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.

Nutcracker Medley Body Percussion Play-Along

December 17, 2023  /  Amy M. Burns

Recently, I unveiled a Nutcracker Rhythm Play-Along extravaganza with quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, dotted half notes, quarter rests, and sweet accents in a variety of meters. But wait, there's more! This week, I'm back with a body percussion play-along to shake things up. Get ready to groove!

Featured Pieces from the Nutacracker

Body Percussion and Movements

This play-along includes the following body percussion and movements:

  • Eighth notes = Tapping lap or knees

  • Quarter note = Clapping or marching in place

  • Half note = Tap lap and slide or step and slide

  • Dotted half note = Clap on beat one and place your hands in the air on beats two and three

  • Quarter rest = Shhh

  • Accent = Jump with two feet

Find me in CASMEC, TMEA/TI:ME, and NJMEA!

Meet me at CASMEC, TMEA/TI:ME, or NJMEA this year! I'll be presenting about MusicFirst Elementary, as well as leading other sessions centered around early childhood music, music technology, and more. Can't wait to see you there!

Exciting Holiday Play-Along Videos and End-of-Year Top Ten Countdown!

Have you had the chance to watch our holiday play-along videos? In the past few weeks, we've released a ukulele play-along to Silent Night, a rhythm play-along to a Nutcracker Medley, and a rhythm play-along to Puppy for Hanukkah. Keep an eye out for more videos throughout December, including our highly anticipated End-of-the-Year Top Ten Countdown. From December 23rd to January 1st, we'll be releasing daily videos to ring in the New Year with a bang. Don't miss out – we'll see you there!

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