UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Marissa Guarriello learned she had been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award, she was both surprised and grateful for the recognition.
“I think professionally, it’s just very validating,” said Guarriello, who is now an assistant professor of music and human learning at the University of Texas at Austin. “I’ve only been out of Penn State for a decade. There’s been a lot of challenges, and I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had great support, and I’ve had wonderful people to help me navigate this.”
Guarriello, who earned a bachelor of music education degree in 2016, was previously a visiting assistant professor of string music education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her current research is focused on the intersection of music industry administration education in K-12 music education programs as well as the inclusion of creative activities in secondary ensemble classrooms.
For Guarriello, the award represents not just her own accomplishments but the network of people who helped her succeed. She was recently named one of Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” Music Educators in the United States in 2025.
“This doesn’t happen by yourself,” said Guarriello, a third-generation Penn Stater. “There’s a lot of people surrounding me in the background who have encouraged me and pushed me and given me ideas and worked with me to make me better. So I think this award really represents that larger community of people working toward the common goal.”
Guarriello said her time at Penn State shaped her approach to music and teaching.
“I mean, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn’t for Penn State,” Guarriello said. “Some of the mentors who I still hold near and dear and work with on a regular basis are from my time at Penn State. They’ve all really shaped the way I look at and interact with music.”
She also described how Penn State’s community connections prepared her for the classroom.
“Penn State also was really fabulous at integrating music education students with the community, and I happened to also student teach in the State College Area School District,” Guarriello said. “They just gave me truly formative experiences, and if I wouldn’t have met these people, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.”
Throughout her career, Guarriello has taught students from preschool to the university level, gaining perspective on how music education is evolving.
“Education and technology in particular is changing so fast,” Guarriello said. “So trying to predict what students are going to need in a year, five years, 10 years from now, is really difficult.”
She said that in a world increasingly shaped by technology, the arts are more essential than ever.
“Music, or the arts in general, are needed more than ever, with the rise of AI, with the increasing use of social media and the use of computers,” Guarriello said. “Anything that can bring people together, into the classroom, into a community, I think is more important now than ever.”
Her research and teaching philosophy center on what she calls “expansive music education,” an approach that opens doors for students beyond traditional band or choir models.
“One of the ways I’m interested in expansive music education is what we would call secondary entrance points, or access points, so that students who didn’t want to play an instrument at 9, but now at 15 or 16 want to join one of these ensembles can,” Guarriello said.
She also explores ways to prepare students for music careers that don’t necessarily involve performance.
“There are so many jobs in music that don’t require performing, and people just don’t know that they exist because of the model of music education that we currently have in secondary schools,” Guarriello said.
Beyond teaching, Guarriello also is an author. Her most recent book, "Onward and Upward," is a children’s book.
“It’s just a book about a little girl who loves going to the music store to make music,” Guarriello said. “The music store's closing down, and she basically has to find creative and innovative ways to keep making music without traditional instruments.”
Guarriello also co-authored "The Creative String Orchestra" and "Hustle to the Start," two books aimed at helping teachers and students embrace creativity and professional development in music education.
When asked what message she would share with current Penn State students, Guarriello offered a simple but powerful piece of advice.
“This is my advice all the time,” Guarriello said. “Say yes as much as you can. Say yes to volunteer opportunities. Say yes to new and exciting opportunities that may not be in your wheelhouse.”
She said that mindset has shaped much of her professional journey.
“There have been so many twists and turns in the decade that I have been in this profession,” Guarriello said. “I just kept saying yes to people thinking that it would maybe be a good opportunity. And then in many, if not most cases, it did. It turned into a great colleague or a great relationship or an interest in a new topic, and all of those things have come together to shape who I am and what I do now.”