After 35 years at Albuquerque Academy, Mr. Jonathan Armerding played his final note for the school last May. But his music continues to be heard through the character and kindness of the students and colleagues he influenced at the Academy and throughout the Albuquerque community.

Armerding was inspired to begin music early on in his childhood. “I grew up in a very musical family, my mother especially. Her life was music and there was always music going on in our home one way or the other,” Armerding remembered. “She taught piano, she sang, [and] when she wasn’t playing or singing, the radio was [tuned to] a classical [music] station.” From this, Armerding gained an interest in playing the violin and often pestered his mother to learn. In third grade, he began taking lessons and by 8th grade many enjoyed listening to him. In high school, he joined a youth symphony program. Upon reflecting on this, Armerding said, “I was always a shy kid and I didn’t say very much, but when I played, I could express things that I couldn’t talk about.” Apart from violin, Armerding was involved in choir since 6th grade. He sang at home, in church, and in his public high school choir in Wheaton.

After graduating from Wheaton College, a private Christian liberal arts college in Illinois, in 1979 with a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance, and Indiana University, earning his Master of Music under James Buswell in 1981, the first major ensembles he participated in were the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the New Philharmonic at the College of DuPage. 3 years later, in 1984, Armerding and his wife, who had met in graduate school, decided to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico. His wife grew up in the Southwest and after a summer trip to Denver and Colorado Springs, a friend suggested Albuquerque due to the weather and the active community of string players. Armerding participated in many facets of the New Mexico musical community. Apart from his teaching career at the Academy, Armerding is also a member of the New Mexico Philharmonic where he plays first violin, and was a long-time member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra before it went bankrupt in 2010. Also, he has been on the conducting staff of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program since 2000, serving as co-conductor for the Junior Symphony for 9 years and was continuously involved with sectionals, a meeting of musicians to drill, tune, practice fundamentals, and improve parts of repertoire. Armerding was also a member of the Helios String Quartet for several years spanning from 1988 to 1996.

In 1985, he began working at Albuquerque Academy as a part-time teacher who would teach two classes each day in the Fine Arts Department, which at the time consisted of both visual and performing arts. When he first began at the Academy, the string program was small. There was only one high school chorus with no regular chorus teacher, and the guitar program offered only one class. At first, Armerding taught three different classes. In middle school, he taught Beginning Strings and Advanced Strings, and in high school, he taught the High School Strings class. Though he had been unsure if he wanted to be a classroom teacher, Armerding found that he really enjoyed working with the students.

He saw himself as a musical coach who was not only coaching kids how to play, but also to enjoy music. “Students were just everything and I began to see that playing music is a wonderful joy, and I love it, but being able to share it with other people and seeing them love it, I felt like this a bigger and more important thing than my own playing,” Armerding said. The next year, 1986, as the performing Arts Program expanded, Armerding received a full-time contract. In addition to his other classes, he also directed the Upper School Chorus for two years and directed the Advanced Band, which today is called the Charger Band. As the school grew and changed, Armerding took on still another role teaching general music classes for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

Armerding’s labors have not gone unnoticed. In 2006 when he was honored with the “Teacher of the Year” award by the New Mexico American String Teachers’ Association. More recently, in July of 2020, Armerding was awarded The Gage Award by Albuquerque Academy. The Gage Award is received by a teacher that “enriches the Academy community through infectious enthusiasm for his or her discipline, deep devotion to students, care for and loyalty to colleagues, [and a] positive and unflagging work ethic.”

Many of his colleagues at the Academy have viewed him as a close friend, an inspiration, and an extraordinary human. Guitar teacher Genevieve Leitner, said that his ability to “[see] what needs to be done and with no judgement, compassionately [fix] it,” was one of his many skills as a music educator. Armerding’s kindness, respectfulness, and good heart, even for those who could be considered strangers, was always visible. Leitner remembered that “it was really, really special to see how much he cared about the ladies [at Barrett House, a shelter for homeless women and children] and what they were going through.” He brought the Mariachi Band twice a year, at Christmas and Cinco de Mayo, because “he wanted to elevate their humanity and respect them as valuable human beings.”

Similarly, his colleague, technical theatre teacher and Performing Arts Department Chair, Richard Hogle described Armerding as an “incredibly warm and welcoming” person who “[comes] to everything he does with a very positive attitude [and was] always student centered.” Armerding knew that Albuquerque Academy is not a Performing Arts school and “saw himself within that to make the best possible student experience he could without necessarily expecting that [students] were going on to be musicians professionally, but hopefully be music lovers for life,” Hogle said. Outside of the classroom, his positive attitude didn’t change as he would commonly talk to colleagues about “how good life is as opposed to necessarily trying to have a complaint.” Debbie Briggs, Chorus Director for 6th and 7th grade and Assistant Chorus Director for 8th-12th grades, had a similar view. “[He] put students first, their feelings. He was just so genuinely kind and wanted the best for students.” “No matter how difficult the situation, he always wanted to look at the bright side.” 10-12 Division Head Christine Lenhart ‘94, remembers when she was a student under Armerding. “He was very patient with me as I struggled to learn a new instrument,” she said. He “inspired kids to try new things and not be afraid to embrace the challenges at hand that come with trying a new instrument.” She also remembers sitting in on his classes recently, where “over many years, he continued to support students in a thoughtful way with his very kind personality.” Armerding had a way of “showing people how to be better and do better” (Richard Hogle).

Apart from Performing Arts activities, Mr. Armerding participated within other activities and committees that helped our community. Armerding was involved in two particularly significant committees in the life of the school, one which helped form the new 6/7 program and the committee that led to the building of the Library. He also participated in clubs where students could explore their passions and interests outside of music. One of these clubs was the Bible Club. The Bible Club consisted of studying the Bible, praying, and engaging in conversation. Although the club was run as a Christian club, Armerding always welcomed students or faculty who had differing denominations, viewpoints, or beliefs. When asked about this, Armerding said, “I loved having different perspectives.” He always enjoyed discussing “the questions kids would ask [who] didn’t come from the same background as me.” This acceptance of others was seen by many. Leitner quoted a colleague who described Armerding as a “True Christian.” She went on to say that he is “someone who’s not going to tell you how to think, but who lives his beliefs through sincerity, and who lives by example. [He] coexisted respectfully and compassionately with other forms of thinking and other philosophies.” This attitude continued outside of religion. “He wanted to see and engage in conversation to see more than just his viewpoint, but at the same time he certainly had his viewpoints. He was just trying to always expand on them,” Mr. Hogle stated when asked what it was like working with him. Stephanie Lipkowitz, the Associate Head of School, similarly stated that “he’s a very open minded and very intelligent person who really embodies the belief that everybody around him has something to teach him.”

Now that Armerding has retired from the Albuquerque Academy, he will also be retiring from New Mexico as he plans to move in October to Fort Worth to be closer to family. Although his career within New Mexico has come to an end, he hopes that he will be able to play when people start playing music together again. He also wishes to work with his son and to teach private lessons. Even as his time in New Mexico is coming to an end, Armerding’s gratefulness for his journey and his path at the Academy shines through as he reflects on it, remembering it as “an incredible experience and an incredible blessing.” He concluded with, “I feel really strongly that the gifts that I have, the things that I’ve been able to do with, and for students are only there because of the grace of God.”