Justin Merriman’s talent and hard work become tools to overcome adversity
Justin Merriman remembers exactly when he realized that he wanted a life playing and teaching music.
He was a high school senior in the small town of Houston, and he’d just begun coaching a younger student on the clarinet. She’d started on the instrument a little late, he said, so she was behind.
“The look that she got on her face when she learned something new, or finally hit that note, or got that rhythm – it really touched me that I was able to help her,” said Merriman, who is graduating this spring from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Music with emphasis on music education.
“That’s when I knew I wanted to go into music.”
His empathy for those he teaches and the joy he derives from their accomplishments are matched by his commitment to keep learning and improving his own musical skills, said Michael Rowlett, an associate professor in the Department of Music and Merriman’s clarinet professor.
“Justin is one of the kindest, most open-hearted people I have ever known, and he is also an incredibly hard worker,” he said. “When he works on a piece, he just gets better and better each week, and he’s turned in some remarkable performances.”
Since transferring from Itawamba Community College, Merriman has made the most of his time at Ole Miss. Besides completing his coursework and excelling at clarinet, he has performed two degree recitals, played with the Pride of the South marching band and the Wind Ensemble, taught music classes for preschoolers at the campus Willie Price Lab School, kept up with lessons, carved out practice time and held down a job.
As if that’s not enough, he also performed with the Concert Singers and helped teach the Oxford Children’s Chorus.
It’s been hard to balance it all but he credits the support he received from friends and professors.
“Justin is a survivor,” said David Willson, director of University Bands. “He is a very good player, but what he has endured is also an important part of his story.”
That story almost seems like something out of the Book of Job: Merriman’s father died when he was 10, and he’s lost both his grandmother and his mother since he started college. Soon after their deaths, Merriman was displaced by a fire, and then his car was hit and totaled.
“How he finished the year and student teaching, I do not know,” Willson said.
Merriman will tell you that it was in large part due to the support and example he found in Rowlett and Willson, and their unwavering belief in him – as well as support from his brother’s family.
Rowlett was “a real father figure, helping out with pretty much anything I needed, whether it was how to deal with a class, how to do something on my instrument, or just to tell me I can do anything,” Merriman said.
“Dr. Willson was also a big role model. He was always there to lift me up. He always expected the best, and nothing less, from me, and he knew I could do it.”
Both Rowlett and Willson attended the funeral of Merriman’s mother and provided personal support.
“Even now, as I am student teaching, both of them still check up on me just to see how things are going, and they both still let me know that I can do whatever I set my mind to, and how proud of me they are,” he said.
Merriman’s love of music, and his disciplined approach to improving musically, also helped him stay focused during these difficult times.
Justin, far left, performs with an ensemble from Ole Miss at the International Clarinet Association Conference in 2019. 
Justin, first row third from right, with the Ole Miss Band on a chilly day in the stands. 
Merriman sings during a choral performance. Submitted photos
Recalling a particularly nerve-wracking solo that Merriman performed in front of music industry professionals, Willson said, “Here is this student that has been through a personal war, coming from a rural, small-town area, now playing for some big-name folks in public and doing a super job. He nailed it.”
After graduation, Merriman is considering graduate education in his field.
“As I went through each year at Ole Miss, I got to experience new aspects of music, from band, to choir, to elementary music,” he said. “But I know the classroom is where I’m meant to be.”
By Lynn Adams Wilkins/Department of Music
