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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Embarking on a First Project Using YuStudio and 3 Loops!

August 04, 2024  /  Amy M. Burns

What is YuStudio?

YuStudio in MusicFirst Elementary is an innovative platform specifically designed for elementary music education. It aims to enhance music learning and teaching through a variety of digital tools and resources. Here are the key features of YuStudio in MusicFirst Elementary:

  • Digital Tools: Tools for music composition, recording, and editing to encourage students to create and explore their own music.

  • Assessment and Feedback: Enables teachers to evaluate student performance and provide feedback for a well-rounded learning experience through Yumu. Yumu is MusicFirst Elementary’s password-protected online space where students can learn, play, and develop their musicianship.

  • Web-based: This online digital audio workstation (DAW) can also notate music and score videos.

  • Integration: Seamlessly connects with other MusicFirst products and tools to establish a unified digital music education environment.

YuStudio in MusicFirst Elementary is dedicated to making music education enjoyable and accessible for young learners by using technology to enrich the teaching and learning process.

First Project Using YuStudio and 3 Loops

In this task, students will craft a four-bar loop by employing three instrumental loops: drums, bass, and synth.

To guide them, ask students to log in to Yumu and launch YuStudio. If they are unfamiliar with Yumu, they can watch a helpful YouTube video about it at this link:    • MusicFirst Elementary - My Workspace,...  .

Once logged in, they should title it, adjust the tempo to 96, and set the key to G Pentatonic. Moving forward, they should drag the loop to the end of measure five and press the loop button above it in the playback controls. Next, they can navigate to the Sounds folder, click on Audio, select "By Instrument", choose Drums, then Full, and explore three drum loops to pick one by double-clicking on it. They can learn how to delete the loop and a track and undo these actions.

The process continues with the bass and synth sections. As there are limited synth loops in the key of G, students should double-click a loop to place it in the region, then modify the semi-tones to match the key of G by double-clicking on the loop. Lastly, they can adjust the volume sliders to balance the three instruments for an even sound. For more advanced students, challenge them to enhance the project by using the automation tool to draw volume changes in the track for a crescendo effect.

  • 0:00-0:50 Introduction to YuStudio

  • 0:50-1:24 Title it, set up the tempo, and the key

  • 1:24-2:42 FInd the loops in the sounds folder, find the drums, listen to three, and choose one to add to the screen. Also set up the loop to the end of measure four and explore with deleting loops and tracks.

  • 2:42-3:44 Find a bass loop and add it to the screen. Listen and balance the two loops.

  • 3:44-4:36 Find a synth loop and change the pitch of the loop to match the key of G.

  • 4:36-4:40 How to close out windows on the screen.

  • 4:40-end Use the Automation tool to create a crescendo in the synth part.

Coming Soon!


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