How to Create an Assignment

Assignments can be created from interactive titles in MakeMusic Cloud's music catalog after selecting the title in Find Music.  Every assignment you create is saved as a template, which you can either assign right away or assign later.  Your assignment templates are saved on the Home page under Recent Assignment Templates and on your Units page.  Read the steps below to learn how to create assignments.

In order to create assignments, you will first need to create a class.

Jump to: 

• Step 1: find and select the music.
• Step 2: customize assignment name, instructions and parameters.
• Step 3: set the grading rubric.
• Step 4: determine the assignment settings.
• Step 5: assign the newly created assignment template to your students.
• Next: learn how to grade assignments.

Step 1: find and select the music.

To create an assignment from repertoire found in the MakeMusic Cloud catalog, first search for the title you want to assign.  You can choose Music Catalog from the Sidebar, or search on the Home Page under Music Categories.  For more information, see Finding and Opening Music.

Note that only Interactive titles from the catalog, featuring this icon , can be assigned.  On the other hand, Digital Sheet Music titles, featuring this icon , are view-only and cannot be assigned (see this article for details).  Repertoire that is available in both Interactive and Digital formats will display both icons to the left of the title in the search listing.  Choose the Interactive tab in order to assign the title.

Choose the movement you would like and select Assign. 

Step 2: customize assignment name, instructions, and parameters

The Assigner page appears. In the first section of this page, you can customize the name and include general instructions for all instruments.

To customize the length and metronome setting of the assignment, select Preview and customize.  The Preview and customize screen appears with a preview window and all of the parts listed.

You can define the tempo, as well as the starting and ending measures for the assignment.  Additionally, you can provide specific instructions per instrument.  These parameters can all be set for each individual instrument, or you can apply custom specifics to all of the parts by setting them for one instrument, then selecting the Copy parameters from (part name) icon. 

Select Save once you've finished to continue creating the assignment.

Step 3: set the grading rubric

Once you've set the parameters, you can determine the grading rubric for your assignment.

Select Submit Grade Automatically to have MakeMusic Cloud's real-time assessment count as the grade in your Gradebook for the assignment.  You can always change this grade later.

Additionally, you can set the assignment to be ungraded, but take note that this cannot be changed later.

If you wish to create a custom rubric, select that option to open the window where you can set the new rubric's parameters.  Note that you can choose whether you'd like to include the MakeMusic Cloud score as part of your custom rubric.

Select New Criteria to create your custom rubric.  More options appear to customize the name, add a description, and add multiple levels.  For more information on working with grading rubric criteria, see this article.

Step 4: determine the assignment settings

You can enable the Video recording and Measure highlight options by toggling them on in this section.

Set the Cursor movement type by selecting the dropdown menu next to this category.  You can choose from the multiple options presented.

Select Metronome, Accompaniment, and My Part, or any combination of the three as your required assignment settings.  Students can change these settings for practice, but can only submit an assignment with your required settings.

To change how MakeMusic Cloud will assess pitch and rhythm, choose the assessment level.  The tolerance levels correctly assess students in three categories: pitch, onset and duration.  These areas with adjustable settings are measured with pitch in cents, onset in milliseconds, and duration as a percentage.

In the Additional Features section, there are a few more parameters you can determine for your assignment. 

You can turn any assignment into a sight-reading assignment by enabling that option.  You can give the students from 0 to 300 seconds to study the piece before they record a take.  The student's first take will be submitted automatically.  If you are assigning a sight reading outline created in Sight Reading Studio, this mode is enabled by default and cannot be disabled.

Also, you can enable the Rhythm Only option to exclusively assess the student's rhythmic performance.  If this option is selected, the student should either clap or use a percussion instrument.

Once you've determined all of the settings, select Next to finish creating the assignment.  Note that this will not yet send the assignment out to your students, but it does complete the assignment creation.  If you'd like to change any parameters after this step, you'll need to edit the assignment from your Units/Assignment Template page in your account.

Step 5: assign the newly created assignment template to your students.

After selecting Next in the previous section, your assignment template has been created and you're ready to assign it to your students.  You can specify the due date, late assignment parameters, and the class that you'd like to receive the assignment.

Select the Assign button to send out the assignment, or select the arrow next to it in order to display further options to either Schedule the assignment for a later date, or delete the Assignment Template entirely.

Next:

Learn how to grade any assignments your students submit by following the instructions in our Grading article.