Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: B-O-P, You and Me!
(2 Circle Movement Game)
Elementary (4)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about engaging with partners in a double circle formation. It goes with a 2025 track by The Midnight Groove called “Bop” because of its tempo and straight ahead jazz feel.
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
Working with others is part of music making—and everyday life. Like anything, students need opportunities to build vocabulary and skill as they learn and grow in a given area. When working with others, students need to learn social currency such as making connections, sharing, team building, leading (and following), taking turns, reaching consensus, and supporting others.
We all know that music class is the perfect place to reinforce social emotional learning (SEL) because it’s such a natural part of the instruction we offer. But we also know that we need to be strategic to ensure this happens. Here are a few examples of how music can foster the 5 pillars of SEL:
1. Self Awareness = RECOGNIZING
Self awareness requires students to recognize their own emotions and thoughts. In music class, being self aware may take the form of a student feeling sad that they didn’t get to play the maracas (their favorite instrument) or feeling over-the-moon happy when they do! It may also be a student thinking something negative about the manner in which a classmate is playing an instrument (but keeping their unkind comments to themself) which leads to...
2. Self Management = HANDLING
Self management is about recognizing personal emotions, impulses, or actions—and managing them. In music class, using the maracas example, this is where the student recognizes their sadness or happiness and manages the response they offer. There is no outburst or cheer; rather feeling the feelings and being part of it all.
3. Social Awareness = SEEING
Social awareness is about empathy and seeing different perspectives. In music class, this may take the form of a student respecting the musical choices a classmate made during a game—even though that would not have been their musical choice. It may also be students recognizing that the soloist played the pattern incorrectly and feeling for them.
4. Responsible Decision Making = DOING
Responsible decision making is constructive, ethical, and representative. In music class, responsible decision making may be knowing when to give another student the opportunity to play, lead, or create, for example. Additionally, it may be deciding how to play the instrument, which original movement to offer that “fits” the game, or balancing listening with talking to give others voice and choice.
5. Relationship Skills = CONNECTING
Relationship skills are where students form and sustain connections with others. It requires listening, responding, supporting, and caring, for example—all things that naturally occur when making music with other people. Here, in music, it is also about ensembles working together, and performing!
Today’s teaching strategy “B-O-P, You and Me!” includes an original chant and body percussion to perform with as many partners as possible (lol). It’s intended to have students recognize, handle, see, do, and connect. 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 movement game—in 2 circles! It goes with music titled “Bop” by a group called The Midnight Groove.
Invite half of the students to form 1 circle and turn around so their back is to the center of the circle. Then invite the rest of the students to go stand facing someone in the circle—find a partner!
ProTIP: There are many ways to form 2 circles, and some take LOTS of time, but can be fun (lol) (e.g., student “captains” call “players” to join their circle; everyone counts off 1s and 2s with odds = 1 circle/evens the other; teacher calls clothing colors and students join if wearing the color). The key here is that everyone has a partner within the 2 circles. Use what works best in your classroom (and be sure to join the game if the circles are uneven).
Teach the “B-O-P, You and Me!” chant and movements (without the track). Video provided to make it easy!
Play the recording of “Bop” and direct students to speak and move.
ProTIP: Begin movements at 0.15 following a brief introduction. Offer a “Rea-dy, here we go!” prompt to count students in starting at around 0.11.
ProTIP: Isolate and practice hovering hands R over L as the starting place to prepare students for engaging with partners.