To Catch a Spark

When music lessons really jell for Marilyn Hostetler's students, there's an unmistakable energy that literally sizzles in the air. "Whether you're in the classroom, or even working with adults at a conference or workshop, when real learning happens, it becomes addictive," she says. It was that addiction that first propelled Hostetler down the path of music education. But she soon learned that the key to success in the music classroom, as with so much in life, is flexibility. That succinct yet sage advice has helped Hostetler soar through nearly 30 years of teaching music, 22 of them in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where she currently teaches general music in grades K-8 at Lawn Avenue and Melrose Avenue Schools. Getting to kids right away, particularly kids in the early grades, can be a challenge. In connection with this, Hostetler has found that all work and no play does, indeed make for a dull lesson. Her antidote? Games-based learning. Creating learning-based games became a specialty, and Hostetler honed her own skills developing game-based lessons that allow not only for kids to learn better but also for the teacher to better evaluate the students' skill level.