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.

2 New Tips in Canva for Elementary Music Teachers!

August 25, 2024  /  Amy M. Burns

If Canva is your ultimate sidekick for creating classroom wonders like presentations, videos, posters, and more or diving into the magic of AI tools for creating all sorts of cool stuff, then brace yourself for some classroom magic!

Katie Argyle from Midnight Music introduced me to the wonderful TeamRonDi’s Design with Canva YouTube Channel, where they spill the tea on Canva's latest features and sprinkle in tips and tricks to level up your Canva game. From their recent video 8 Exciting Canva Updates, I cherry-picked two gems perfect for jazzing up the elementary music classroom.

Quick Video Debriefing

  1. Timers

    • If you design your classroom presentations in Canva, there's no need to switch programs to include a timer or embed one from YouTube. While that's still an option, you can also utilize Canva's built-in timer. This feature provides choices for timing and music, allowing you to create a mindful moment or a 3-minute dance party for your class.

    • Ways to jazz up your classroom:

      • Start, break, or wrap up classes with a zen moment.

      • Host a dance party for energetic preschool music classes.

      • Cue up fun tunes for smooth transitions between activities.

      • Hit play on the "Clean Up" anthem to get your space ready for the next class rolling in right after!

  2. Prompting Magic Write

    • Previously, Canva's Magic Write tool would automatically modify your text based on the prompts it provided, such as shortening the paragraph or adjusting the tone.

    • Now, you have the option to select the text you want to be revised, access Magic Write, and choose "Custom Prompt." Input a prompt like "summarize the text," "shorten my paragraph," or "write this for an elementary student." Canva will fulfill your request and offer you the revised text to either replace or place below the original. This feature is convenient as it preserves your original text, allowing you to combine the two versions if desired.

    • Ways to spice up your classroom:

      • Tackling those tricky emails.

      • Crafting progress reports.

      • Putting together snazzy newsletters.

Coming Soon!

It’s that time when we jump back in (or already have jumped back into) a new school year or back from a holiday break. Follow me this year and find some useful tech tips and play-along videos for your classroom!

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