Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Hip, Move, Hooray!
(Street Game with Partners)
Elementary (Gr. 2-3)
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about performing a play party street game with hip moves and a cheer. It goes with “Gonna Fly Now” by Maynard Ferguson (1977) because this music is iconic 70s and is hip (lol)!
Pedagogical Foundations
Limiting the menu is a time saver in teaching (and in life), right?
I love dining and truly enjoy the places with a set menu of courses prepared with care and attention-to-detail; places that offer a small menu of farm-to-table options using seasonal and local ingredients; and that summer place near me that only serves fried fish and french fries (lol)! I also love preparing menus, thinking about ingredients, ways to use them, and putting combinations of foods together. The time spent planning pays off when a delicious meal comes together—and is enjoyed by family and friends. In my view, this is a creative space.
Additionally, menus remind me of a family member who always reads every detail of every item on the menu when we go to a restaurant… and then orders the same fish dish (lol!). Seriously, the exact same fish, prepared the exact same way, down to the “no this, a little of that” instructions to the server. It’s cool that she knows what she likes, but why go through all that to reach the same outcome of baked fish, light on the breadcrumbs, butter not oil, etc.? I wonder if she even knows she does this (lol)?
Alright, why am I talking about menus, and what does this have to do with music education?
As teachers, we set the menu for our students. We literally determine what is planned for them to experience in class, how and when it’s experienced—including the musical ingredients they explore and digest. If our menu is too small, you know the menu where students sing the same song every week for too many weeks in a row (eye roll) OR where they mostly get to play rhythm sticks, for example, students will very likely not plug in with interest and enthusiasm. Frankly, why should they when we’re not giving them enough artistic nourishment? On the other hand, if the menu is gigantic where students have too many options, they will likely become overwhelmed and not know what to choose. What are we supposed to do???? Why are we doing this????
In my view, there are many ways to craft pedagogical menus in music class that structure learning experiences and support student expression (voice and choice). These menus set the tone and set the stage for engaging music teaching and learning. Let me offer 4 examples:
Set Lists: Provide a “set list” of songs to sing or play in a particular grade level or individual class and teach this music so students become familiar with everything on the list (the menu). Then ask individual students to “call” tunes from the list for everyone to perform.
Categories: Select types of classroom percussion instruments for students to identify and play during a class period (e.g., Today we will be playing percussion instruments in our woods category. What instruments fall under this category? (e.g., Rhythm Sticks, Claves, Tick-Tock, Woodblock).
Directive Cards: Draw from a deck of “Body Percussion” cards to identify options of movements to use to perform rhythmic patterns, street games, etc. Invite individual students to draw and/or arrange the movements for everyone to perform.
Playlists: Create a playlist of music played in music class during each month, semester, or school year. Select student leaders—or students who demonstrated outstanding participation and/or musical growth that day—to choose music from the list to play as everyone puts the instruments away, etc.
In each of these examples, teachers are guiding students to make music, build repertoire, label and organize/categorize instruments by family, perform movements, and see the growing number of musical examples they know and have heard. These pedagogical “menus” evolve and change, like the farm-to-table/seasonal idea I mentioned earlier—based on our students’ developmental, social, academic, and artistic needs. We select musical ingredients for each class, unit, and school year, and guide students to use them in creative and meaningful ways—until they can cook as artists (lol!) How cool is that?
Call to Action
Create a “menu” for one music class period where you consider what music and musical concepts will be consumed/experienced by students—and how. Include both content and sequence in your menu, and plan something you can’t wait to teach and share with students. Ask yourself these questions:
What is the “star ingredient” (a musical concept, style, artist, etc.)?
What are the appetizers (warm ups)?
What are the entrees (music to practice and refine)?
What is the dessert (that “oh, so much fun!” music to sing or play) to perform in the middle of a lesson to drive energy and engagement OR to end the class with something so cool our students want more music class time (lol)?
What are the leftovers (skill and knowledge to revisit in subsequent classes)?
Today’s teaching strategy includes the opportunity for students to perform movements with a partner and cheer! It also includes space for students to create original street games using a set menu of movement options. I hope you give it a try with your students. But first, let me remind you who I am:
Hi! I’m Darla, an experienced PK-12 music educator, college professor, and former Berklee College of Music Dean looking to connect with teachers, parents/caregivers, and others seeking to advance creative music making for today’s students—and their teachers. In Darla Hanley’s Music Room you will find teaching strategies, advice and teaching tips, playlists, and more.
Today we are going to perform a street game called “Hip, Move, Hooray!” — and to play it, we need to form partners. Let’s do that!
ProTIP: Identify a quick way for students to find/form partners to ensure the most time for playing the game during a class period.
ProTIP: Lead students to initially perform the street game movements alone (i.e., before forming partners) if that works better in your teaching setting.
Teach the “Hip, Move, Hooray!” street game chant and moves. (Video provided to make it easy!)
Play the recording of “Gonna Fly Now” by Maynard Ferguson and direct students to perform the street game with the track.
ProTIP: Begin chanting at 0.16 following the introduction.
Invite students to create original street games (comprised of 8 beats with a cheer on the final beat like the “Hip, Move, Hooray!” sequence) using the following body percussion options:
Clap
High-5 (Alternating Single or Double)
Tap 1 Hip
Tap Both Hips
ProTIP: Initially ask student pairs to replace the final “clap, clap, high-5” moves with their choices from the menu rather than create an entire street game.
Divide the class into 2 groups and have one group perform their original street game with the recording while the other group watches—like an audience. Switch roles and repeat.
ProTIP: Look for “standout” street game combinations here and invite individual pairs to teach their original street game for everyone to perform.
ProTIP: This is an excellent opportunity to discuss audience etiquette.
Materials/Set Up
Space for Movement
🎵 Maynard Ferguson "Gonna Fly Now” (1977) Link to Track on Spotify
Video
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
Hip, Move, Hooray! Street Game Moves (Part 1)
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
Hip, Hip, Hooray
Hip, Hip, Hooray
Hip, Hip, Hooray, Let’s Move and Say
Clap
R Hand Taps R Hip
Clap
L Hand Taps L Hip
Clap, Clap
High-5 Partner
EXTEND the Learning:
Teach the “Hip, Move, Hooray!” street game chant and moves Part 2 and invite students to perform them with the track.
Which version did you like best, Part 1 or Part 2? Why?
ProTIP: Asking students to articulate personal preferences is an essential part of growing as a music maker. There is no wrong answer here (lol)!
Identify another upbeat track to use to perform this street game and ask students which music they liked best for the game—and why.
Hip, Move, Hooray! Street Game Moves (Part 2)
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
Hip, Hip, Hooray
Hip, Hip, Hooray
Hip, Hip, Hooray, Let’s Move and Say
Clap
R High-5 to Partner’s R
Clap
L High-5 to Partner’s L
Clap, Clap
2 Hands Tap Hips
Learning Targets
Move
Learning Outcomes
Respond with movement to show beat awareness
Create original street game combinations from options provided
Perform a street game with a partner
Assessment
Informal Observation/Formative Assessment
Thanks for checking this out. If you use this teaching strategy, be sure to leave a comment to let me know how it resonates with your students!