Classroom Mode
Turn GuitarTheory into a teaching space: a teacher runs a class, students join with a code, and everyone works through assigned lessons, scales, songs and drills — with progress and feedback in one place. Here’s exactly how it works, so you can decide if it fits how you teach or learn.
What it is
Classroom Mode adds a lightweight, private teaching layer on top of everything GuitarTheory already does. A teacher creates a class and shares a short join code. Students enter that code to join. The teacher then assigns any of the app’s existing content — a lesson to read, a scale to master, a song to learn, a chord progression to analyze, or a Game level to pass — and sees each student’s progress, leaving feedback and a score when they’re done.
Nothing else in the app changes: students still use the Circle, Chord/Scale tools, Song Lab, the Game and the Learning Path exactly as before. Classroom Mode just gives a teacher a way to direct that work and follow along.
Who it’s for
- ›Private teachers & tutors — give each student a weekly assignment and check it was done before the next lesson.
- ›Schools, academies & guitar programs — run a cohort of students through a shared curriculum with visibility into who’s keeping up.
- ›Study groups & clubs — one member sets challenges (a scale a week, a lesson a week) and the group works through them together.
- ›Self-learners — you don’t need it. If you’re learning solo, the Learning Path already sequences everything for you; Classroom Mode is only for group/teacher-led use.
Teachers & students
Roles are per class, not per account. You become a teacher simply by creating a class, and a student by joining one with a code. That means the same account can teach one class and be a student in another — handy for an advanced student who also helps run a beginner group. No special account type or upgrade is required; anyone signed in can create or join a class.
For teachers
Create a class
- ›Go to Classes (in the menu when signed in) and create a class with a name (e.g. “Tuesday Beginners”).
- ›Each class gets a short, shareable join code — give it to your students however you like (in a lesson, by text, on a whiteboard).
Assign work
- ›Open the class and create an assignment: give it a title and instructions, pick what it points to, and optionally a due date.
- ›Assign any existing content — a Knowledge lesson, a scale, a song, a chord progression, a Game level, or a Learning-Path step (see “What you can assign”).
Follow along & give feedback
- ›The class roster shows each student and how many assignments they’ve started, submitted, and had reviewed.
- ›Open an assignment to see every student’s submission, then leave written feedback and an optional score — the student sees it on their side.
- ›Remove a student, rename or archive a class from the class page at any time.
For students
- ›Go to Classes and choose “Join a class,” then enter the code your teacher gave you.
- ›You’ll see your assignments with any instructions and due dates.
- ›Press Start on an assignment to open it — a lesson opens to read, a Game level opens to play, and for a song or progression you get your own copy to work on.
- ›When you’re done, mark it submitted. Your teacher reviews it and you’ll see their feedback and score.
- ›You only ever see your own work — not other students’.
What you can assign
Assignments point at content that already exists in the app, so there’s a huge amount to draw on from day one:
- ›Knowledge lessons — any of the 27 interactive articles (theory, technique, improvisation, rhythm, ear-training…).
- ›Scales — any of the 41 scales to learn in the Scale Visualizer.
- ›Songs — a Song Lab piece to learn or arrange.
- ›Chord progressions — a progression to analyze or play.
- ›Game levels — a GT Game level to pass (great for drilling).
- ›Learning-Path steps — a specific step in the guided curriculum.
- ›Free-form — a plain instruction with no linked content (e.g. “practice bends for 15 minutes”).
How progress & feedback work
Two kinds of assignment
- ›Do-it assignments (songs & progressions): when a student starts one, they get their own copy to work on — they can’t change the teacher’s original, and their copy is theirs to keep.
- ›Complete-it assignments (lessons, scales, Game levels, path steps): there’s nothing to hand in — the student reads/plays/passes the content and marks it done.
Feedback loop
- ›Student starts → does the work → marks it submitted.
- ›Teacher reviews → leaves feedback and an optional score → the student sees it.
- ›The class roster keeps a running tally so a teacher can spot who’s behind at a glance.
Privacy
- ›Classes are private — people join only with the code you share, and class pages aren’t public or search-indexed.
- ›Students see only their own assignments and feedback; they can’t see each other’s work.
- ›A teacher sees their class roster and submissions. Removing a student stops their access to that class.
- ›Everyone needs a free GuitarTheory account to take part.
Getting started
As a teacher
As a student
Good to know (current version)
- ›Students join with a code you share — automatic email invitations are coming later.
- ›This is the first version of Classroom Mode. It covers create-class → join → assign → track → feedback; richer grading rubrics, announcements and class discussion are planned.
- ›It’s an optional layer — if it’s not for you, everything else in GuitarTheory works exactly as before.