Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Rockin’ Dance Arrangements
(Group Arrangements)
Upper Elementary (4-5)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about choosing dance steps, arranging, and creating signature moves—in small groups! It goes with Michael Jackson’s “Rockin’ Robin” from 1972 because it’s Michael (lol) — and it cooks.
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
Respond, Create, and Perform are the overarching drivers within the National Standards for Arts Education in music. These 3 words embody what we do in the music classroom as students:
Respond to the sounds of music, and to repertoire, aural/oral, written, and non-verbal prompts, and to others, for example;
Create music alone and with others, including arrangements, accompaniments, rhythmic/melodic patterns, ostinati, movements with body percussion and dance, etc.; and
Perform using their voices, instruments, found sounds, technology, movement, and more.
In my view, music class often naturally includes opportunities for students to respond and perform—but we often need to be strategic to also include space for them to create something. Creating is making something original and new using things we know OR exploring and experimenting to generate something we’ve never seen or done before. The act of creating can be spontaneous or something that occurs over time where a work is edited and refined.
Like so many things in life (lol) creating in music class requires opportunity, clarity of guidelines and expectations, and time to try and consider options. It also needs to be supported and encouraged with a balance of praise and constructive feedback.
Today’s teaching strategy “Rockin’ Dance Arrangements” includes a menu of dance moves for students to use as the basis of arrangements created in small groups. Additionally, it includes the opportunity for students to create signature moves (in an attempt to stand out from the rest (lol))! 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 create dance arrangements and signature moves with a song called “Rockin’ Robin” by Michael Jackson. Like many artists, Michael Jackson had signature elements to his performances.
What is a signature? (Something unique to you like how you sign your name; something you are known for like always wearing striped shirts or always saying “hey-ya” instead of hello)
Our artist today, Michael Jackson, was known as the King of Pop. He was also known for wearing 1 glove, and dancing the moonwalk.
What could/do artists do to create signatures in their musical performances? (Lead a discussion about musical signatures (e.g., repertoire, style elements, beginning/ending shows the same way), fashion, stage set up, etc.)
In a few minutes we will divide into small groups where you will work with your classmates to create a dance arrangement using 4 moves! Let’s get started to learn the moves.
Teach the “Rockin’ Dance Moves”. Video provided to make it easy!
Divide students into small groups.
Now it’s time for your group to determine the order of the 4 dance moves we just learned to create an arrangement. Work together to decide the order of your moves and practice performing them.
ProTIP: To add even more opportunity for students to be creative, ask them to create a name for their group!
When everyone is finished arranging you will perform your dance arrangements with the music.
ProTIP: This is a perfect opportunity to review the definitions of arrangement and arranger.
Play the recording and give students time to create and practice their arrangements.
ProTIP: Observe groups to make sure all have a completed arrangement before moving to the next step. Guide/assist students, as needed.
Select 1 group to begin and invite all other groups to sit on the floor. When I point to your group please stand and perform your dance arrangement with the music. Keep going until I point to the next group. When the next group is cued you will sit back down so only one group is standing and performing at a time.
Play the recording and invite individual groups to stand and perform until all have done so.
Now it’s time to add a signature move! Like Michael Jackson and his moonwalk, you should create a signature move that represents your group AND stands out from the rest! Be sure to make your signature move “fit” the music and have fun!
Direct students to create an 8-beat signature move to add to the front AND back of their arrangement (i.e., their signature move “bookends” their arrangement).
Play the recording and invite all groups to practice their full arrangements with the track—then invite individual groups to perform, in turn, standing to perform/sitting to watch, as before.
Materials/Set Up
Space for Movement
A Variety of Rhythm Instruments
🎵 Michael Jackson "Rockin’ Robin” Link to Track on Spotify
Rockin’ Dance Moves
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
Clap high to the R, Clap high to the L, Clap low to the R, Clap low to the L
Step-step “Front” with R and L, Step-step “Back” with R and L [repeat]
Shoulders R, L, R, L, R, L, R, L
Step Touch with “Bird” hands (flapping jazz hands with palms facing the floor that match the step-touch)
Video
EXTEND the Learning:
Invite students to select a rhythm instrument to play.
ProTIP: Giving students free choice to determine the instrument to play is powerful!
Teach the “Rockin’ the Moves Rhythms” by rote—having students play this rhythmic pattern on their instrument with the track.