Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: 1, 2, 3…Please
(Movement Exploration)
Lower Elementary (PreK-1)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about moving (and then freezing — lol). It goes with “Bring Down the Birds — Outtake” by Herbie Hancock from 1967 because it has a groovy sound that young children will love and is the perfect tempo for moving.
Note: The EXTEND the Learning part of this strategy changes the track and includes the 2025 “Appreciation Song” by Funky Times because of its upbeat feel and title (lol).
This 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
Manners are social rules with corresponding actions. They are about etiquette —i.e., established customs for polite and respectful behaviors. Additionally, these things apply to a variety of settings (social/professional) and occur within context.
According to AI (lol), there are 5 Essential Rules for Etiquette: 1.) Punctuality; 2.) Practicing Politeness with “Please” and “Thank You”; 3.) Attentive Listening without Interrupting; 4.) Respecting Personal Space; and 5.) Being Mindful of Your Phone when in Public. We all know there are many other social rules and actions, but let’s stay with this list.
1. Punctuality
When I think about punctuality in relation to music teaching and learning, I see it as students arriving to the music room on time AND the music teacher beginning and ending the class period in the allotted framework. We need to be prepared to start class as soon as students arrive, effectively fill the instructional time, and offer closure before saying good-bye and sending students back to their classroom.
2. Practicing Politeness
Please and thank you (should) happen throughout every music class, right? Please take your instrument out, please find a partner… Thank you for that amazing singing—this class sounds great! Thank you for playing the instruments with musicality and respect…
3. Attentive Listening without Interrupting
In my view, teaching and learning is all about attentive listening and not interrupting students when they are sharing words and/or musical expressions AND not being interrupted when we are. These rules of how we communicate and exchange ideas set us up for success (not chaos).
4. Respecting Personal Space
The music room is filled with opportunities to sing, play, and move within personal space. This is the space where a student can be, stretch out arms in front and to the sides, and not touch anyone or anything. The music room also supports partner work, small groups, and whole class engagement where we all need to respect personal space in a greater context. Here it’s important to note that students can be challenged to maintain respectful personal space when performing dances and/or engaging in locomotor movement exploration. When the circle dance moves sideways we need to stop and adjust (lol).
5. Manage Phones/Devices in Public
And finally, phones and other devices need to be managed. We may use our phones to access streaming audio during a music class and should always have that music downloaded and ready-to-go. However, in my view, our phones should not be ringing or buzzing during music class interrupting precious instructional time.
Here’s a question: If you could secretly look into your classroom would you see students engaging with those 5 Essential Rules for Etiquette? Just a thought.
Today’s teaching strategy “1, 2, 3…Please” includes an opportunity for students to listen, move, and freeze. It also informally reinforces politeness (a definite bonus!). 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 play a movement game. Listen to my words and watch me to know what to do!
Speak the “1, 2, 3…Please” chant and lead students to tap knees, give a squeeze, sway like trees, and freeze. Video provided to make it easy!
Play the recording of “Bring Down the Birds” by Herbie Hancock and perform the chant with the track.
ProTIP: Begin chanting at 0.6 following a brief introduction.
ProTIP: Watch to see how the music inspires students (and us) to move in a different way than when speaking only (without the music). It’s amazing to see what happens when the music is added!
Our chant included the words “please” and “thank you”. When do we use these words? (When we are being polite and showing our best manners; when we want or need something; when someone helps us or gives us something)
ProTIP: Leading this discussion—when our students are developmentally ready—provides a space to reinforce manners and talk about kind words.
ProTIP: Offer examples of music class “please” and “thank you” moments (e.g.,. May I please play the drum?; Thank you for letting me play the drum).
Materials/Set Up
Space for Movement
🎵 Herbie Hancock "Bring Down the Birds — Outtake” Link to Track on Spotify
🎵 Funky Times “Appreciation Song” Link to Track on Spotify
Video
1, 2, 3…Please
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
Please and thank you
Thank you, please
1, 2, 3, let’s
Tap your knees
Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap
Please and thank you
Thank you, please
1, 2, 3, let’s
Give a squeeze
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze
Please and thank you
Thank you, please
1, 2, 3, let’s
Sway like trees
Sway, sway, sway, sway, sway, sway, sway, sway
Please and thank you
Thank you, please
1, 2, 3 let’s
Pose and freeze!
ProTIP: Hold pose for 8 beats to match the other response lengths.
EXTEND the Learning:
Perform “1, 2, 3…Please” with the recording of “Appreciation Song” by Funky Times.
Ask students to “Buzz like bees!” as an additional verse.
Learning Targets
Listen, Move
Learning Outcomes
Respond with movement following a verbal prompt
Create original interpretations
Perform steady beat with body percussion and movement
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!