Creating Custom GPTs for Teaching Music
Over the past few years, I have used ChatGPT in many ways - mostly as an editing tool and for generating ideas and emails. I’ve also had lots of fun making all sorts of images. About a year ago, I started experimenting with creating my own custom GPTs after hearing about the ability to do so from a friend. Put simply, Custom GPTs are tailored versions of ChatGPT that can think and respond in exactly the ways you want them to. You get to create them from scratch and train them so that they can create content that is customized for your specific purpose(s). If you’re a music teacher looking for ways to save time, personalize instruction, and make your classroom more dynamic, creating a Custom GPT could be a VERY useful tool. Whether you're running a general music class, directing a band, or teaching AP Music Theory, there are many ways that Custom GPTs can be used to help you teach music. Before we go into specific uses, let’s explore exactly how to build one. For the purpose of this post, I am using ChatGPT.
How to Create a Custom GPT – Step by Step
Start at ChatGPT
Go to https://chat.openai.com and sign in to your account. You’ll need a Plus subscription to create Custom GPTs. Once you’re in, click on “Explore GPTs” in the left-hand menu, then select “Create.”Use the Walkthrough or Build It Yourself
You’ll be prompted to choose between using an easy walkthrough or creating it manually. The walkthrough is perfect for teachers—it walks you through naming your GPT, describing its role, and giving it custom instructions.Describe Your GPT’s Role
Let’s say you want a theory coach for your middle school students. You might name it “TheoryBuddy” and write something like: “You are a helpful and patient music theory tutor for middle school students. You specialize in explaining concepts like scales, intervals, triads, and rhythm in clear, accessible language. Keep responses friendly, short, and supportive.”Add Custom Instructions
This is where you can fine-tune the behavior. You can add phrases like:“Use examples in C major whenever possible.”
“Ask follow-up questions to check for understanding.”
“Avoid using overly technical language unless prompted.”
Upload Supporting Materials (Optional but powerful)
You can upload your own handouts, guides, rubrics, or curriculum outlines as PDFs or Word documents. The GPT will use those files as part of its knowledge base—so it can, for example, answer questions based on your district’s exact ensemble expectations or theory pacing guide.Test It Out
Once it’s built, you can chat with it immediately. Try asking it to create a short dictation exercise, explain syncopation to a 6th grader, or describe the role of the timpani in a Beethoven symphony.Share It With Your Students
You’ll get a shareable link that you can post in your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, etc.) or email to students. They can use it on any device. You can even give them different GPTs for different units—JazzGPT for your jazz history unit, ComposerCoach for creative composition, and so on.
If you’d like to see an example of one of these, I created my own Custom GPT called Music Tech EDU. I trained it by uploading articles that I have written over the years, as well as all of the posts in this blog and previous blog sites I’ve used. The benefit of using the Custom GPT that I have created is that I know that it has been trained on data that I trust, as well as a perspective that is focused on real world classroom music teaching. My GPT focuses on music technology, but you can create countless GPTs, including those that have been trained on a specific aspect of music education. Think of a Custom GPT as your own virtual teaching assistant. You can train it to act like a theory tutor, jazz history expert, notation coach, or even an ensemble rehearsal assistant. Unlike a traditional chatbot, a Custom GPT lets you control what knowledge it draws from, how it behaves, and what tone it uses.
Here are just a few things a Custom GPT can do in your music classroom:
Quiz students on scales, key signatures, or terminology
Provide step-by-step instructions for writing a 12-bar blues
Offer instant feedback on student-written melodies
Act as a historical composer (like Bach or Coltrane) answering questions in-character
Help students study for music theory or listening exams
There is also a HUGE library of Custom GPTs that you can explore.
Here are a few quick ideas on how you can use Custom GPTs with your own music students.
Asynchronous Support
Students can use your Custom GPT at home for homework help or to review before a playing test. It’s like giving each student a private tutor that’s always available.In-Class Centers
Set up a digital learning station where students interact with the GPT on Chromebooks or iPads while others are working on instruments or notation assignments.Creative Exploration
Ask students to use a GPT to generate a melody in Mixolydian mode or to create a short program note for a piece they’re preparing. You’ll be amazed how the right prompt opens the door to student creativity.Role-Playing and Music History
Try a “chat with a composer” activity where students interview a GPT modeled after Bach, Florence Price, or John Cage. You can train your GPT to respond in character using writing samples or historical facts.
The one BIG question that you may have about creating your own Custom GPTs is what happens to the data that you upload to the site, and then, who owns it and how can it be used? When I posed that exact question to my own Custom GPT, here was the response:
Based on OpenAI's policies, as stated in their Terms of Use and Enterprise Privacy page, you retain ownership of the data you upload when creating a custom GPT, and you also own the output that is generated based on your input. OpenAI assigns to you all of its right, title, and interest in and to that output.
So give it a try and let me know what you think. As a reminder, you will need a paid version of ChatGPT to make your own Custom GPTs!