Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Take A Happy Walk
(Mood in Music, Beat Awareness)
Elementary (PreK-2)
© 2026 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about taking a happy walk to show beat awareness and mood. It goes with “Happy Go Lucky” by Craig Sharmat (2012) because it will make you smile… and has the perfect title for this teaching strategy (lol)!
Pedagogical Foundations
Mood and emotions are a natural part of music. We all know that, as listeners, music can lift our spirits, soothe us in challenging times, and spark a party vibe. We also know that listeners are catching the mood and emotions the musicians put into the sounds they make. Musicians play sad sounds, happy sounds, and everything in between. How does this happen?
When teaching students about mood and emotions in music we sometimes hear people say major tonality is happy, and minor is sad. Well, that’s one idea… But I think there’s a bit more to it (lol). In my view, developing these concepts in music class requires attention (and fueling) these 3 things:
Association/Recollection
Recognizing Motivation
Mood/Emotional Vocabulary AND Music Vocabulary + Personal Expression
Association/Recollection
Have you ever been asked a question you absolutely could not answer? I mean the kind of question that is based on something 100% unknown to you so forming an answer is impossible. That’s so rough, right?
In music, if we want students to sing and play with emotional expression we need to prepare them—to truly set them up for success. One way is to get them to associate and recall emotions outside of making music so they can transfer that idea—and feeling—to the music. Make sense? We need to guide students to remember their personal experiences and their corresponding feelings. Kinda like this:
I’m always happy when I get to go swimming!
What things make you happy?
I was so sad that day when my ice cream fell off the cone and landed on the ground!
Have you ever felt sad? What happened that made you feel that way?
When I was a little girl my teenage brother made me mad when he took my favorite doll and placed her on the top shelf of the bookcase—WAY beyond my reach (this really happened lol!).
Think back to a time when you were mad at someone. Why?
There are many ways to lead students to recall and associate mood/emotions in the music classroom. We can use decks of cards with directives, dramatic play, guided questions, or storytelling, for example. With each of these, teachers are providing a prompt for students to identify moods/emotions and make personal connections to their own feelings and experiences.
Recognizing Motivation
If you’re anything like me (lol), you can relate to the idea that motivation sometimes drives mood. This is what I mean: The party is super fun to plan, and I’m happy to work on all of the details of invitations, menus, decorations, music, etc. The party is tomorrow and I’m a bit stressed because of the XY and Z still on the “to do” list. Listen to the music and look at everyone dancing…This is the best party ever! The party is over and it was fun, but now I’m sad because the next one won’t be until next month, year, etc. You get the idea.
Here emotion is connected to an event AND its timeline.
The same rings true for our music concerts with students, right? Our students are excited and motivated to practice their repertoire months ahead of the concert; they sometimes feel stressed or anxious right before the show; feel elated by the performance and response from the audience; and then feel let down because it’s all over.
Additionally, we all know that musicians can be their worst self critic (lol). You know, when the performance doesn’t quite go the way it was planned—or the way it sounded (great, that is) just about every time in rehearsal (eye roll)… we get mad at ourselves for the playing. On the plus side, that anger often sparks deeper focus, attention to technique and expression, and overall higher level music making.
Mood/Emotional Vocabulary AND Music Vocabulary + Personal Expression
In order to transfer mood/emotion into music, students need vocabulary. They need to draw on personal experiences, feelings, and associations and explore ways to channel those ideas into musical sounds. Students also need to label what they are doing as they add an emotional element to their music making to be able to repeat it in similar and new ways.
Try framing this way and see what happens:
ProTIP: Use age-appropriate vocabulary with your students. My list below is to illustrate the idea in this case, NOT to necessarily offer exact words to use with PreK-2 (lol).
Happy music is…
Fun
Lively
Peppy
Uptempo
Sad music is…
Languid
Melancholy
Sleepy
Slow
Mad music is…
Aggressive
Edgy
Loud
Strong
It’s important to remember that students create individual interpretations and original sounds as they sing and play with emotion. These musical expressions are personal and need to be encouraged and guided with care.
Call to Action
Select 1 song that is familiar to your students and invite them to sing or play it 3 ways (i.e., Happy, Sad, and Mad). Support them with a piano accompaniment that matches/prompts the mood—and watch what happens!
Today’s teaching strategy includes the opportunity for students to take a happy walk. It gives them permission to be happy and let the upbeat mood of the music carry them around the room. 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 take a happy walk to music called “Happy Go Lucky”!
Guide students to form a line or a large circle (all facing the same direction—looking at the back of the person in front of them).
Play the recording of “Happy Go Lucky” and direct students to begin walking to show the beat and style of this music. (Video provided to make it easy!) Use these types of prompts:
Happy walk, happy walk, let’s all take a happy walk!
Wave hello to everyone as we take a happy walk!
Great big smiles, oh so much fun—a happy walk with everyone!
ProTIP: Model a variety of ways to move and walk to this music that feel “happy” to you. There is no wrong way to feel happy—and perform a happy walk (lol).
Materials/Set Up
Space for Movement
🎵 Craig Sharmat "Happy Go Lucky” (2012) Link to Track on Spotify