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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5 Favorite October Fingerplays and Counting Songs for Elementary Music

October 28, 2026  /  Amy M. Burns

Two More Halloween Songs That Sneak Counting, Rhythm, and Movement into Music Class

Looking for a little Halloween fun that still builds musical skills? These two songs give young elementary students opportunities to sing, count, move, and explore rhythm—with simple extensions you can use right away!

#2 Pumpkins, Spanish Counting, and Musical Movement with SingALingo

I adore this tune! Students can sing and count to ten in Spanish while keeping track on their fingers. Once they know the song, try these musical extensions:

  • Play with tempo. Sing it again at a different speed. Can students keep together as the tempo changes?

  • Show the melodic direction. Have students lift scarves as the melody moves higher and lower them toward the floor as it moves lower.

  • Bring out the parachute. Work together to follow the melody’s ups and downs.

A quick teacher tip: I use the video to learn the song, but I usually teach it without showing the video in class. The jack-o’-lanterns’ faces become very sad as the pumpkins are gradually replaced with pumpkin pie ingredients. I prefer to keep our focus on the singing and movement!

#1 “This Old Ghost”: Sing, Rhyme, and Decode the Rhythm

A friendly ghost, a familiar tune, and a musical guessing game? Yes, please!

Sung to the tune of “This Old Man,” this song brings together singing, counting, rhyming, and rhythm work. When teaching it, leave out the rhyming word and let students figure out what comes next. For example: “He played peek-a-boo in a …” Can they guess shoe?

Then, turn “boo boo boo” and “clap clap snap” into a rhythm challenge. Have students echo the words, clap their rhythms, and decode what they hear. If snapping is still tricky, substitute three claps so everyone can join in.

This old ghost, he played one,
He played peek-a-boo on the run.
With a boo boo boo and a clap clap snap,
This old ghost is a friendly chap!

Continue with these counting and rhyming pairs:

  • Two: in a shoe

  • Three: behind a tree

  • Four: on the door

  • Five: learning to drive

Happy Halloween—or Happy End of October! May your music room be filled with singing, movement, and friendly little “boos”!

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