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.

Autumn Medley Body Percussion/Movement Play-Along Video

This week’s play-along video is one that focuses on movements and rhythms so that you can choose how to use them in your classroom. In the States, Autumn begins this week. I chose a medley of songs that include the months of September and October, and the seasonal weather that is associated with fall in certain parts of the world. This video does not mention Halloween or pumpkins, but more in the lines of leaves and the weather becoming colder.

The songs are:

Added to the blog this year are the digital manipulatives and ideas on how to perform this with students.

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#techtiptuesday Turn a YouTube Video into a Slide Presentation using Brick

Brisk Teaching is an AI tool designed to help educators save 10-20+ hours weekly by creating instructional materials and providing feedback. It integrates with platforms like Google Docs and Slides, allowing teachers to generate quizzes, lesson plans, and presentations tailored to diverse learners. Brisk is free and easily added as a Chrome Extension.

One feature allows users to turn YouTube videos into slide presentations, generating content about artists and music styles. Teachers can customize presentations by selecting templates, grade levels, and personalization options once they provide feedback.

Key features include:

  • Creating lessons based on videos

  • Starting presentations that accompany videos

  • Providing additional context about songs or topics

Brisk offers a convenient option for those using Google Slides in music classes.

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2 New Tips in Canva for Elementary Music Teachers!

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.

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#techtiptuesday Have You Checked Out Futurepedia?

Futurepedia is a well-known online platform that focuses on AI tools, technology trends, and futuristic innovations. It acts as an extensive AI tool directory, providing in-depth descriptions, user feedback, and the most recent developments in AI and related areas. Through the platform, users can browse a variety of tools grouped by their functionalities like image creation, text processing, data analysis, and others. It is especially beneficial for individuals aiming to remain up-to-date with advanced technology and to find new tools that can boost productivity, creativity, and innovation.

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We Will Rock You Play-Along for Pitched and Unpitched Instruments

The Summer Olympics evoked deep emotions as I cheered on athletes. Inspired by the event, I enhanced a music lesson on Queen's "We Will Rock You" to cater to both advanced and novice students. The lesson includes teaching tools like manipulatives, melodic phrases, and dance breaks. Options for presenting the content include video, score, pitched, and unpitched instruments. Remember that you can use my YouTube channel or if the video is too busy, my Soundslice channel to turn off some of the busyness.

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#techtiptuesday 5 Ways to use Canva's AI Tools in Your Classroom

It's challenging to avoid the topic of AI in education these days, given its significant presence. Regardless of your personal stance on AI, it has become an integral part of our students' lives, including elementary students who likely interact with it in various ways. We've also incorporated AI into our own practices, such as using a track splitter to remove vocals or a website to edit photo backgrounds.

Considering the availability of Canva for Education as a free tool for K-12 educators, here are five AI Tools (or Magic Tools) found in Canva that educators can utilize to save time or enhance writing and other tasks.

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