Every Fall, Summer, and Winter “Billion Dollar Startup Ideas” hires interns to build ideas from the blog as MVPs, conduct industry research, and write their own blog posts. This blog post is an excerpt from that series.
Problem: Learning music theory online is outdated. While there are plenty of websites and online courses available, most of them rely on either slide shows or basic exercises that don’t adapt to individual learners. With no feedback loop or personal guidance, there is really no way to know if you’re truly mastering the material, especially for students who are learning on their own or prepping for exams such as AP Music Theory.
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Solution: TheoryLoop is an adaptive, AI-powered music theory learning platform. It teaches you music theory through interactive lessons and personalized practice questions that target your needs, along with an AI chatbot that answers your questions as you go. By taking a diagnostic quiz at the start of each unit, TheoryLoop finds your starting point: Beginner, Intermediate, Proficient, and Advanced. From there, TheoryLoop will continue to analyze your strengths and weaknesses, dynamically adjusting the content along the way to help you master each concept. As you progress, TheoryLoop will assign you quizzes, allowing you to gradually level up to Advanced in each unit.
Market Size: The global education technology market was estimated to be at $163.49 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $348.41 billion by 2030. Companies such as Duolingo and Coursera have already started integrating adaptive AI-assisted learning onto their platforms. Meanwhile, AI-powered tutoring tools such as Khanmigo and MentoMind are changing how students self-study. At the same time, the global online music education market was projected at $17 billion in 2024 and is expected to hit $73.27 billion by 2033. The popularity of online learning in music education has risen as it allows students to learn at their own pace.
Competitors: Platforms that also teach music theory online include Musictheory.net, Coursera, Study.com, and Fiveable.
Monetization: TheoryLoop is a freemium service, with a monthly subscription of $24.99 required to access all content and features.
Free: AI Chatbot, 3 Units (Foundations, Scales and Key Signatures, Intervals)
Premium ($24.99 per month): AI Chatbot, All units, Practice AP Music Theory MCQs and FRQs with answers (Aural and Nonaural), Full Length AP Music Theory Practice Tests with answers
Contributed by: Anthony Zheng
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