The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin has announced the appointment of Marissa Guarriello as Assistant Professor of Music and Human Learning and head of the String Project.
In her new role, Guarriello will serve as the face of the String Project. When asked what advice she would give to students or parents considering learning to play an instrument, Guarriello shared, "Encourage your kids to just give it a try! Learning an instrument changed my life and has taken me all over the world to places I would have never been able to go." Her passion for music education is deeply rooted in her own transformative experiences as a musician.
Guarriello’s journey into music education began with a desire to help others. Initially considering careers in medicine and non-music education, her heart always led her back to music. After earning her undergraduate degree, she began her professional teaching career at a high school in The Woodlands, Texas, located just outside of Houston. After a year, she was offered an opportunity to return to her home state of Pennsylvania, where she became the director of orchestras for an entire school district. This position eventually took her to the Eastman School of Music for her master's degree, where she fell in love with research and was inspired to pursue a Ph.D. in music education at Indiana University.
Before joining the faculty at the Butler School of Music, Guarriello served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of String Music Education and the director of the string project at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she oversaw a successful program that similarly aimed to expand music education in the community.
Now, as she settles into her new role in Austin, Guarriello is looking forward to moving into a new home with her bernedoodle, Winnie, and hopes to explore all that central Texas has to offer!
Guarriello was previously an Assistant Professor of String Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Before that, she served as Director of the Bridges MAYO Philharmonic in Bloomington, IN. Her career also includes serving as orchestra director at Pennridge High School in Perkasie, PA, and at the Palisades School District in Kintnersville, PA, where she taught students in grades 3-12. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Woodlands High School and McCullough Junior High School in The Woodlands, TX. In 2024, Marissa worked as the Director of Programming for Music at ArtsQuest in Bethlehem, PA, where she had the pleasure of collaborating with artists from around the world to bring diverse musical experiences to her community. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Penn State University (2016), a Master of Arts in Music from The Eastman School of Music (2019), and a Ph.D. in Music Education from Indiana University (2024).
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