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.

Interviewed by Steve Adubato on Caucus: NJ

Amy Burns, Music Teacher, Far Hills Country Day School and Chair, Early Childhood Music Education, NJ Music Education Association, shares the benefits of exposing children to music even before birth to enhance their learning ability.

Steve Adubato speaks with Amy Burns, Lauren Meehan and Matt Ross, who are all passionate about the importance of music and the arts in a child’s life, staring as early as birth.

Podcast Interviews

Music Ed Amplified with Missy Strong: Virtual Performance? Help! | S02E02 - Missy sends out another tech SOS to Amy Burns who, as always, steps up in a big way to help Missy think through attempting a virtual performance with elementary students.

Music Tech Teacher (MTT119): Using Technology With Elementary Approaches with Amy Burns - In this episode of the Music Tech Teacher Podcast, I chat to Amy Burns – an elementary music teacher from New Jersey who also happens to be a well-known music tech expert.

MusicFirst: Profiles in Teaching with Technology - Episode Eight - Amy Burns by MusicFirst interviewed by Dr. Jim Frankel.

MTT18: Collaboration, Assessment and Digital Portfolios in Elementary Music – with Amy Burns, interviewed by Katie Wardrobe

SEESAW IN THE ELEMENTARY MUSIC CLASSROOM WITH AMY BURNS: Episode 392 with Amy Burns on the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast by Vicki Davis

Articles

These links bring you to articles that I have written recently about integrating technology into the elementary music classroom.

Five Takeaways from the Free NJMEA Monthly Webinars from NJMEA Tempo, January 2022.

Keeping the Performing Arts Alive in Our Ever-Changing Teaching Environment from NAIS Independent Teacher, Fall 2021

Best of the Elementary Music Technology Discovered During the Pandemic from NJMEA Tempo, October 2021.

The Benefits of Early Childhood Music Across the Curriculum from NJMEA Tempo, March 2021

Six Technology Tips Every Elementary Music Educator Should Know When Teaching in an Ever-Changing Environment from NJMEA Tempo, January 2021

Elementary Music Activities for Various Teaching Scenarios from NJMEA Tempo, October 2020

10 Websites and Uses for the Elementary Music Classroom: #10-6 from NJMEA Tempo, April 2020

Elementary and Early Childhood Sessions at NJMEA from NJMEA Tempo, January 2020

NJMEA Member Spotlight: Maedean Kramer from NJMEA Tempo, January 2020

The Benefits of Early Childhood Music Across the Curriculum from NAIS Independent Teacher, Fall 2019

NJMEA Early Childhood Music And Advocacy Highlighted On Caucus NJ With Steve Adubado from NJMEA Tempo, October 2019

five books to enhance the elementary music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 40 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, March, 2019. 

creating musical ebooks in the elementary general music classroom with book creator

Click on the link and go to page 48 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, January, 2019. 

Learning Empathy Through the Arts in the Elementary Grades found in NAIS Independent Teacher, fall 2018

Students will seek understanding of their world through empathy if we give them a context they can relate to, like art and music, through which they have the freedom to explore all their questions. https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-teacher/fall-2018/learning-empathy-through-the-arts-in-the-elementary-grades/

five ways to use seesaw in the early childhood and elementary general music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 40 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, October, 2018. 

part Two: Five Chromebook Apps/Websites for the elementary general music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 38 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, May, 2018. 

part one: Five Chromebook Apps/Websites for the elementary general music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 38 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, March, 2018. 

Top items i have learned when preparing for an elementary general music concert

Click on the link and go to page 38 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, January, 2018. 

Project-Based Learning Across the Curriculum found in NAIS Independent Teacher, fall 2017

Project-Based Learning across the curriculum is an excellent way for students to have a meaningful learning experience. When students relate content they are studying in their classroom to content they are studying in music, art, or other extended classes, they are joyful. https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-teacher/fall-2017/project-based-learning-across-the-curriculum/

Quick Tech Tips for The Elementary music educator

Click on the link and go to page 37 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, October, 2017. 

Recap of NJMEA Webinars from the 2016-2017 school year

Click on the link and go to page 36 to read about the webinars for elementary music educators. NJMEA Tempo, May, 2017. 

The Intriguing Music Educator with the Technological Know-How

This article written by Ron Berger was published in the Huffington Post. It is a really nice article he wrote about my work.

using technology to assist with assessment in the elementary music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 36 to read about assessment in the elementary music classroom. NJMEA Tempo, March, 2017. 

STEAM: Connecting music across the curriculum

Click on this link to read the article about STEAM in the elementary music and science classrooms. Southwestern Musician, January, 2017.

Great day with denise gagne!

Click on the link above go to page 48 to read about the one-day workshop with Denise Gagne. NJMEA Tempo, January, 2017.

STEAM

This article was published by NAIS Independent Teacher in the Fall of 2016.

adding technology to enhance global communications and creativity in the elementary music classroom

Click on the link and go to page 34 to read about implementing global communications in the elementary music classroom. NJMEA Tempo, October, 2017. 

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