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!

Filtering by Tag: #elementarymusicteacher

#techtiptuesday Using Canva's Magic (AI) Tools for Five Little Pumpkins - Song/Embellished Story/Play-Along

October 14, 2025  /  Amy M. Burns

In the past, I researched Canva's AI tools and had it rewrite the song, Five Little Pumpkins, and turn it into a whimsical tale. It was amusing, to say the least. I had fun using Canva to illustrate and record that tale. Most of this video was produced in Canva, with the recording of the song done in Soundtrap, and the final edits to put the three videos together in Final Cut Pro.

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categories / #elmusedtech, Boomwhackers, Elementary, Kindergarten, Play-Along Videos, Preschool, YouTube
tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #edtech, #kindergarten, #playalong, #preschool, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #elementary, #elmused tech

Long-Legged Sailor Play-Along (Boomwhackers, Percussion, and Recorder) and Manipulatives

August 10, 2025  /  Amy M. Burns

This is the fourth installment of my summer project of creating play-along videos of songs and concepts found in the Kodály and Orff Schulwerk approaches. This week, I feature the Long-Legged Sailor Play-Along (Boomwhackers, Percussion, and Recorder) video. Like my resources? Please consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech

Each video (found on my YouTube page) will be accompanied by lesson manipulatives.

Here are the resources and manipulatives:

Blog: http://amymburns.com/elmusedtech/2022/7/16/lls or https://buymeacoffee.com

All of the parts and the video are included in the manipulatives found here at https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras

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categories / #elmusedtech, Assessment, Google Slides, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Play-Along Videos, Recorder, Boomwhackers
tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #free, #edtech, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #elmused tech, #mused

Play-Along Video Inspired by Kodály and Orff Schulwerk Approaches: Doggie, Doggie

June 01, 2025  /  Amy M. Burns

Still teaching? I like to end my year or begin a holiday break with my younger students playing music activities that reinforce musical skills like steady beat, piano and forte, sol-mi-la combinations, movements, and more. Here is an activity using Doggie Doggie. It involves the movement game, singing sol-mi-la combinations, and a simple orffestration/boomwhacker arrangement, all in one video. 

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categories / #elmusedtech, Free!, Google Slides, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Kindergarten, Play-Along Videos, Preschool
tags / #elmused, #free, #edtech, #elementarymusicteacher, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #elmused tech, #mused

"Be Thankful" Body Percussion Play-Along Video

November 17, 2024  /  Amy M. Burns

This is the body percussion play-along that accompanied the original rhythm play-along video with the fall and thankful theme. There is a mashup of the snippets from the following songs: We Are Family by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, Performed by Sister Sledge; Vince Guaraldi Trio - Thanksgiving Theme; Home by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden, Performed by Phillip Phillips; Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant; and Count on Me by Bruno Mars. The body percussion concepts performed coordinate with triple and duple meters, quarter rest, quarter, eighth, half, and whole notes.

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categories / Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Play-Along Videos, Preschool
tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #free, #edtech, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #elmused tech

Higher #elmused Moving Up Song Medley

June 01, 2024  /  Amy M. Burns

This rhythm play-along medley consists of four popular songs for higher elementary moving up days. The rhythm patterns covered are syncopation, quarter, eighth, whole, dotted quarter, and sixteenth notes, as well as quarter rests.

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categories / #elmusedtech, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Play-Along Videos
tags / #elmused, #free, #edtech, #elementarymusicteacher, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #elmused tech, #mused, #elmused #mused

Silent Night Ukulele Play-Along with C, F, G, and Amin Chords

November 22, 2023  /  Amy M. Burns

As the holiday season approaches, some elementary music educators are gearing up for their upcoming concerts or integrating holiday themes into their general music curriculum. If you're able to incorporate the classic song Silent Night by Gruber and Mohr, this ukulele play-along is a great way to do so. With only four chords – C, F, G, and A min – this intuitive play-along is an excellent addition to any music classroom. Continue reading to see how I approach this in my own classroom!

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tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #ukulele, #playalong, #elementarymusicteacherlife, #youtube

New to MusicFirst Elementary? This video will help you with the documentation found inside the curriculum!

November 05, 2023  /  Amy M. Burns

The wise folks at MusicFirst Elementary (MFE) Powered by Charanga have crafted a treasure trove of docs to help you get the most out of their program. If you are new to the program, use this video to assist you with getting started!

  • 0:00-:31 Introduction

  • 0:31-1:05 Getting Started with MusicFirst Elementary (wonderful to read as the introduction to the world of MFE)

  • 1:05-1:20 MusicFirst Elementary Summary (Data about MFE to share with administrators, families, etc.)

  • 1:20-1:41 MusicFirst Elementary National Standards Alignment (Showcases how you are meeting each standard at every grade level)

  • 1:41-2:15 MusicFirst Elementary Curriculum Design (Use the principles outlined in this document to enhance your program)

  • 2:15-2:46 Scope and Sequence (You can use this to check the melodic pitch sets and rhythmic values for each grade level)

  • 2:46-3:05 My Workspace: Setting Up Students and Yumu (see the full video here: https://youtu.be/p3f6_XCuqhc?si=9sL9he4RvB2H4LMO )

  • 3:05-3:40 Musical Spotlights (You can use this to find extensions for lessons, outlines for teaching concert music, and as a springboard for other lessons and unit ideas)

  • 3:40-4:11 Social Themes (Many Essential Questions can be found here)

  • 4:11-4:36 Guided Questions Bank: K-5 (Use these as writing prompts and for writing samples in your older elementary music classes)

  • 4:36-4:53 Documentation found at the top of each grade level

  • 4:53-5:28 Learning Objectives and Content by Musical Element

  • 5:28-5:40 Learning Objectives by Activity (In grades 3, 4, and 5, Music Notepad is added) 5:40-5:46 National Standards Alignment (Checklists)

  • 5:46-6:06 Curriculum Map (Download and give to administrators)

  • 6:06-6:29 Musical Progression Guide (Each song is listed by grade level, pitch set, rhythmic value, activity, and more)

  • 6:29-7:40 Assessments (Checklists, Printables, and more)

  • 7:40-8:18 Creative Tools (A brief overview of the documentation included with the creative tools)

  • 8:18-end Conclusion

What to learn more?

Check out the 16 videos about everything MusicFirst has to offer and a deep dive into the curriculum and creative tools!


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categories / #edtech, #elmusedtech, MusicFirst Elementary, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Elementary, Preschool, Kindergarten
tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #kindergarten, #musicfirstelementary

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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.