One Week Until: “From Day One to Music Making”

July 28, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

Can you believe we're just one week away?

If you're like me, your summer has flown by, and you're probably beginning to think about those all-important first days of music class. Those first lessons set the tone for the entire year, and sometimes all we need is a few fresh ideas to make them engaging, musical, and stress-free.

That's exactly what we'll be sharing during our upcoming FREE MusicFirst Elementary webinar, From Day One to Music Making: 4 Ready-to-Teach First-Week Activities with MusicFirst Elementary.

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Bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup Excitement to Your Music Classroom with This Boomwhacker, Dr

July 26, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

If your students love soccer (or Football / Fútbol / Futebol / Fußball:, depending on where you live!), this play-along is a fun way to combine music-making, rhythm reading, melodic performance, and ensemble skills into one engaging activity. Inspired by the music of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Halftime Show, this resource gives your students the opportunity to perform together using Boomwhackers, classroom drums, and even ukuleles.

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Start the School Year with Fresh Ideas for Your Elementary Music Classroom

July 24, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

🎶 Elementary Music Teachers! 🎶

Looking for fresh ideas to kick off the school year?

Join me and Melanie Alexander for a FREE MusicFirst Elementary webinar where we'll share 4 ready-to-teach first-week activities that get students moving, playing, creating, and composing from Day One!

✨ You'll leave with:
🎵 A movement activity
🥁 An instrument activity
🎼 A creativity activity
✍️ A composition activity
🎒 A free survival kit

🎉 Bonus! Attend LIVE and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a 6-month MusicFirst Elementary subscription!

Start your school year with engaging lessons that your students will love—and save yourself valuable planning time.

👉 Register now!

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What Are We Learning in Music? Classroom Printouts That Make Student Learning Visible

July 21, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

Have you ever had a student ask, "What are we doing today?" or a parent wonder, "What do students actually learn in music class?"

I know I have!

One of the easiest ways I've found to answer those questions is by displaying learning goals right in my classroom. When students walk through the door, they immediately see what they'll be learning throughout the year. It also gives administrators, classroom teachers, and visitors a quick snapshot of the skills and concepts we focus on in elementary music.

That's exactly why I created these What We Learn... classroom printout sets.

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Get Your Students Moving with a Supa Good Body Percussion Play-Along

July 19, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

If you're heading back to school soon, I hope you enjoyed last week's series featuring five Hello Songs for Preschool and Kindergarten. My goal was to give you several options for beginning your music class routine—whether you're welcoming students on the first day of school or re-establishing routines after a holiday break.

This week, I'm building on the "Supa Good" from Dog Man rhythm play-along by adding something new—a body percussion play-along!

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5 Hello Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten: #5 "Say Hello"

July 17, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

Stephanie Leavell's "Say Hello" is a wonderful combination of singing, greeting, and movement. My students light up every time we use this song! It's an engaging way to welcome everyone to music class while getting children moving and singing from the very beginning.

I especially love using this song because it:

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5 Hello Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten: #4 "Hello Hello How Do You Do?"

July 16, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

This traditional hello song is one I used for years to get my youngest students moving while we sang. It's a wonderful way to combine singing, listening, and gross motor movement at the very beginning of class.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a current recording of this song online, but if you have access to Music and You, you may still have it in your collection. Even without the original recording, it's easy to sing with your students.

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5 Hello Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten: #3 "Hello There"

July 15, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

This classic call-and-response hello song has been welcoming young musicians for generations. If you've used Music and You or Spotlight on Music, there's a good chance you've sung this one before!

The simple melody and echoing phrases make it easy for Preschool and Kindergarten students to learn, while giving them plenty of opportunities to sing with confidence.

I especially like using this song:

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5 Hello Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten: #2 "Hello Everybody"

July 14, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

This is one of my all-time favorite hello songs because every child gets a chance to be included by name. It's a simple way to help students feel seen and welcomed from the very beginning of music class.

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5 Hello Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten: #1 "Hello Hello"

July 13, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

What an incredible week at the Elementary Music Summit! It was such a joy to present, learn from other amazing music educators, and connect with teachers from around the world. Whether you're a first-year teacher, starting at a new school, teaching a new grade level, or you're a veteran educator, there was truly something for everyone.

One of my sessions, "10 Canva Tips Every Teacher Should Know," was so much fun to share! If you weren't able to attend, didn't have the All-Access Pass, or missed downloading the slides before they expired, I've created a free Canva Session Takeaway handout for you. You can download it here:

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/e/555189

One of my favorite parts of the summit was chatting with so many of you during the live sessions and reading the comments you left on my Buy Me a Coffee channel. Several of you asked for more ideas specifically for Preschool and Kindergarten, especially for the beginning of the school year.

I'm listening!

Over the next five posts, I'll be sharing five of my favorite Hello Songs that are perfect for the first week of school. Each song is simple, engaging, and helps young learners build classroom routines while making music from the moment they walk through the door.

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July 10, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

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In Honor of Bonnie Tyler: Solar Eclipse Rhythm Play-Along

July 10, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

In the States, the buzz around the solar eclipse has hit the school scene big time! At my school, the eclipse is set to show up just as classes end. So, all students are getting their hands on some super stylish eclipse glasses. Teachers from all sorts of subjects are weaving eclipse excitement into their lessons this week. As for music class, the grapevine has been buzzing with stellar ideas from music education forums. I'm jumping into the mix with a Solar Eclipse Rhythm Play-Along to the classic tune, "Total Eclipse of the Heart," by the legendary duo Jim Steinman and Bonnie Tyler. If you're up for a musical adventure in your classroom and are allowed to play this song, here's a rhythm-packed play-along to jam out to during the eclipse! Like my resources? Please consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech

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Canva Session Takeaway: 10 Ideas to Level Up Your Elementary Music Classroom

July 08, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

Thank you for joining me for my Elementary Music Summit session, Ready to Level Up Your Music Classroom? 10 Powerful Canva Tips Every Teacher Should Know! I know we covered a lot of ideas in a short amount of time, so I've created this Canva Session Takeaway to help you revisit the highlights whenever you're ready. Inside, you'll find ten practical Canva ideas, quick tips, and classroom applications to help you save time and create engaging learning experiences for your elementary music students.

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

July 07, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

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.

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Don't Miss Today's and Tomorrow's Elementary Music Summit Sessions!

July 07, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

If you haven't joined the Elementary Music Summit yet, there's still time!

I am so excited about today's lineup because it is absolutely packed with incredible ideas from some amazing elementary music educators. Whether you're looking for fresh lesson ideas, technology tips, movement activities, classroom management strategies, or new ways to engage your students, there is something for everyone.

The best part? It's completely free!

Even if you can't attend the sessions live, every presentation will be available to watch for 24 hours, so you can fit the learning into your own schedule.

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The Elementary Music Summit® kicks off on Monday! Don't miss out!

July 05, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

If you've been following me for a while, you've probably heard me mention the Elementary Music Summit® a time or two! 😊 The wait is almost over because it all begins this Monday, July 6!

If you haven't grabbed your free ticket yet, now is the perfect time!

The Elementary Music Summit is one of my favorite professional development events of the year because it's created specifically for elementary music teachers. You'll learn practical ideas that you can take back to your classroom, discover new teaching strategies, and hopefully leave feeling inspired and excited for the school year ahead.

This year's summit features 30+ incredible presenters, and I am so excited to be presenting two sessions!

🎨 Ready to Level Up Your Music Classroom? 10 Powerful Canva Tips Every Teacher Should Know. - 11:30 EDT Tuesday, July 7
🎵 What Could MusicFirst Elementary Look Like in Your Classroom?– where I'll share the latest updates and features that can help make planning and teaching even easier. 4:00 EDT Wednesday, July 8.

Each session is presented live and then available to watch for 24 hours. If you know summer gets busy (and whose doesn't?), you can also grab the All-Access Pass for lifetime access to every session, plus some wonderful bonus resources.

I truly hope you'll join us! Whether this is your first Elementary Music Summit or you've attended before, I know you'll walk away with new ideas, fresh inspiration, and plenty of resources to use with your students.

🎵 Grab your free ticket here, and I'll see you at the Summit!

https://amy-burns--thatmusicteacher.thrivecart.com/all-access-pass-jul26-fa/

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Did You Know Canva Can Translate Your Classroom Resources?

June 30, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

If you create worksheets, bulletin boards, newsletters, or classroom resources in Canva, here's a feature that can save you a tremendous amount of time—the Translate tool.

Instead of recreating an activity from scratch in another language, Canva can translate your entire design in just a few clicks.

Watch the video here, or read through the post.

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Bring We Are Dancing in the Forest to Life with a Multi-Instrument Play-Along

June 28, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

One of my favorite parts of summer is creating new resources that elementary music teachers can immediately take back to their classrooms. This post is an update from my summer series a few years back of play-along videos featuring songs and musical concepts commonly found in the Kodály and Orff Schulwerk approaches.

This week's featured resource is:

🌳 We Are Dancing in the Forest Play-Along

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categories / #elmusedtech, Assessment, Boomwhackers, Google Slides, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 1, Grade 2, Kindergarten, Play-Along Videos, Recorder, Seesaw
tags / #elmused, #elementarymusicteacher, #free, #edtech, #elementarymusicteacherlife

Are You Using This Canva Hack in Your Music Classroom Yet?

June 23, 2026 / Amy M. Burns

As elementary music teachers, we're always looking for ways to save time while creating engaging resources for our students. Canva has become one of my favorite tools because it allows me to quickly design worksheets, bulletin board materials, games, and assessments without needing advanced graphic design skills.

Recently, I stumbled upon a Canva feature that can make resource creation even faster: Canva's built-in worksheet templates.

Here is the video or read on. Don't forget to join me at the Elementary Music Summit on Tuesday, July 7, to learn about more Canva hacks for music teachers!

Don't forget to join me at the Elementary Music Summit on Tuesday, July 7, to learn about more Canva hacks for music teachers!

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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.

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