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!

Learn how to teach a play-along video with #techtiptuesday!

Learn how to teach a play-along video with #Techtip Tuesday!

Love play-along videos? But not sure how to teach them.

Put the video in full-screen mode and take screenshots of each pattern:

  • Mac: Shift+Command+3

  • Chromebook: Control+Show Windows

  • PC: Print Screen (PrtSc)

Place the screenshots in your manipulatives like a slide show or print them out for the students to use, read, practice, and perform.

Powerpoint manipulatives available at https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras

Or go to a buymeacoffee or TPT to find some pre-made manipulatives!

Here are some of mine: https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras

Or place the patterns found in the play-along video into http://www.wheelofnames.com and have the students perform them before utilizing the video!

Try it out today!

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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.