About The Teacher

Name: Mrs. Abigail L. Houser
Picture

School: Mayo Middle School

Ensembles: 7th/8th Grade Band, 6th Grade Band, 5th Grade Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band

Contact: 217-466-3050 / 517-304-1618 or e-mail: housera@paris95.k12.il.us


About Mrs. Houser

Mrs. Houser is originally from Brighton, Michigan, near Detroit.  She 
attended Western Michigan University for 4 years, where she majored in music 
education.  Mrs. Houser served as the Drum Major of the Bronco Marching Band 
for 3 years, and played clarinet and alto saxophone for many instrumental 
ensembles.  Music has afforded her the opportunity to travel the US, Canada, 
England, and China in recent years.  Mrs. Houser is a previous instructor and 
now a head administrator for Smith-Walbridge Clinics, where she has worked 
with Drum Majors from across the continent since 2002.  She recently 
presented at the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) conference, and 
continues to present at other collegiate and professional venues.  Mrs. 
Houser lives in Arcola and her husband is the Visiting Assistant Director of 
Bands at the University of Illinois.  In her free time, she enjoys skiing, 
sailing,traveling,and playing with her cat, Malcolm.  She loves music, but 
loves teaching kids even more!

Philosophy

The Mayo Band program is dedicated to providing educational opportunities 
for its students in the performing arts. All educational activities will 
take place in an atmosphere which promotes social and artistic development 
of the students through creative and innovative programs, each based upon 
high quality leadership and instruction. In addition, it is my belief 
that "the process is just as important as the product." This places the 
emphasis on the development and growth of each individual student, not on 
specific performances.