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 instrument class, directs the FH Philharmonic, is the Performing Arts Department Manager, and teaches privately in the after-school conservatory after being the director for over 20 years. She has authored four books and numerous articles on how to integrate tech 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, and the 2017 NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Awards. Her most recent publication, Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches (2020), published by Oxford University Press (OUP) is available from 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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#teachertiptuesday: All About Me Activity: A Great Way to Start the Year!

July 29, 2025  /  Amy M. Burns

It’s hard to believe, but the school year is almost here—though I’m still in denial. BTS isn’t just a K-pop group anymore; it’s now also shorthand for back-to-school sales!

One of my favorite activities with kindergarteners is their "All About Me" book. A month before school starts, families receive a book where they answer questions about the student’s favorite things—favorite food, favorite color, favorite animal, etc. The students draw pictures and write in their answers. In the first month of school, the students share their books with the class while the teacher displays them on a screen. It’s a fun way for teachers to get to know their students, and it also helps the kids feel more at home during the first few days of school.

Music Class “All About Me” Activity

Inspired by the “All About Me” books my girls brought home, I started using a similar idea in my music class. I introduce myself to my students using my own "All About Me" template, and it helps build a connection right from the start.

Using Canva for “All About Me” Posters

In past years, I used Book Creator, but now I lean towards Canva, especially since my students are already familiar with it from their STEAM classes. Canva offers free educator accounts (https://www.canva.com/education/), which give you access to templates like the “All About Me” template I use. Here’s a link to the template I like: Canva All About Me Template (https://www.canva.com/templates/EAE8nC2Wicg/)

How can you use this in your classroom?

  • Printable Version: You can print a blank template and have students draw a picture of themselves and write their answers.

  • Digital Version: If students have access to Canva, end one class by having them prepare their answers and take a picture of themselves. In the next class, they can complete their templates. This can be done in one class period, and if they finish early, you can engage them with a steady beat game like “Pass the Beat Around the Room” or note-naming games.

Tips for Success:

  • Encourage students to give one-word answers to make the task manageable for them.

  • You can simplify the template by using fewer speech bubbles or categories.

  • Use Canva's "Cartoonify" app to turn their picture into a cartoon.

What About Younger Students?

For younger elementary students, try this simpler template: Canva All About Me for Younger Kids (https://www.canva.com/templates/EAFmLdMsdio/). It’s easy to print out and fill in, and you can replace “My favorite subject is:” with “My favorite food is:” to make it more relatable.

What to Do with the Finished Posters?

Here are a few ways to use the completed "All About Me" posters:

  • Bulletin Board Display: If you can print them, hang them up on your bulletin board. You might rotate them every couple of weeks, especially if you teach over 200 students. This is also a great display for Back-to-School Night.

  • Seesaw or Other Platforms: If your school uses a platform like Seesaw (Seesaw -https://seesaw.com/), upload the posters there so parents can see their child’s work. It’s a great way to share a positive, personal touch with parents.

  • Shared Links: If you don’t have a platform for sharing student work, upload the posters to your drive, create shareable links for each student, and email them to parents. This gives parents a chance to see their child’s work and feel more involved.

Final Thoughts

Creating an “All About Me” activity helps you connect with your students and learn about their favorite things—many of which will probably relate to music! This can be a great way to select music they’ll enjoy and relate to, while also introducing them to new musical genres and activities they might not have experienced before.

0:00-1:02 What is an "All About Me" poster?

1:02-2:44 How to create one for yourself and how older elementary students can create one

2:44-3:04 How younger elementary can create one

3:04-3:55 How to share or display them

3:55-end Final Thoughts

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