Allison DiMauro, with guitar professor James Piorkowski, during a lesson in Mason Hall.
Allison DiMauro, a senior Music Education major from Long Island, has been awarded the Oasis Guitar Jury Prize, a $500 cash award that recognizes the guitar student who exhibits the greatest improvement over the course of a semester.
To be the recipient of the Oasis Guitar Jury Prize, a student needs to have been working on all appropriate facets of musicianship and physical technique, to the point where the amalgam of these various approaches produce music that goes beyond playing the guitar, according SUNY Distinguished Professor James Piorkowski.
“For every student, this is ideally what to aim for, but it takes each individual a different timespan and set of learning experiences to discover that ‘aha moment’ when these efforts gel into something special. For Allison, it's a great place to arrive as she approaches her senior graduation recital this semester,"
- Professor Piorkowski
“For every student, this is ideally what to aim for, but it takes each individual a different timespan and set of learning experiences to discover that ‘aha moment’ when these efforts gel into something special. For Allison, it's a great place to arrive as she approaches her senior graduation recital this semester,"
“For Allison, when performing her repertoire for the jury in December, she had undeniably blended the numerous aspects of her work, and was able to be convincingly expressive in her playing,” Mr. Piorkowski, head of the guitar program in the School of Music, explained.
DiMauro is the 11th Fredonia student to receive the Oasis award, which was established in the Fredonia College Foundation by Dave Hepple, president of Oasis, Inc., maker of the Oasis guitar humidifier. She plans to teach music at the middle or high school level and lead a guitar program for her students.
