Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: March into March (aka March x8)
(Marching-Inspired Dance)
Elementary (3-5)
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about welcoming the month of March with a fun dance that features marching movements in counts of 8. It goes with “Marchin’ the Blues” (Quincy Jones, 1959) because it’s a timeless big band track that inspires everyone to get up and move!
The track is available on multiple streaming audio platforms. (Like many of my teaching strategies, you should feel free to find other audio tracks to anchor the learning experience using music that works in your setting or new tracks to simply “mix it up.”)
Pedagogical Foundations
Teachers need to engage in a play on words every so often to keep things light, witty, clever, and fun!
A play on words, also called wordplay is a literary technique that uses meanings, sounds, and/or spelling to create something entertaining, funny, and/or memorable. For students, wordplay can suddenly change a classroom dynamic—especially when a teacher uses language to present something in a playful or unexpected manner. What did she just say (lol)? OR Cue up the student’s eye roll and “cringe” response (lol)!
There are many approaches to create a play on words like using homonyms. Homonyms are two words that are spelled and/or sound the same but have separate meanings. According to me—and AI (lol)—here are a few common homonym examples:
Address: To speak to / Location
Bat: Flying mammal / Equipment for hitting a ball
Book: Something to read / To make a reservation
Can: A metal container / To be able to
Letter: A character in the alphabet / Written communication
Lie: To tell a falsehood / To recline
March: Month/A manner of walking
Mean: To intend / Not nice
Park: A community green space often with trees and a swing set/ Vehicle location
Spring: A season / Coiled metal
Watch: Timepiece / To observe
Wave: Ocean swell / Hand gesture
Further, here’s a list of music-related homonyms! How cool is that?
Band: A musical group / A ring worn on a finger
Bridge: A section of a song / A structure that connects things spanning a gap
Flat: A musical note lowered by 1/2 step / A level, even surface
Jam: A gathering where musicians spontaneously play music together / Fruit spread / Traffic congestion
Key: A musical scale / A device used to open a lock
Measure: A unit of music time / The act of determining size
Note: A musical sound or icon in music notation / A written message
Record: An album played on a turntable / The highest score or top performance
Rest: Silence in music / A state of relaxation
Rock: A style of music / A solid mineral / To sway
Scale: A series of notes / A device used for weighing
Sharp: A musical note raised by 1/2 step / Having a thin, piercing edge
At this point, it’s important for me to emphasize that homonyms may be challenging for students who are developing a command of vocabulary, learning to spell, and applying rules of grammar—especially true for non-native language learners. In my view, when we insert wordplay in the classroom, we need to observe ALL student responses to be sure they are following. Yes, we need to be clever and engaging, but not so “cute” that students don’t understand (lol).
Okay, so why am I talking about all of this? I think we can use wordplay in music class to write chants, word chains, song lyrics, and more. Students are naturally creative… Why not inspire (and challenge) them to use language as they engage in music class. I’d probably start by giving them a word bank of (music) homonyms to see how they connect them to melodies, harmonies, and rhythm!
Today’s teaching strategy (“March into March”) includes an original march-inspired dance and two chants to accompany that include music wordplay! 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.
Have students standing in 2 or 4 rows of 2 all facing the same direction:
—front—
XX XX
XX XX
XX XX
XX XX
ProTIP: Use your open space to accommodate the number of students in the class (i.e., 2 lines that are able to expand in opposition front/back OR 4 lines that appear more like a marching band formation in a parade—wider and shorter).
Today we are going to start by accompanying 2 chants that include a type of wordplay. Listen to my chant to see if you can tell me anything about the —meaning— of the words in the chant.
Speak the “Gold Record” chant and lead a discussion about musicians playing music together in a band; a gold ring (band); a record played on a stereo; and the achievement of attaining gold record status.
Distribute rhythm instruments and invite students to create an accompaniment for the “Gold Record” chant.
Repeat with the “Measure a Measure” chant (i.e., speak the chant and ask students to unpack the double meanings).
Next we will perform a dance called “March Into March”. Why do you think we are doing this today? (We are at the start of the month of March!)
ProTIP: You can teach this dance any time of the year, but if you choose to teach it at the start of March, point out the wordplay for your students (i.e., March as a month, march as a manner of walking)!
Select 1 line in each pairing and have them raise their hands high and then turn and face the opposite direction.
ProTIP: Having students raise their hand will visually inform you if all students in the line understand that they are about to turn around.
ProTIP: Having the 2 lines in each pairing facing opposite directions prepares students for a “move away from each other/come on back together” element of this dance.
Teach the “March x8” steps without music. Video provided to make it easy!
ProTIP: Repeat steps and directions as needed for students to become familiar with the dance before adding music.
Play the recording of “Marchin’ the Blues” by Quincy Jones and lead students to perform the dance with the track.
Materials/Set Up
Space for Movement
Variety of Classroom Rhythm Instruments
🎵 Quincy Jones "Marchin’ the Blues” (1959) Link to Track on Spotify
Gold Record [Chant]
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
The band played, the band, played, a band of gold
The band played, the band played, so many sold
What is this?
What is that?
A record for the record!
ProTIP: Perform the 4 lines of the chant rhythmically (sing-song-style) and the answer like a punch line to a joke (not in rhythm).
Measure a Measure [Chant]
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
How do you measure a measure?
How do you measure a song?
How do you measure a measure of music that’s 4 beats long?
1, 2, 3, 4!
ProTIP: Perform the 3 lines of the chant rhythmically (sing-song-style) and the answer like a punch line to a joke (not in rhythm).
March x8 [Dance Steps]
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
March Forward 8 Counts and Stop in Place
Mark Time for 8 Counts
Pivot/Pivot = Right Foot Forward to Pivot (1-2-3-4) to the Left 2x to Reverse Direction (5-6-7-8)
Freestyle for 8 Counts
[Repeat]