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.
Join in the fun with this exciting play-along for the song, "Puppy for Hanukkah" written by Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes. Gather your instruments, including C, E, F, and G boomwhackers, tambourines, rhythm sticks, and maracas and shakers, and get ready to play!
Read MoreYou know that moment when you discover something so simple yet life-changing? That was me today, learning that…
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One of my favorite holiday pieces is “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1995). It is a combination of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” played in the beginning of the song by a solo cello, and then in a round with a flute and guitar. The next part picks up the tempo and is the melody of “Carol of the Bells” or “Shchedryk”, the Ukrainian New Year’s song by Mykola Leontovych, written in 1916. I recently arranged this piece for my school’s Philharmonic, which consists of students in grades 4-8 who play strings, brass, woodwinds, and piano. They had a wonderful time learning to play and perform the song, and it inspired me to create this play-along video. For this video, I edited the song and slowed down the tempo so that it could be successfully performed by elementary and middle school students.
Like my resources? Please consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech.
Read MoreThis #TechTipTuesday is all about three nifty tricks to embed YouTube videos, ensuring those pesky ads and awkward comments stay out of your elementary music classroom! While these methods aren’t foolproof (because, let’s be real, technology has a mind of its own), I totally recommend giving them a whirl in your teaching setup before unleashing them on your students. Additionally, ask your IT for any extra tips to keep your YouTube videos flowing smoothly in class!
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The musical Wicked, which debuted 21 years ago and continues to run at the Gershwin Theater, is now celebrated with the release of its film adaptation, Wicked Part 1. To mark this occasion, a rhythm play-along medley featuring three songs from the musical is introduced, performed on piano.
The medley includes Stephen Schwartz’s:
"Defying Gravity" performed by Master Keyz
"Popular" performed by Sheet Music Boss
"One Short Day" performed by Brennan Wieland
Rhythms for the play-along include:
Quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted rhythms, half notes, syncopation, dynamics, and accents.
Free manipulatives are available on the Buy Me a Coffee channel to assist with practice. Helpful tips for teaching include using manipulatives, adjusting video tempo, and splitting the class into groups for larger classes. Most importantly, the emphasis is on having fun while engaging with the music.
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As I near the third Tuesday of November, I continue my "#techtiptuesday - Technology I’m grateful for this month." This week, I want to highlight AI writing tools. While it may not resonate with everyone, this technology has been immensely helpful as I navigate the challenging Scholastic article in the fourth-grade magazine, where two students debate whether music should be taught in schools.
Read MoreThis is the body percussion play-along that accompanied the original rhythm play-along video with the fall and thankful theme. There is a mashup of the snippets from the following songs: We Are Family by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, Performed by Sister Sledge; Vince Guaraldi Trio - Thanksgiving Theme; Home by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden, Performed by Phillip Phillips; Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant; and Count on Me by Bruno Mars. The body percussion concepts performed coordinate with triple and duple meters, quarter rest, quarter, eighth, half, and whole notes.
Read MoreAs we embrace the spirit of gratitude this November, it’s a perfect time for me to reflect on the tools that enhance my elementary music classes. One music technology tool that I have adored using with my students is the creative tool, Music Explorer, found in MusicFirst Elementary.
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Logos found on each of the branch’s websites.
Veterans Day, on November 11, honors those who served in the U.S. Armed Services. This day allows the nation to express gratitude for their sacrifices. Each military branch has its unique song, and an amazing recording of all six songs was found on YouTube without attribution. If anyone knows the performers, please share.
The play-along includes body percussion for younger elementary students, with actions like tapping knees and clapping. Older students can use non-pitched instruments for reading and performing the notated rhythm patterns. Teaching tips include discussing Veterans Day, practicing rhythm patterns, and using a "wheel of names" for demonstrations. The manipulatives are available for free on my Buy Me a Coffee Channel. Enjoy the play-along video for Veterans Day!
Read MoreTwo years ago, I created a rhythm play-along and later added a body percussion activity. Due to the varying meters, rhythms, and tempos, I suggest trying it personally before using it in class. This rhythm play-along emphasizes gratitude with a fall theme, incorporating snippets from songs about thankfulness and appreciation.
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🎃 Bring Spooky Scary Skeletons to Your Classroom! 🎃
Perfect for upper elementary and middle school Halloween fun:
Catchy EDM Remix: Students love the fast tempo, pulsing beat, and energetic synths.
Play-Along to Level Up By Changing the Tempo: Practice tempo, dotted half notes, and strong beats with slide manipulatives.
Interactive Lessons: Explore remixing, production techniques, and social media’s impact on music.
Soundslice or YouTube: Currently, this video is found on both of my channels. In the Soundslice version, you can manipulate the appearance and playback more.
👻 Grab the manipulatives on my Buy Me a Coffee Channel for a spooky music class hit! 🎶
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Well, it's that time of year in the States. Personally, I loved Katie's picture of the few pumpkins and the purple packages of tangerines being sold in her area where here, if you turn around, you are presented with a pumpkin patch, hayrides, and pumpkin spice everything...not that I mind. I do love my pumpkin spice.
If you need some Halloween/Fall Play-Along Videos, especially if you are teaching on Halloween, please feel free to use these. If you like my resources, please consider buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech.
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This is the seventh installment of my summer project of creating play-along videos of songs and concepts found in the Kodály and Orff Schulwerk approaches. This week, I feature Pass the Pumpkin Round and Round play-along video and steady beat movement activities (Boomwhackers, Percussion, Xylophones, and Game) video.
To break down the video so you can use it as a whole or teach it in parts:
00:19 Melody
01:28 Bass Line
01:59 Percussion
02:29 Steady Beat Game/Activity
03:28 All of the parts together
Read MoreYuStudio is one of the seven creative tools a part of MusicFirst Elementary. It is a digital audio workstation (DAW) that is web-based and can score notation and movies! One of its newest updates is the video timeline. YuStudio can now show the video in the timeline to make it more intuitive to add a sound effect at a certain moment or change the music when the scene changes in the movie. Check this out today!
Free 30-day Free trial: https://www.musicfirst.com/software/musicfirst-elementary
Read MoreThis was one of my first rhythm play-along videos that I created a couple of years ago featuring five songs and various rhythm values and meters. If you can use Halloween-themed songs, this is a good one to reinforce performing rhythm patterns for assessment, retrieval practice, and more.
Read MoreI’m sure you’ve heard me talk about it by now, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. I wanted to jump in today and let you know that the Middle School Music Summit™ kicks off on Saturday!
This totally free event features 13 amazing speakers who are ready to teach you the skills and strategies to have your best school year yet. Who doesn’t want that? Join us tomorrow!
Read MoreIn the past, I researched Canva's AI tools and had it rewrite the song, Five Little Pumpkins, and turn it into a whimsical tale. It was amusing, to say the least. I had fun using Canva to illustrate and record that tale. Most of this video was produced in Canva, with the recording of the song done in Soundtrap, and the final edits to put the three videos together in Final Cut Pro.
Read MoreNeed a free Middle School music online PD? Look no further!
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Though this is not one of my popular rhythm play-along videos, I have to say that it is one of my favorite ones. This is a Halloween-inspired rhythm play-along video with all live, instrumental selections. Taking five familiar live instrumental selections played often around Halloween time, this is a medley rhythm play-along intended for older elementary and middle school music classes. This is one of many play-along videos for the fall. Click like and subscribe, check out other play-along videos, and if you like my resources, please consider donating me a cup of coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech
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Get ready to rock with this boomwhacker play-along for older elementary students, featuring the fun tune "I Want Candy" by Berns, Feldman, Goldstein, and Gottehrer, performed by Kidz Bop. This is a perfect jam to bring out during the Halloween season, as it's all about sweet treats and no mention of spooky stuff.
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