Dan C. Armstrong has been director of percussion studies at Penn State University since 1982. He previously served on the faculties of the University of North Texas and the University of Oklahoma.

Armstrong's orchestral career includes performances with the Dallas, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City symphony orchestras, as well as with the Aspen, Breckenridge, and Grand Teton music festivals and the Santa Fe Opera orchestra. He currently performs with professional orchestras in Pittsburgh, central Pennsylvania, and in Jacksonville, Florida. In the summers he performs with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Music at Penn's Woods festival orchestra in State College.

Armstrong has made two CD recordings with the Armstrong Flute and Percussion Duo. He has also recorded with the Grammy-winning Chestnut Brass Company. He has made appearances across the country, including Alaska, with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and performed at numerous jazz festivals as drummer for The Tarnished Six Traditional Dixieland Jazz Band. As solo xylophonist, he has performed in England and Scotland, as well as across the United States.

An active member of the Percussive Arts Society, Armstrong has served as a judge for national PAS competitions and as president of the Pennsylvania chapter. Well-known in the field of mallet ensemble, Armstrong's arrangements have been performed and recorded by the PASIC '90 Marimba Orchestra, the 164-member Marimba Festival Orchestra at West Point, and numerous college and high-school percussion groups.

Armstrong holds degrees from The University of Michigan and the University of North Texas.