As we come to the end of another school year, our mission at MakeMusic Cloud remains the same: to provide music educators with comprehensive tools that transform the way students learn and engage with music. We know that your time is your most valuable resource, and your students’ progression is your highest priority.

This year has been one of our most ambitious yet. We’ve listened to your feedback, analyzed your workflows, and released a suite of features designed to streamline your instruction time and enhance student practice. Today, let’s take a look at the innovations already transforming classrooms and a “sneak peek” at what is just around the corner.

The Year of Innovation: New Features Available Now

We’ve focused our recent releases on three pillars: visibility, flexibility, and integration, all with the goal of saving teachers time and creating a robust educational experience for students.

1. See the Big Picture with Full-Score Viewing

Directors can now display the full conductor’s score for user-generated content directly within the platform. This feature isn’t just a convenience; it’s a powerful instructional tool designed to streamline your rehearsals.

2. Flexible Assessment: Audio/Video-Only Assignments

Not every assignment requires our interactive assessment engine. Sometimes, you just need to see a student’s posture or hear a scale without the scrolling notation. With Audio/Video-only assignments, you can now create custom assignments that focus on the “how” of playing, giving you a more holistic view of student progress.

3. Collaboration Made Easy: Co-Teaching

Co-teaching, our most requested feature, has finally arrived in MakeMusic Cloud. This functionality allows multiple teachers to manage the same class, view the same gradebook, and provide feedback. It’s perfect for programs with assistant directors, student teachers, or private instructors.

4. Automate Your Grading Workflow with Google Classroom Grade Passback

We’ve removed the “data double-entry” headache. With Google Grade Passback, your MakeMusic Cloud scores sync directly to your Google Classroom.

5. Insights at a Glance with Advanced Analytics

Advanced Analytics gives you a high-level view of how your entire ensemble is performing, helping you identify which sections need a little extra love before the spring concert.

6. Better Feedback, Less Follow-Up with Practice Assessment Improvements

We’ve refined our core assessment technology to be more responsive and intuitive, ensuring that students get the most detailed and helpful feedback possible during their individual practice sessions.

Coming Soon: The Next Movement

While we are proud of these releases, we aren’t slowing down. We have some major updates currently in development, designed to make the end-of-year rush and next year’s kickoff smoother than ever.

Multiple Choice Assessment

Releasing this May, we are expanding beyond performance-based grading. For the first time, you can create Multiple Choice assignments within MakeMusic Cloud. This is a game-changer for assessing music theory, note recognition, and symbol knowledge. It’s the perfect tool for ensuring students understand the “why” behind the music they play.

A Reimagined Practice App

We’ve heard your request for a cleaner interface loud and clear. Our upcoming Practice App redesign focuses on “usability first.” We’ve removed the clutter to keep students focused in assessment mode, placing the most-used features front and center. To ensure a smooth transition, we won’t be launching this in the middle of your end-of-year testing; we are timing this release carefully so you and your students have the best experience possible.

Gradebook Performance & “Speedy Grading”

We know the gradebook is the heart of your workflow, and we’re making it faster and smarter. Following our recent performance boosts and the improved alphabetical export, we are introducing a new grading flow.

And with Speedy Grading, you’ll be able to navigate between students and assignments without opening a dozen browser tabs. This means:

• Clearer Statuses: No more “Accepted” labels when no submission exists—just clear, honest data.
• Instrument Visibility: Student primary instruments will now display directly in the grading view.
• Mobile-Friendly: Grade directly from your notifications on your phone, giving you back your evenings and weekends.

Thank You for Being Part of Our Community

At MakeMusic, we are inspired by the work you do in the rehearsal hall every day. These updates are a direct result of your feedback. Whether it’s seeing the full score for the first time or grading a theory quiz on your phone next month, we are honored to be a part of your musical journey.

Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, keep spreading the joy and love of making music!