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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These Play-Alongs Have a Twist… April Fool’s Day Music Activities 🎶👀

March 31, 2026  /  Amy M. Burns

Have a blast on April Fool's Day with these play-along videos:

https://youtube.com/shorts/IHA_7qI4H88

  • ⚠️ Warning: This Play-Along May Be Broken 👀 - In this lesson, students begin by following a steady beat to The Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson, then experience a series of unexpected “glitches” that challenge their focus and musical understanding. Just when they think they’ve figured it out… the system breaks completely and shifts into a totally different, golden musical style! And...some of the conductor's beats are purposely off!

🎵 Abracadabra! Or... Is It? 🎩✨: Your students will think they’re diving into a rhythm play-along featuring Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” — but wait! Just when the beat is flowing and the rhythms are rocking, POOF! 🎶 They’ve been Rickrolled! 🎤🙃 That’s right! Suddenly, Rick Astley’s classic “Never Gonna Give You Up” takes over, turning this into the ultimate musical prank! But don’t worry — it’s all in good fun and totally classroom-safe.

Swick's Classroom: Why I'll Never Do This Song! Load this video, and the students are automatically Rickrolled! A favorite!

I have a feeling Swick's Classroom will come out with a new April Fool's Day Video this year, so keep an eye on his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SwicksClassroom/featured

Happy Foolin'!

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