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.

Looking for my YouTube Channel or the manipulatives for my Play-Along Videos? Click the social feed buttons below!

Explore New Possibilities for Your Elementary Classroom - Webinar This Thursday!

🎵 Explore. Create. Make Music!

Discover the Redesigned MusicFirst Elementary

Your elementary music classroom never stands still—and your teaching resources should grow right along with it!

Join Elementary Content Specialist Dr. Mary Birkner for an engaging, guided exploration of the redesigned MusicFirst Elementary. Elementary Music Consultant Amy M. Burns will also be in the chat to answer questions and support participants throughout the webinar.

See new and updated resources in action while discovering practical ways to inspire singing, moving, playing, listening, creating, and assessing across your K–5 curriculum.

✨ You’ll Discover

  • Fresh activities and resources for your elementary music classroom

  • New and updated MusicFirst Elementary features

  • Creative tools that invite students to explore and make music

  • Flexible ways to adapt resources for your students and teaching style

  • Classroom-ready ideas you can begin using right away

Come explore what’s new—and leave with fresh inspiration for your music classroom! 🎶

🗓️ Thursday, September 10

⏰ 7:30 PM EDT

👉Register here! https://streamyard.com/watch/XtyK3EXhPr9y

👏 New Body Percussion Play-Along Coming This Week!

Get ready to pat, clap, snap, and move to the music of Celia Cruz and Tito Puente! 🎶

The fun begins with body percussion—and then transforms into a rhythm play-along. Stay tuned for this energetic new way to get your students moving, reading, and performing!

©2026 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.