I work with age-graded bands not ability-grouped students and can't address your question directly.  But I have discovered that many students DO fall within some general-ability categories that may make it possible for you to create SmartMusic assignments that make sense for them and for you. 

 

For example, if you decide to use a "method book" series such as Standard of Excellence/Sound Innovations/Rubank, it would be easy to group the students into assignment "classes" based on their present level of skill.  Your idea of Trumpet Level 1 is a great way to create classes.  But this would be easiest for you if you restrict yourself to a method book series.  Otherwise, you'd spend lots of time building sequential assignments when that's already been done by the publisher. 

 

Maybe "Trumpet, Book 1", "Trumpet, Book 2", "Trumpet, Book 3" would be the class names.  Or maybe simply "Level 1", "Level 2", "Level 3" as class names. Your students would select their instrument and then the appropriate method book's assignments would appear on their homepage.

 

One of the great features of SmartMusic is our ability as teachers to modify/create assignments for individual students.  But this can become overwhelming unless we look at the individuals as having musical characteristics that can fit them into groupings for the assignments.   I can't imagine how to manage 20 individual teachers unless they all agree to some sort of general plan and structure. 

 

Maybe some private teachers can post replies that will help more. But you're on the right path by implementing SmartMusic - it's a great tool for students to succeed! 

 

Scott Boal