Last updated: November 4, 2026
Music Theory Academy keeps the least student information it can: a first name, a last initial, a class code, the student's results in the games and a simple record of visits. It has no ads, no outside analytics or tracking companies, sends nothing to AI services, and never sells or shares student information.
Music Theory Academy is a free set of music theory and ear training games with assignments, quizzes and a teacher dashboard. It was built and is run by David Milnes, a music teacher, for students in music classes. The site is the same at both of its addresses: musictheoryacademy.org (main) and musictheorygames.org. Its original address, from when it was first built, now only forwards visitors here.
Questions about this policy: privacy@musictheoryacademy.org.
From students. Students do not make an account. To save their work they type:
While they play, the site saves their results under that name and class code: scores, practice time, level progress, and assignment and quiz results. If a student uses the optional feedback box, their short note (up to 300 characters) is saved too.
Visit log. When someone has a game open for at least 20 seconds, the site saves one short record of that visit: the first name and last initial (or "Guest"), the class code, which game and which part of it, the kind of device (for example "Phone · iPhone · Safari" and the screen width), when the visit started and ended, how long the game was on screen and being played, and how many questions were answered and how far the player got. It does not record the IP address, the exact device, location, or anything typed. Only the site administrator can see these records. They are used to find problems (for example a game that looks wrong on phones) and to see how the games are used, and they are deleted after 30 days.
From teachers. Teachers sign in with Google. The site saves their Google email address, their classes and class codes, the assignments and quizzes they create, and any messages they send to site support or post on the teacher board. A teacher who asks for access also gives their name and school.
What we never collect from students: email addresses, passwords, full last names, birthdays, photos, home addresses, phone numbers or location. Students never sign in with Google or any other account.
Microphone. A few ear training activities (singing a note, the tuner) can use the microphone, only after the browser asks for permission. The sound is analyzed on the student's own device while they play. It is never recorded, saved or sent anywhere.
Student information is used only to run the games: to save progress, show leaderboards, let teachers see their students' practice, assignments and quiz grades, and (with the visit log) to keep the games working well. It is never sold, rented, shared for marketing, or used for ads. No student information is sent to AI services or used to train AI.
| Who | What they can see |
|---|---|
| The student | Their own scores, progress and reports |
| The student's teacher | Results, practice, progress, quiz grades and feedback notes for their own classes only |
| Other students | Leaderboards (see below) |
| The site administrator (David Milnes) | Everything, including the visit log, to run and support the site |
Leaderboards. Class leaderboards show a first name, last initial and score, and only students in that class can see them. The World leaderboards show the top scores from every class with a first name and last initial, and anyone can see them.
The site is made for school use, and some students are under 13. It is designed to collect as little as possible from them: no email, no account, and only a first name and last initial. When a school or teacher uses the site with students, the school acts on behalf of parents in agreeing to this educational use, as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) allows. The site does not ask children for more information than a game needs.
Visit log records are deleted after 30 days. Student results are kept only as long as they are useful for the class; we delete student records at the end of each school year.
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date. We will not start collecting new kinds of student information without updating this policy first.
David Milnes, Music Theory Academy · privacy@musictheoryacademy.org