Shoo Turkey!

As the Holiday season is upon us, please enjoy this Turkey themed activity we enjoyed in Kindergarten music class last week!

Thank you!

1st and 2nd Grade Parents and Families,

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest thank you to all who were in attendance at last nights Holiday program. Your presence and kind attention to concert etiquette where greatly appreciated!

I do not have words for how proud I am of my students and the music they made last night and it would not have been possible without your kind and respectful demeanor.

Thank you again for allowing my students to feel successful in their performance and thank you for your respect as an audience member!

With great appreciation and gratitude,
Abby Hoselton

Holiday Program Decision

Thank you again to all of the families who responded to our Holiday Program RSVP. After tallying the totals and discussing it with Mrs. Harlan, it was decided that we keep the program in the Gymnasium this year.

The concert is on Thursday, December 3rd at 6:30 PM in the HS Gymnasium.
**1st and 2nd grade will be performing on this concert as 3rd grade is now taught by Mrs. Nelson and gets their own concert date in the Spring months!

Thank you again for all of your assistance in making this decision! A note will be sent in the coming Wednesday Folders regarding details about the concert night!


Thank you again,
Abby Hoselton

Holiday Program

Thank you so much for your kind responses to our RSVP to the Holiday Concert. The numbers that we received back were extremely helpful in making our final decision. A note will be going home next week with further information about the who's, what's, and (most importantly) where's of this years Holiday Program. Thank you again for your support and responses.

`Mrs. Abby Hoselton 

What's happening in the Music Classroom - 1st Grade 

The 1st grade Music classes are stepping into true musical learning with Rhythms!

We are currently preparing to name and practice Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes! We have sang several songs and played several games preparing us for this new concept by simply introducing the different sounds we hear in each pattern of music. This past week, students have been singing songs and identifying if each beat in the song has "one sound"(quarter Note) or "two sounds"(paired eighth notes). We use Beat Charts on the SMARTboard to help us identify these sounds using pictures, as seen below!

Students sing through our songs as a class and individuals place the proper beat pictures onto each beat line. We then clap and say the song together with the completed beat chart to check for correctness.

Students are doing a fantastic job and I am excited by the quick progress they are making!
Next week we will name these "one" and "two" sound concepts with the words "Ta" and "Ti-ti" - Kodaly syllables used to help students count and understand rhythms.

We also continue to review the classroom rules daily and welcome each other into the room by singing the echo song "Hello There". Ask your child to sing this song for you at home! We are starting to have students sing a solo and be the leader of this echo song and they are all doing such a fantastic job!


1st grade is starting out so strongly and musically! I cannot wait to see where we go this year! :)
Mrs. Hoselton



*2nd grade parents! Stay tuned (no pun intended) into my blog where next week, we will be exploring the 2nd grade music classroom! :)

Starting out Strong!

We are getting off to a GREAT start at Maple Lake in the Music Classroom. I have K, 1st, and 2nd Grade musicians this year who are all working hard and having fun! 

Kindergarten:

In Kindergarten Music, we are focusing on finding our singing voices. We do this by vocalizing from high to low and back again. I have a Bumble Bee friend who visits our class daily to help us vocalize our voices. We follow our Bee friend's path up and down with our voices on a "bzzzzzzz" sound. The students love our little Bee friend and I love how well we are finding our head voices (the upper register of the singing voice)

We have also started to explore vocal timbre, or the tone color and quality of our voice, by visiting the farm! Students are showing me their best barnyard animal impressions with a few friends to help us! Pig, Duck, and Dog are in the classroom to help us remember which animal sound to make at what time! Students are also suggesting different animals sounds to make while we work on the different qualities of our voices!

We continue to learn our Rules and repeat them each day after our Welcome Song! 

Our classroom has 5 simple rules to make sure we can play, sing, dance, and learn safely and effectively. The classroom rules also help us spell M-U-S-I-C so we know exactly where we are and what we are about to do, Make MUSIC! :) 

I use a different form of classroom management to help ensure we can learn as efficiently as possible. Whole Brain Teaching is a new kind of management style what kinestetically teaches rules, expectations, and procedures. Each week brings us a new piece to our Whole Brain Teaching puzzle. So far, we know our attention getter - "Class! Yes!" and our focuser - "Hands, Hands, and Eyes!"! We will continue to add to our puzzle in the following weeks with our teaching tool and live mirror concepts. 

Kindergarten is SUCH a smart class! They are learning very quickly and having a Great time! We will soon be learning about and putting a name to the pulse of music, i.e. the Steady Beat! 

!Stay tuned for more on Kindergarten from the Elementary Music Classroom!

Musically Yours,

Mrs. Hoselton

***1st and 2nd Grade parents, remember to stop by next week when we explore what your students are doing in music class at the beginning of this year! 

Summer Recap

Hello Parents and Guardians,

I hope this posts finds you and your families well. As summer winds itself down and I find myself back in the classroom, prepping for the coming school year, I thought it would be a good time to recap what I have been working on this summer to better inspire and educate your children in the music classroom.

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to enroll in the St. Thomas Univeristy's Kodaly Institute!
Now, I realize that this doesn't mean a whole lot to many, if any, of you so let me explain:

What is Kodaly?
Kodaly Concept:

• Is a philosophy of education and a concept of teaching. 
• Is a comprehensive program to train basic musical skills and teach the reading and writing of music.
• Is an integration of many of the best ideas, techniques, and approaches to music education. 
• Is an experience-based approach to teaching.

I am enrolled in a three year, Graduate level program that takes place for two weeks each summer on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. I have completed level I of  III and will continue with the completion of my full Certification the next two summers.


Why am I getting Certified in Kodaly Method?

As a music educator, I want to bring my best self to the classroom so that the students can receive the best musical education possible. Kodaly Certification challenges my musical skills in several different ways! I am becoming a better conductor, singer, my ear training and pitch matching has improved, and I am just a better musician all around! 
This certification also requires me to build a full music library with high quality, authentic folk song repertoire which will make my teaching more engaging, playful, and effective as well as expose students to their own culture as well as cultures all over the world.
This certification is going to make me the best educator I can be for your students and their musical futures!


What this means for your students?

Your students will be taught musical concepts through singing, music making, and play. Students will learn in a safe and encouraging environment with each lesson which adhere to the National Standards for Music Education! 

Please follow the link below for an amazing layout of the Kodaly Concept for the Organization of American Kodaly Educators (OAKE)
 https://www.oake.org/about-us/the-kodaly-concept/ 



Please feel free to email with any questions about my experience or ask me at Open House in September! I am so energized and excited to bring this new concept into the classroom and straight to your children! 

I am excited for the new year and the new experiences I will build with your students!
Enjoy the rest of your summer,

Abby Lynn Hoselton 

P.S. On August 8th, 2015, I became Mrs. Hoselton when I married my wonderful husband, Paul! :)