South Dakota Mines Music Professor Earns Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves

Dr. Haley Armstrong, South Dakota Mines associate professor in the department of humanities, arts and social sciences and director of bands, has hit a high note in her career—she’s now Lt. Col. Armstrong, following a recent promotion in the Air Force Reserves.

Under her new title, Armstrong will be an instructor of the public affairs and communication strategy qualification course at the Defense Information School in Fort George, M.D. The course provides entry-level public affairs training for the Department of Defense, U.S. government agencies and selected military professionals.

"I will work in the summers for the Air Force and continue teaching at Mines as an associate professor, director of bands and coordinator of music activities,” she said.

Armstrong started her journey with the military as a freshman in college when she “accidentally” won a trumpet audition for the Air National Guard. Suddenly, she was headed to basic training.

“It turns out that the military was a great fit for me and gave me opportunities to live all over the world, including three years stationed in Japan and two deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” she said. “I was also able to see music as a powerful tool for diplomacy and nation building as well as a way to honor those who have served and inspire future service.”

While she enjoyed her active duty experience, she missed teaching.

“I was honored to get the position at Mines,” Armstrong said. “Now I see music enriching the lives of brilliant students who don’t have to give up their creativity and passions to succeed in STEM fields.”

With her new appointment, she will spend summers instructing new lieutenants and public affairs officials about the importance of effective communication.

“I’m sure I will learn something along the way that I can bring back to our students at Mines,” she said.

Before coming to Mines in 2016, Armstrong worked as a conductor for the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., including holding positions as the officer in charge of the airmen of note and assistant conductor to the concert band.

Prior to that, she was the commander and conductor of the Air Force Band of the Pacific stationed near Tokyo, providing all the musical support for Air Force missions across 36 nations. Armstrong also held command positions for Air Force bands in California and Ohio. She started her military career in 2000 serving as an enlisted trumpet player with three Air National Guard bands.

A native of Sonora, Calif., she earned a bachelor's degree in music education and Trumpet Performance from Eastern Washington University. After graduation, she taught middle and high school bands in Medical Lake School District in Washington. She earned a master’s degree in music education from Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music, Bloomington, Ind., and her doctorate in conducting from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.