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.
In my recent session TI:ME/TMEA about how to create play-along videos with free tools, I created a play-along video to Aretha Franklin’s Respect, written by Otis Redding. This is a great video to include in a study of Aretha Franklin, or showcasing women musicians, or studying influential songs from the 1960s.
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If you are attending TMEA this year, please join me in 214D today at 10 am and 3 pm! Learn some wonderful ways to enhance your classroom with new ideas and activities that involve technology, moving to music, performing, and more!
Read MoreAlthough Earth Day is not yet here, it is always important to keep the 3Rs in mind. In particular, we refer to the principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Jack Johnson's song of the same name is composed of two basic chords - C and G. The C chord is a great starting point for beginners on the ukulele. This song can be a valuable tool for students to learn G.
Like my resources? Please consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech
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I have used moises.ai (https://studio.moises.ai/) for over a year now, but today was the first time I decided to experiment with the Voice Studio. This plugin transforms the timbre of an original vocal recording to mirror the style of one of their AI voice models.
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🎶 Are you looking for a fun, interactive way to review musical concepts with your students? JeopardyLabs is a fantastic online tool that lets you easily create and customize your own Jeopardy-style games—perfect for reinforcing music theory, instruments, composers, and more! You can build a game from scratch or search for existing templates (like “musical instruments”) and tweak them to fit your classroom needs. Best of all, it’s free to use, with a lifetime membership option for just $20 if you want to save and edit games effortlessly. Watch this video to see how you can bring Jeopardy Labs into your music classroom today! 🎵✨ Resource: https://jeopardylabs.com/
Coming Soon!
🎶 Celebrate John Williams’ 93rd Birthday with a Rhythm Play-Along! 🎉
Looking for a fun and engaging way to bring epic movie music into your music classroom? This rhythm play-along medley features themes from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and more—perfect for reinforcing rhythms, dynamics, and articulation in an interactive way! Plus, grab FREE rhythm manipulatives to help your students succeed. Click below to learn more and get started! 🚀🥁👇
Read MoreBring Movie Magic to Your Music Class with YuStudio’s New Game-Themed Videos
Attention music educators! If you’re looking for innovative ways to captivate your upper elementary students, you’re in for a treat. MusicFirst Elementary, powered by Charanga, has recently added exciting updates to YuStudio, its web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) designed for young musicians. The newest feature? Five computer-themed video games your students can compose soundtracks for, including car racing, basketball, flight simulators, and more.
Imagine your students crafting sound effects for a Hogwarts adventure or adding dramatic melodies to a high-speed car race. These bite-sized videos, ranging from 19 seconds to just over a minute, are perfect for teaching composition, sound alignment, and creative scoring techniques.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide to incorporating these videos into your classroom, complete with tips for aligning sound effects, creating background tracks, and adding melodies. Whether your students are just starting or ready for a challenge, YuStudio makes it simple to bring their musical ideas to life.
Click through to explore how these videos can transform your music lessons into cinematic experiences your students will never forget! 🎶
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Celebrate Lunar New Year in Your Music Classroom with Engaging Play-Alongs!
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and on January 29, we’ll welcome the Year of the Snake—a time to embrace wisdom, intuition, and new beginnings. To bring this festive tradition into your elementary music classroom, I’ve created a variety of play-along resources designed to strengthen musical skills while celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Lunar New Year.
From a steady beat play-along for preschoolers and kindergartners featuring the beloved song Gong Xi to Boomwhacker and xylophone play-alongs at varying tempos, there’s something for every age and skill level. These resources, developed with tools like Flat.io and PlayXylo, will have your students clapping, tapping, and playing along with joy.
Ready to enhance your Lunar New Year celebrations? Click through to explore these interactive musical activities and make this holiday unforgettable for your students! 🎶
Read MoreTransform Your Music Classroom with MusicFirst Elementary's Rhythm Grids!
Looking for a fun, interactive way to engage your students in rhythm practice? MusicFirst Elementary's Rhythm Grids is the ultimate tool to help your students decode rhythms, compose, and build confidence—all while having a blast!
With features like a lockable "Hear" button, customizable meters, fullscreen mode for group activities, and interactive settings, Rhythm Grids is the perfect addition to your music classroom. Plus, it’s a fantastic self-assessment tool, empowering students to take ownership of their learning.
This is just one of the seven creative tools available in MusicFirst Elementary, designed to make teaching music easier and more effective than ever.
🎶 Ready to see it in action? Try it FREE for 30 days! Learn more here.
Read MoreMichael Markowski’s Music Lab is a treasure trove for music educators seeking innovative ways to teach theory and ear training. With engaging tools like chordal slot machines, interval recognition games, and jazz harmony identification, it transforms abstract concepts into fun, hands-on learning experiences. These activities are perfect for supplementing classroom instruction or encouraging students to explore music independently. To discover how this resource can enrich your teaching toolkit, explore the full array of interactive activities at Michael Markowski's Music Lab.
Read More🎶 Inspire Young Voices with the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! 🎶
Looking for an engaging and creative way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in your music classroom? This lesson plan combines history, music, and technology to help students honor Dr. King’s remarkable legacy through songwriting. From interactive resources like Seesaw to singable lyrics, this activity will have your students learning, creating, and connecting in meaningful ways.
Click now to explore this ready-to-use lesson and empower your students to write their own songs inspired by Dr. King’s dream!
Want the lesson? Please visit https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech to get the lesson plan and to read the blog post.
Read MoreLove play-along videos? But not sure how to teach them. Find out more!
Read MoreAs the third Monday of January approaches in the States, schools will close to observe the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929. In music classes, many music educators will use numerous resources to study how Dr. King used nonviolent resistance to achieve equal rights. Here are some that I have used together in my classroom along with a Sing-Along/Play-Along.
Read MoreWant to make learning fun and self-directed? With Google Slides, you can design visually engaging, clickable choice boards in just a few steps! Use screenshots, links, and creative layouts to guide students to videos, games, or lyric sheets. Engage their curiosity and boost independence with this simple, interactive solution.
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#1 Tech Tip for 2025: Play-Along Videos for Day One!
Welcome back to music class! Start 2025 strong with Auld Lang Syne play-along videos tailored to all levels: steady beat for preschool/kindergarten, rhythm for elementary, Boomwhacker play-along for older students, and a notation-based Boomwhacker video for readers. Manipulatives to reinforce learning are available on my Buy Me a Coffee channel. Use YouTube or Soundslice to adjust tempo and key for your class’s needs. Practice rhythms first, then dive into these fun, engaging activities that reconnect students to music. Perfect for any first day back—make it musical, meaningful, and memorable! 🎶
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Attention music educators! Imagine having the power to instantly change the key, tempo, or section of any YouTube or Vimeo video to match your students' needs. Struggling with the wrong pitch or speed in play-along videos? Not anymore! With Transpose ▲▼ Pitch ▹ Speed ▹ Loop, you can tweak it all with just a few clicks—perfect for making learning fun and frustration-free. Whether you're prepping for a concert or helping students master a tricky phrase, this tool is your new secret weapon. Click to learn how to revolutionize your music class!
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Hi! I'm Amy M. Burns, the creative mind behind amymburns.com and the author of "Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches." By day, I bring music to life as an elementary educator at Far Hills Country Day School. During the evenings, I take on the role of Community Coordinator at Midnight Music and also work as an Elementary Music Consultant at MusicFirst.
Prepare for weekly tech insights every Tuesday to enrich your music lessons with MusicFirst Elementary! Immerse yourself in this interactive K-5 program (soon to include Preschool through grade 6) offering engaging printable lessons, diverse global melodies, instrumental music for bands, orchestras, and classroom instruments, as well as tools for creating impressive movie soundtracks! Click the links below to sign up for a 30-day free trial and discover a top-notch curriculum with cutting-edge resources. Let's create beautiful music together!
Last week's #techtiptuesday highlighted the Supplementary's Tab Musical Elements and Theory Animations, focusing on Animated Musical Elements. This week's focus is on Music Theory Basics, where you will find concise animated videos explaining key music theory concepts:
The Staff
Time Signatures
Time Signatures, Bars, and Barlines
Quarter Notes
Quarter Note Rests
Half Notes
Half Note Rests
Whole Notes
As we count down to 2025, let’s dive into a tool that’s a total timesaver for elementary music educators: 123apps.com. Whether you’re editing documents, tweaking videos, or creating engaging materials, this web-based powerhouse is here to simplify your life. The best part? It’s free!
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The new year is just around the corner, and we’re celebrating with a countdown of ten tech-savvy tips for the elementary music classroom! Here’s our fifth pick to make your teaching shine as we roll into 2025: the Wheel of Names.
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