Categories: CoffeEdEducatorsK-12 Teachers

THE MUSIC EDUCATOR WITH THE TECHNOLOGICAL KNOW-HOW

Amy Burns wrote and intriguing article called Thinking Outside the Music Box: Using Digital Tools to Teach Music. Immediately one could tell that she was an enthusiastic and energetic teacher, even after 20 years of teaching at Far Hills Country Day School in New Jersey. Amy’s strong drive lies in her steadfast commitment to her learners and a forward-thinking embrace of music technology.

Enhancing Music Education

Burns realizes the importance of music education in the development of children’s brains and the correlation it has to deeper critical thinking. Technology can enhance the teaching process and reveal complex avenues of learning that on the surface do not appear.

One avenue of learning is musical composition. Burns has seen a tremendous increase in musical understanding through collaborative software tools that lead to complex musical creations. Seven-year-olds are developing melody lines that become vastly layered, multi-instrumental professionally sounding songs. A Cloud-based recording studio makes collaboration easy between users and encourages ambitious students to continue classroom assignments at home.

Creating a Happy Learning Environment

In the interview, Burns paints a fascinating picture of her whole learner environment. The classroom is filled with singing, dancing, performing, instrument playing, and complex music composition; every student marching to the beat of their own drum. Technology is Amy Burns’ best friend, colleague, and production department – all wrapped into one. It’s an infectiously happy learning environment steered at the helm by a remarkable educator.

Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.

EdCircuit Staff: Author

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

View all posts
Amy Burns: Author

Amy M. Burns has been teaching general music to grades pre-kindergarten through four, directing the Far Hills Philharmonic for grades four through eight, co-directing the elementary chorus and Broadway Jr enrichment groups, and coordinating The Far Hills Conservatory at Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, NJ, for the past twenty years. A widely known music educator, author, and clinician on how to effectively integrate technology into the elementary music classroom, she credits her colleagues, administration, and the members of the Technology for Music Education (TI:ME) organization and NJMEA for her success in teaching music to elementary students.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Music in both Education and Performance from Ithaca College and a Master of Science in Music Education from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), with her capstone research project focusing on composition with music technology at the second grade level. She also holds TI:ME levels 1 and 2 certifications. In 2005, Amy received the first-ever TI:ME Teacher of the Year Award for her innovative uses of technology in the elementary music classroom. In 2016, Amy received the NJMEA Master Music Teacher Award and the Governor’s Leadership in Arts Education Award.

She is the lead author and editor of a book of technology-enhanced lesson plans titled, Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom, published by Hal Leonard and is currently a contributing author to Online Learning Exchange™ Interactive Music powered by Silver Burdett. She recently began writing a Help Series of ebooks, which the first two resources are titled Help! I am an Elementary Music Teacher with a SMART Board! and Help! I am an Elementary Music Teacher with One ore more iPads!

View all posts

EdCircuit Staff and Amy Burns

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox