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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Thank you for joining me today! Youtube and Canva Tip!

Want Your Canva Video to Start at the Perfect Spot? Try This Simple Trick!

During my Elementary Music Summit session, I shared a lot of Canva tips and tricks (thank you to everyone who joined me!). One question kept popping up in the chat, so I wanted to share a quick bonus tip that can make a big difference when you're creating presentations or lessons in Canva.

The Problem

If you've ever embedded a YouTube video into Canva, you've probably noticed something frustrating.

Unlike Google Slides, Canva doesn't let you choose where a YouTube video begins or ends. That means if you only want students to watch a specific section of a video, you often have to fast-forward during class.

Fortunately, there's an easy workaround!

Here's the Trick

Instead of copying the regular YouTube link, copy the URL at the exact time you want the video to begin.

Here's how:

  1. Open your YouTube video.

  2. Pause the video at the exact spot where you want it to start.

  3. Right-click (or Control-click on a Mac) on the video.

  4. Select Copy video URL at current time.

  5. Go back to your Canva presentation.

  6. Paste the link into your Canva design, and Canva will automatically embed the video.

When you present your slideshow and click the video, it will begin playing at the exact point you selected!

Why This Is Helpful for Music Teachers

This little trick is perfect for elementary music lessons because it allows you to:

  • Skip long introductions.

  • Jump directly to a listening example.

  • Start a rhythm or movement activity exactly where you need it.

  • Save valuable class time.

  • Keep your students engaged without unnecessary waiting.

Whether you're sharing a rhythm play-along, movement activity, performance example, or listening lesson, starting the video at just the right moment helps your lesson flow much more smoothly.

Give It a Try!

Sometimes it's the smallest tech tips that end up saving the most instructional time. I hope this one makes creating your Canva lessons just a little bit easier.

If you missed my Elementary Music Summit session, don't worry! There are plenty more Canva tips and classroom technology ideas coming your way, so stay tuned!

JoIf you're looking for more practical ideas, technology tips, and ready-to-use activities for elementary music, be sure to grab your free ticket to the Online Elementary Music Summit. You'll learn from dozens of elementary music educators and walk away with ideas you can use immediately in your classroom.

Tomorrow's session is at 4 pm EDT and it is about how to use MusicFirst Elementary in your music classroom when you return!

🎟️ Grab your free ticket here:
https://amy-burns--thatmusicteacher.thrivecart.com/all-access-pass-jul26-fa/in Me!

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