The Heart of the Music Department

Amid challenges, a music student with perfect pitch utilizes accessibility centers to graduate with honors

By Benjamin Kirk (’22)

There were about 100 people, a large crowd for a senior recital, at the Fresno State Concert Hall. Even though Maurissio Rodriguez had just performed nearly an hour of challenging piano music by Haydn, Brahms and Chopin, there was no sheet music perched atop the piano. The entire performance was played from memory. Rodriguez stepped out for the last time as a Fresno State student, walked to the piano and gave a long bow as the audience applauded.

He invited everyone to sing along as he began a special encore, his interpretation of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury.

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”

The crowd began quietly as Rodriguez played his version with a clear melody line on the piano, giving the audience confidence to grow louder.

“Mama, oooh. Didn’t mean to make you cry.”

The audience crescendoed to sing with full abandon in celebration of Rodriguez’s accomplishments. This recital was his, and it aptly ended in a shared celebration of love and care.

“He created the most wonderful experience you can have,” says Audrey Rodriguez (not related), administrative support coordinator for the Music Department at Fresno State. “At that very moment, we were one masterpiece.”

Some were nearly in tears as Maurissio Rodriguez stood from the piano with a beaming smile, and gave a long, overtly gestured bow.

“Good night, everybody,” he said in his signature, resounding voice.

A student’s journey

Rodriguez is on the autism spectrum, which, he says, affects his social skills. He struggles with poor eye contact, limited vocabulary, controlling the volume of his voice and taking jokes seriously. Despite this, he makes a point to greet everyone and stop to have a conversation before ending with, “Have a great day!”

“He is the most compassionate person I have ever met,” Audrey Rodriguez says. “The relationship he established with the department is not the typical student and Music Department. It’s more like Maurissio and his extended family.”

Maurissio Rodriguez’s parents immigrated from Guatemala to the Bay Area. He received his first keyboard as a gift as a young boy, and he soon discovered he had the gift of perfect pitch.

“Perfect pitch is a documented phenomenon in the musical community and is marked by the ability to instantly and effortlessly distinguish the pitch of a tone,” says Dr. Peter Klimo, assistant professor of piano at Fresno State.

With the ability to hear songs and then play them with limited practice, Rodriguez found his purpose. But it was more than natural talent that drew him to the piano. It was also the comfort he found in the music.

“Music really helps relieve the stress, ease all the loneliness,” Rodriguez says. “It can give you a really intelligent mind. It helps you stay focused.”

That focus helped Rodriguez excel in his schoolwork. After moving to Fresno in 2015, he graduated from Clovis East High School and earned his associate’s degree from Fresno City College. During the pandemic, he transferred to Fresno State to major in music-instrumental performance (piano).

At Fresno State, Rodriguez utilized the Services for Students with Disabilities, a program designed to eliminate barriers and raise disability awareness, and the TRiO Student Support Services, which provides academic support, financial aid literacy other resources to support retention and graduation. He said these services were key to his academic success.

“These humans really mean so much to me,” Rodriguez says. “Without them, I wouldn’t have made it to where I am today.”

A prolific performer, Rodriguez excelled in his studies and graduated with honors.

“Maurissio is the heart of the Music Department,” Audrey Rodriguez says. “He is a person with motivation and passion, and he has music running through his veins. He is someone to look up to because he keeps pushing forward, not losing sight of goals.”

Audrey Rodriguez, Administrative support, Music Department

Finale

With tassels turned at the 2023 College of Arts and Humanities commencement ceremony at the Save Mart Center, with hundreds of his peers celebrating their graduation in front of thousands of family and friends, Rodriguez took the stage ready to recreate the magic from his senior recital.

He sat down and began his rendition of “We Are the Champions” by Freddie Mercury, but something was amiss. As the platform party left the stage, Rodriguez’s frustration grew and the performance melted down.

“It’s in the wrong key!” he exclaimed as he fiddled with the knobs on the electric piano.

The instrument had been jostled in transport, and the “transpose” setting was stuck. Anyone without perfect pitch would not notice the difference, but Rodriguez knew the notes were wrong, causing him to struggle with the performance.

His friends stood side-stage shouting their encouragement as he turned the keyboard off, then back on, abruptly fixing the problem.

“OK,” he shouted. “Here. We. Go!”

Just as he had done in the struggles throughout his life, in that moment, Rodriguez overcame.

“I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I’ve come through.”

Amid cheers, the crowd of fellow graduates, parents, friends and loved ones joined in singing. The crowd crescendoed.

“We are the champions, my friends. And we’ll keep on fighting ’til the end.”

With his gift of inspiring those around him, Rodriguez became a champion for those who knew him at Fresno State. Since graduating, he’s now sharing that gift by providing music therapy at Fresno Community- Based Adult Services, a center that provides care to adults with mental and emotional disabilities.

Because, while life may not always be perfect – pitch can be.

– Benjamin Kirk is a communications specialist in the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State.

TOP PHOTO: Maurissio Rodriguez continues to use his gift of perfect pitch to inspire others through his music, just as he did during his final days as a Fresno State student before graduating.

Valley of opportunity

Maurissio Rodriguez is one of over 6,000 students who graduated from Fresno State in May, and this is where his Bulldog story began. With continued support from the community, Fresno State is committed to providing the resources and pathways – such as Services for Students with Disabilities — to open up a Valley of opportunities for students and alumni alike. Your support today will ensure the vitality of the university and the region for generations to come.