Getting Started with Flat for Education

Welcome! This page walks you through everything you need to go from a new account to a live assignment in your classroom and helps you discover what Flat for Education can do beyond that first step.

Most teachers are up and running in under 15 minutes.

Step 1: Set up your account

Your account is either created directly or through an invitation from your school admin.

Joining via invite? Click the link in your email, set your password (or sign in with Google/Microsoft SSO if your school uses it), and you're in. If your link has expired, contact your admin or reach out to our support team.

Creating a new account? Go to flat.io/edu, sign up with your school email, and follow the setup prompts.

Step 2: Create your first class

Classes are your digital classrooms. They're where you organize students, send assignments, and track progress. You need at least one class before you can assign work to students.

Click New Class from your dashboard, give it a name (e.g., "Period 2 Band" or "Choir Fall 2025"), and you're ready to add students.

→ Create your first class

💡 For teachers using Flat for Education without students, you do not need to create classes. You can print or showcase material offline. However, as soon as you need to share scores or assignments with your students, you will need to add them to Flat for Education.

Step 3: Add your students

You have three ways to get students into your class:

• Invite link: Share a link and students join themselves. Quickest option for most classrooms.
• Email invite: Add students one by one or paste a list of email addresses.
• LMS sync: Using Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology? Import your existing roster automatically — no manual entry needed.

→ Add students to your class · Connect your LMS

💡 LTI integrations (Canvas, Schoology) are only available on school plans. → Talk to our team

Step 4: Create and assign work

This is where teachers often pause: do I need to build a score before I can create an assignment?

The answer is no. Here's the simple way to think about it:

A score is your sheet music, a blank page, a template, or something you've written. An assignment is how you send that content to students, with a due date and instructions.

You don't need to write a score first. The Resource Library contains ready-made assignments — composition tasks, performance exercises, theory worksheets — that you can send to your class in just a few clicks. Flat for Education automatically creates an individual copy for each student. They never edit your original.

Three ways to get started:

→ Create your first assignment · Browse the Resource Library

Step 5: Get comfortable with the editor

The Flat for Education notation editor is where music gets written, edited, and heard. It's designed to be intuitive from the first note.

The basics you'll use every day:

• Note entry: Select a note value from the toolbar, click a measure, and type the note name (A–G). Press N to enter note input mode faster.
• Playback: Hit the play button at any time to hear your score with realistic instrument sounds. Adjust tempo, loop sections, or mute individual parts.
• Student permissions: You can lock parts of a score so students can only edit specific sections — useful for part-writing exercises or guided composition.
• Music Snippets: Embed short notation examples directly inside your assignment instructions, so students see the musical context without opening a separate score. → Learn about Music Snippets

→ Editor basics walkthrough · Notes and rhythms · Articulations and dynamics

Step 6: Track and assess student work

Once your assignment is live, you have a real-time view of your entire class.

• See who has started, who is in progress, and who has submitted
• Open any student's score before they've submitted to check in early
• Listen to notation playback or watch performance recordings
• Leave written or audio feedback directly on their score
• Grade and return work, all from the same screen

→ Review and grade assignments · Provide feedback to students

What do you want to do?

Already past the basics? Jump to what you need.

Resources to share with your students

Paste these links into your LMS or class announcement on Day 1.

→ Student: Getting started with Flat for Education → Student: How to work on an assignment

What's included in your plan

Flat for Education is available on three plans. All paid plans include the full notation editor, all assignment types, the Sight Reading Generator, Tuner, Metronome, Tone Generator, and Ear Training Worksheets.

Need 3 or more teachers, or looking to connect Canvas or Schoology? → Talk to our team

Still need help?

→ Search the Help Center → Contact support → Request a demo or onboarding call