Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Right Outside My Door
(Chant with Instrument Play)
Lower Elementary (PK-1)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about dramatic play (pretending) as a prompt to play the steady beat. It goes with Charles H. Butler’s track called “Biscuit’s Bounce” from 2000 because it’s fun and whimsical… like the idea of seeing a dinosaur!
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
Childhood is a time of discovery—and wonder. Have you ever seen a child’s face “light up” when they see or do something special for the first time? It’s magical, right?
As we age and grow we sometimes forget those special moments because “life gets in the way” and we’re busy (lol). Being an elementary music teacher kinda changes that… Elementary music teachers are paid to be professional educators who guide and shape the musical and artistic development of students, sure! But we are also paid to be playful and silly, funny, and be big kids (lol) as role models playing instruments, singing songs, the whole thing. We GET to do this for and with children—as we provide opportunities for them to discover the wonders and joy of music making. This is all part of the gig. So cool.
When I think about music education for young students I’m reminded of these things:
Kids are only kids for a brief time so we need to let them have a ball in music class as they sing, play, move, etc.;
Pretending and dramatic play are powerful pedagogical tools that engage students to meet our learning targets;
Creativity and imagination ignite in elementary music class (maybe unlike any other class the students experienced during their school day); and
Music education is serious work—but we don’t always need to be serious in the elementary music classroom.
Today’s teaching strategy “Right Outside My Door” includes opportunities for students to name animals, play instruments, and pretend. 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 chant and play the steady beat with rhythm sticks as we pretend we see animals when we open the backdoor! Raise your hand if you can name an animal. (Solicit responses)
ProTIP: Another approach is to show pictures of animals and have students name them.
Listen to my chant and tell me what animal is lounging outside my door (lizard)—and what I hope to see next time (dinosaur). Video provided to make it easy!
Chant “Right Outside My Door” and ask students for their answers.
Distribute rhythm sticks (2 per student) and lead the chant with playing.
ProTIP: This is informal learning where the task/expectation is modeled and students are encouraged to join in rather than formal learning by rote.
Now let’s add music! Play the recording of “Biscuit’s Bounce” and lead students to chant and play.
ProTIP: Begin chanting at 0.5 of the track following a very brief introduction (lol) or start at 0.17 to get a feel for the music ahead of chanting and playing.
ProTIP: The learning target here is the steady beat—not students reciting the words of the chant. When they are able to add the chant, that’s a bonus!
Let’s pretend we see other animals outside our door! Listen and be ready to tell me what other animals are out there. Chant verses 2-4 and lead students to play their instrument with the track. Solicit answers to identify: pony, kitty, and bunny.
Video
Materials/Set Up
Room for students to be seated on the floor in a circle formation
Rhythm Sticks
Egg Shakers*
🎵 Charles H. Butler "Biscuit’s Bounce” Link to Track on Spotify
Right Outside My Door (Chant)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
Open the door what will we see? Open the door what could it be?
Lounging lizard in the sun he’s
right outside my door [What?]
Maybe next time when I look
I’ll see a dinosaur! [Nah!]
verse 2: Pretty pony in the sun she’s right outside my door [What?]
verse 3: Orange kitty in the sun he’s right outside my door [What?]
verse 4: Hopping bunny in the sun she’s right outside my door [What?]