Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: The Influencer Dance
(Movement Imitation)
Upper Elementary (4-5)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about creating—and imitating! It goes with a 2025 track by Funky Times called “Gimme that Bass” because it’s fresh and has a repetitive steady pulse (with a recurring “Ta-di” in the foundation of the track).
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
Who’s an influencer in the music classroom? No really?
I ask this question because in my view the answer is pretty straightforward. We all expect the answer to be the teacher is the influencer, right? Well that’s absolutely true… But so are the students!
Even our youngest students can be influenced by their peers (lol). Think about the child playing the rhythm sticks by tapping the floor instead of tapping them together and then ALL of the children try this new way of playing!
When we recognize the power of influence (in education and in life)—we can use it to guide our actions, strategic decision making, and much more. So what does influence look like in music and in music education? Here are a few examples:
Musicians influence other musicians with their distinctive sound, style, artistic choices, etc. They inspire others to respond to music, AND (hopefully) make some of their own.
Think about a musical “sound” created by an artist and then trace all of the sound-a-likes that follow (e.g., Alanis Morissette to Avril Lavigne; Bob Dylan to The War on Drugs).
Artists routinely “borrow” ideas and approaches when influenced by another person making art. This happens in music and in all other art forms.
A friend recently took me to an art gallery where we saw amazing pieces that contained vintage black-and-white photos of people as part of the designs. These images were SO distinctive and compelling… You know I’m going to borrow that idea for something (lol)… Maybe decorations for a party or I’ll find pics and design notecards???
Students in music class influence each other ALL the time:
With their enthusiasm and engagement—especially when it’s grand!
By the way they sing,
By the way they hold and play instruments,
By the way they move and groove to the music,
With original artistic expressions, personal interpretations, and ideas, and
With artistic success—and with any perceived mis-steps.
Finally, it’s good to pause and take a moment to recognize all the influencing that happens in music (school, and in life)—and maybe even reflect on who has influenced (or currently is influencing) us! It’s happening…
Today’s teaching strategy “The Influencer Dance” includes locomotor and non-locomotor movement and lots of opportunity for leaders to influence their peers. 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 called “The Influencer Dance”. It’s a game of follow-the-leader in pairs! The goal is for you to create a movement that your partner needs to copy AND inspires other leaders to incorporate something you did into their movement sequence. Let’s see who the influencers are today!
Direct students to form 2 lines facing each other.
ProTIP: Join a line if the count is uneven to ensure that everyone has a partner.
Identify the “Influencer Line” as the leader, and the “Influenced Line” as the followers.