Amy M. Burns

Elementary Music Technology and Integration

Amy M. Burns has taught PreK-grade 4 general music for over 25 years at Far Hills Country Day School (FH) (https://www.fhcds.org/). She also teaches grade 5 instrumental class, directs the FH Modern Band, is the Performing Arts Department Manager, and teaches privately in the after-school conservatory, having served as director for over 20 years. She has authored four books and numerous articles on integrating technology into the elementary music classroom. She has presented many sessions on the topic, including four keynote addresses in TX, IN, St. Maarten, and AU. She is the recipient of the 2005 Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) Teacher of the Year, the 2016 New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA) Master Music Teacher, the 2016 Governor’s Leader in Arts Education, the 2017 NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year, and the 2026 NJMEA Distinguished Service Awards. Her most recent publication, Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches (2020), is available from Oxford University Press (OUP) and Amazon. Burns is also the Community Coordinator for Midnight Music (MMC) at https://midnightmusic.com/, the General Music Chair for NJMEA Board of Directors, and the Elementary Music Consultant for MusicFirst (https://www.musicfirst.com/), a company built by music educators for music educators, dedicated to helping music teachers and their students make the most of technology in the classroom.

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Dr. Musik's New Tool: Rhythm Writer

January 26, 2023  /  Amy M. Burns

Dr. Musik does it again! Another great, free tool called Rhythm Writer! Tap on a post-it note so the red highlight appears. Then, tap on the box above to place that rhythm in the pattern. Press play and the program will play the rhythm pattern. Since it looks like it currently only writes in common rhythm patterns, here are some ideas on how this can be used in a classroom:

  • Project onto a screen and have students create rhythm patterns that the class performs. Once they perform it, press play to check their performance.

  • Place it at a center where the students create rhythm patterns that they record themselves performing with a screen recording program.

  • Assess students by having them create rhythm patterns and then perform them for each other while you observe and assess.

  • Decode rhythm patterns using rhythm writer. You dictate and they decode.

  • Have the students write the patterns on paper first and then transfer them to rhythm writer. Since it is in common time, it will not allow more than four beats in the pattern. The students can then see if they wrote a pattern that was accurate.

I love that it plays back what you create. This is a great way for students to self-check their performance. 

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