Marissa Guarriello, PhD is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of String Music Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She was previously the orchestra director of the Bridges MAYO Philharmonic in Bloomington, IN. Her other positions have included being the orchestra director for Pennridge High School in Perkasie, PA, Palisades School District in Kintnersville, PA teaching grades 3-12, and a director at The Woodlands High School and McCullough Junior High School in the Woodlands, TX. In 2024, Marissa served as the Director of Programming for Music at ArtsQuest in Bethlehem, PA where she enjoyed working with artists of all genres from around the globe to bring them to her community. She holds degrees from Penn State University (BME, 2016), The Eastman School of Music (MA, 2019), and Indiana University (PhD, 2024) in music education. In addition to her research and teaching, she is also a violinist in various orchestras and runs a private violin and viola studio. Marissa was named one of Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” Music Educators for the United States in 2025.

Dr. Guarriello’s most 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. Her dissertation focused on the integration of non-performance topics in music classrooms through the Marketing Musikfest class in the Bethlehem Area School District. She enjoys collaborating with other teacher-researchers around the country to continue research efforts. Her masters field project was titled “Student Perceptions of Composition in Secondary Ensembles” and is available by request or you can read the synopsis of it via the F-flat Books magazine/ blog posts. During her final semester at Penn State, Marissa completed her honors thesis research on composer and performer Hans Gál, a Viennese émigré musician whose music was largely lost during World War II. She received four grants to complete this research. Her work on this topic was awarded the PMEA Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. You can view her CV HERE to see her most recent research endeavors.

Marissa has co-authored “Hustle to the Start” (2021) and “The Creative String Orchestra” (2020) and has also written a number of articles, blog posts, and peer-reviewed articles for various publications. She co-hosts the F-flat Books podcast “Musicast” where she greatly enjoys speaking to musicians and music educators from around the world! You can find her presenting work and research at various conferences for music teacher education and research as well as working with young musicians around the country.