How to Stop Students from Listening to Music During Class

Classwize offers several tools to help you keep students on task during class:

• Adding Rules to block music categories, music signatures, and music players
• Blocking streaming video sites
• Starting a Focus session
• Pausing the internet
• Closing tabs

Use Rules to block music

Classwize lets you add rules to block the Music and Audio category, music signatures, and Windows-only music players.

Block the Music and Audio category

1. Log in to Classwize and select Rules > New Rule. Select Create Rule if this is the first rule you’re adding for the class.
2. In the This rule controls field, search and select Music and Audio.
3. Ensure Blocked is selected by default.
4. In the This rule applies to field:
   
   1. Select the Whole class checkbox to block the music category for the entire class.
   2. Search and select the student’s name to block the category for a specific student. Repeat this step to block the category for more students.
5. Select Add Rule.

Fig.1: Add new rule

Block music signatures

Blocking a signature will block both an application’s web and Windows desktop versions. For example, adding a Blocked rule for Spotify will block both the Spotify Web Player and the Spotify Windows app.

To block a music signature:

1. On the class toolbar, select Rules > New Rule.
2. On the Add new rule dialog, enter and select the name of the music signature you want to block (for example, iHeart or Pandora).
3. Ensure Blocked is selected.
4. Select Whole Class to apply the rule for the whole class, or enter and select the names of the students you want to block from accessing the signature.
5. Select Save Rule.

Block music players (Windows only)

You can block the built-in music players on your Windows devices, like Windows Media Player or Windows versions of some audio players, like VLC.

1. On the class toolbar, select Rules > New Rule.
2. On the Add new rule dialog, enter and select the name of the app (e.g. Windows Media Player, VLC media player).
3. Ensure Blocked is selected.
4. Select Whole Class to apply the rule for the whole class or enter and select the names of the students you want to block from accessing the app.
5. Select Save Rule.

The blocked Windows-only music apps will appear under App Controls on your classroom’s Rules panel.

Fig.2: Blocked music players appear under “App Controls” on the Rules panel.

Block streaming video sites

Students also listen to music playlists on streaming video sites, like YouTube. Consider blocking streaming videos by adding a Blocked rule to the Streaming Media category.

Use Focus to block music

Focus helps students stay on task by giving them access only to the resources you’ve selected. To start a Focus session:

1. On the class toolbar, select Class Tools > Focus.
2. Enter the URL, website, or app you want your students to focus on.
3. Select Start Focus to start the Focused session.

For more information on how Focus works with Connect on Chrome, Windows or macOS, see Adding Focus Sessions.

Pause the internet to block music

Pausing the internet stops students from accessing streaming media sites (for example, Spotify Web Player) and using internet-supported features of media players on their computers. However, if students have saved music and audio files on their devices, they will still be able to play these files unless there are Blocked rules in place for media players (Windows only) and signatures.

To pause the internet:

1. Select Class Tools > Pause Internet on the class toolbar.
2. On the Pause the internet dialog, select Apply to all students to pause the internet for the whole class, or enter and select the name of the student whom you want to stop from using the internet while the class is in session.
3. Select Pause.

See Pause Internet for more information on how to manage your student’s internet access during class.

Close tabs to stop music on web browsers

Students can stream music as well as play local music files on their web browsers. For students on Connect for Chrome, you can stop them from playing music on their Chrome browsers by using the Close Tab function.

For students using non-Chrome browsers on their Windows devices, you can also add Blocked rules that apply to Firefox, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge.