Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Call Me
(Call-and-Response)
Elementary (3-5)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about being a musical leader and calling the rhythm. It goes with 2 tracks: “Pistachio” by the Piranhans to include a track I previously used in a DHMR teaching strategy in a whole new way AND “Donkey Walk” by Lou Donaldson to illustrate how a single teaching strategy can effectively support different musical styles.
These tracks are 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
Leadership happens in SO many ways. Sometimes we lead formally—where we are identified as “the leader” and others look to us to show and guide the way… kinda like teaching (lol). At other times we lead informally—where we inspire people to think in a new way or try something they saw us do without us knowing when that will happen (also kinda like teaching (lol)).
In music, student leaders emerge all the time. Often leaders present organically and authentically, but we probably shouldn’t rely on that…
We formally empower students to lead by designing learning experiences that position them to do so. This is strategic pedagogical design where learning experiences are structured for students to make decisions, express preferences, demonstrate their developing skills and knowledge, and communicate (musically, verbally, and non-verbally).
Further, these learning experiences position students for success (i.e., we ask students to do what they can do). By asking individual students to lead AND ensuring that they feel success as they complete the task, we are helping them build confidence (as musicians AND leaders). Additionally, by engaging students in this way, they are motivated to show what they know and can do because of how we are asking. Make sense?
So how do we design these types of learning experiences? One way is to create roles for students to “formally” become the leader. Here are a few examples:
Roles
Arranger: Student leader arranges the melodic or rhythmic patterns for everyone to perform;
Band Leader: Student leader selects musicians for their band and leads the music they play;
Choreographer: Student leader creates movements for everyone to perform; and
Director: Student leader determines who plays and when (e.g., conducting a point-and-play).
Another way is to create learning experiences/activities that require leaders (and then you decide if the leader gets a title):
Activities
Call-and-Response: Student leader plays the call—everyone plays the response;
Follow-the-Leader: Student leader performs an XYZ for everyone to perform (e.g., rhythmic or melodic pattern, movement);
Music Conversation: Student leader creates a 4-beat body percussion pattern for their partner to respond to in the style of a conversation. The leader selects the body percussion for both to use; and
Music Relay Game: Student leader creates a rhythmic pattern for everyone on their team to play or clap (one-by-one) going down the line until it reaches the end. After creating/playing the pattern the leader moves to the back of the line so the next leader emerges and the game continues.
Today’s teaching strategy “Call Me” includes instrument play and the opportunity for every student in the class to be a leader. 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.
Distribute classroom percussion instruments to students—so every student has one (they do not need to match).
ProTIP: This is a perfect opportunity to have students choose the instrument they want to play! Note: As teachers we are often concerned about time, but should remember that it can be super exciting for students to explore options and select an instrument. It’s also informative to us to see what they pick!
Today we are going to create rhythmic patterns AND answer instrumental calls. What is an instrumental call? (A musical phrase played by one person—a leader)
We will perform a call-and-response, which means one person will play a call on the big drum and we will all respond to it as a group by playing the same rhythmic pattern.
This is our response. Teach Response #1 by rote.
ProTIP: There is a synco-pa rhythm at the end of each of the “Call Me” responses. The idea is to teach this pattern by rote to informally introduce it to students before having them read it (sound before symbol). Change this rhythm if synco-pa is not part of the rhythms your students are currently learning.
When we perform the call-and-response one person will create and play an 8 beat rhythmic pattern on the big drum and everyone will play the response. Let’s practice creating rhythmic patterns to get ready.
Play the recording of “Pistachio” by Piranhans and invite students to practice playing rhythmic patterns with the track.
ProTIP: Practice is an essential component of music making. Observe students during practice time to see how they approach creating rhythmic patterns, how they hold and play instruments, which rhythms they include, etc.
ProTIP: Encourage students to “whisper count to 8” as they create and play rhythmic patterns to maintain the 8-beat exchange.
ProTIP: Guide students to be ready to immediately jump back in to create and play another 8-beat pattern right after everyone plays the response.
Select the first student leader to go to the big drum and create and play an 8-beat call for everyone to respond to with “Response #1”. Play the recording and begin the call-and-response.
Repeat with new students leading the call until every student has had a turn.
ProTIP: Depending on time, and on the other learning targets you are addressing, you may want to divide students into 2 groups and have half of them lead the call today—and the other half lead the call in a future music class.
ProTIP: Since this is a summative assessment opportunity, make notes about each student’s call OR use an abbreviated system like putting a check mark beside the student’s name as they successfully create and perform an 8-beat call.
Materials/Set Up
1 Big Drum
Variety of unpitched percussion instruments
Call Me, 1, 2, 3
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
🎵 Piranhans “Pistachio” Link to Track on Spotify
🎵 Lou Donaldson “Donkey Walk” Link to Track on Spotify