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 instrument class, directs the FH Philharmonic, is the Performing Arts Department Manager, and teaches privately in the after-school conservatory after being the director for over 20 years. She has authored four books and numerous articles on how to integrate tech 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, and the 2017 NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Awards. Her most recent publication, Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches (2020), published by Oxford University Press (OUP) is available from 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.

Looking for my YouTube Channel, or the manipulatives for my Play-Along Videos, click on the social feed buttons below!

Thankful-Themed Rhythm & Body Percussion Play-Along Activities 🍁🥁

November 16, 2025  /  Amy M. Burns

A couple of years ago, I created a thankful-themed rhythm play-along featuring a mashup of songs that celebrate gratitude and togetherness. Later, I introduced a complementary body percussion play-along. These activities have quickly become seasonal favorites in my classroom — the tempos, meters, and rhythms keep students challenged and engaged!

If you haven’t tried them yet, be sure to give them a run-through yourself before using them with students. The combination of triple and duple meters alongside a variety of rhythmic values can keep everyone on their toes in the best way!

🎶 Music Included in the Rhythm Play-Along

This thankful medley features snippets from:

  • We Are Family — Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers, performed by Sister Sledge

  • Thanksgiving Theme — Vince Guaraldi Trio

  • Home — Drew Pearson & Greg Holden, performed by Phillip Phillips

  • Kind and Generous — Natalie Merchant

  • Count on Me — Bruno Mars

🎵 Rhythmic Concepts Reinforced

  • Triple & duple meters

  • Quarter notes (crotchets) & quarter rests

  • Eighth notes (quavers)

  • Half notes (minims)

  • Whole notes (semibreves)

Teaching Tips & Lesson Flow

I typically extend this activity across multiple classes:

Class 1 – Read & Perform
Students first read and speak the rhythmic patterns featured in the play-along, then use body percussion to perform with the video.

Class 2 – Early Performance Check
Using wheelofnames.com, I randomly select students to perform one pattern while the rest follow along. We use rhythm sticks at this stage.

Class 3 – Individual Assessment & Instruments
Each student reads and performs their pattern to demonstrate comprehension.
Then, we layer non-pitched percussion instruments to create a balanced ensemble (drums, bells, sand blocks, etc.). Students perform along with the play-along as a group.

After a short break, we bring back the body percussion play-along. It’s a perfect energizer or quick closer — and I love asking students if they can figure out which body motions represent each rhythmic value!

⭐ Tip: If students struggle with snapping, have them “flick” their fingers into the air instead!

🍂 New for This Year!

I’ve added a “Color-by-Note” Thankful Edition — a fun reinforcement activity perfect for centers, fast finishers, or the day before a holiday break!

Classroom Resources

All supporting manipulatives for BOTH play-alongs — plus the color-by-note Thankful Edition pages — are now available on my Extras page 🎉

If your students enjoy the activities, I’d love to hear how they used them and see your performances!

Comment

©2025 amymburns.com

Any info, student examples, pictures, graphics, etc, may be used with permission. Please contact me personally before using any info, student examples, pictures, graphics, etc.