the corps achieve Div II Finalist status. He served for two seasons as the Visual Caption Head for Atlanta CV All Age Drum and Bugle Corps from Atlanta Georgia and in 2010 took over as the Brass Caption Head for the same unit. In 2012 he was named Staff Coordinator for this group and currently serves as the Program and Staff Coordinator for this unit as well. Atlanta CV has finished as one of the top three drum corps in the world in DCA Competition for the last three seasons under his leadership. Since 2014 he has also served as a brass staff member for the seven time world champion Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Armstrong is active as a clinician, consultant, adjudicator, composer and arranger. He has presented clinics at the Georgia Music Educators State Convention on multiple occasions. He has judged throughout the southeast as well as nationally for multiple band circuits and Drum Corps International. He has been selected by his peers as the Northgate Teacher of the Year , was named to "Who’s Who Among American Teachers" on four occasions and was named as an Atlanta Journal Constitution "Honor Teacher". He was also selected as both the Northgate High School and Coweta County STAR Teacher. In the spring of 2006 he was honored by the State Legislature of Georgia with a resolution recognizing his accomplishments in his first 10 years at Northgate. He is married to the former Ginger Hodges of Houston Texas and they are the proud parents of Caitlin, Kelsey, and twins Ryan and Emily, all honor graduates and alumni of the Northgate Band program. |