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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Bring Dog Man Into the Music Room with a "Supa Good" Rhythm Play-Along

June 21, 2026  /  Amy M. Burns

If your students are anything like mine, they are obsessed with Dog Man! When I discovered that Yung Gravy created the song "Supa Good" for the movie, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to bring a current student favorite into the elementary music classroom while reinforcing rhythm-reading skills.

This rhythm play-along combines engaging visuals, a steady beat, "dang" word removed, and repetitive rhythm patterns to help students practice music literacy in a way that feels more like a game than a lesson.

Tip: Please remember that some songs work well in classrooms and some do not. Please always check the lyrics before using a song in your music class.

Why Use a Rhythm Play-Along?

Rhythm play-alongs are a fantastic way to:

  • Strengthen rhythm-reading skills

  • Reinforce steady beat

  • Improve musical timing

  • Increase student engagement

  • Provide opportunities for movement and active participation

  • Connect classroom learning to music students already enjoy

  • Retrieval practice for new rhythms and musical concepts

  • Challenge: The original saxophone riff in James Brown's Got You (I Feel Good!) is notated on the slide as a challenge when it comes up in this remix.

Because the song is upbeat and energetic, students are naturally motivated to participate and stay focused throughout the activity.

Ways to Use This Activity

Whole-Class Practice

Project the video on your screen and have students perform the rhythms together using body percussion, rhythm sticks, hand drums, or classroom percussion instruments.

Rhythm Detective

Pause the video and ask students:

  • What rhythm pattern do you see?

  • How many beats are in the measure?

  • Which rhythm appears most often?

This encourages students to analyze what they are seeing before performing it.

Small-Group Centers

Use the included manipulatives as a center activity. Students can build the rhythms they hear, arrange measures in different orders, or create their own rhythm patterns inspired by the song.

Movement Integration

Invite students to:

  • March the beat

  • Tap the rhythm on their knees

  • Create movement patterns that match the rhythms

  • Perform different locomotor movements for contrasting sections

This is especially helpful for students who learn best through movement.

Composition Extension

After completing the play-along, challenge students to create their own four-beat rhythm pattern using the manipulatives. Students can perform their patterns for classmates or combine several patterns to create a class composition.

Cross-Curricular Connections

Since many students are already familiar with Dog Man, this activity also creates natural connections to literacy. Students can discuss characters from the story, make predictions about the movie, or write short rhythm compositions inspired by their favorite characters.

Bonus: Fun Facts About Yung Gravy and James Brown

Students always enjoy learning about the artists behind the music! Before beginning the activity, share a few kid-friendly facts by downloading the manipulatives.

Grab the Free Resources

The accompanying manipulatives are available for free and can be used as:

  • Rhythm-building activities

  • Small-group centers

  • Assessment tools

  • Composition extensions

  • Interactive whiteboard activities

You can download the manipulatives from my Buy Me a Coffee Extras (https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras) page and start using them with your students right away.

Join Me!

If 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.

Get your free ticket here:
https://amy-burns--thatmusicteacher.thrivecart.com/all-access-pass-jul26-fa/

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