Music Performance

Music Performance

The Music Program at St. Mary's County Public Schools has a long standing tradition of excellence and providing diverse opportunities in music performance. Students identify, decode, and interpret symbols, becoming literate musicians and translate that understanding into an emotional experience. They discover music as a unique form of communication and as a means of self-expression not afforded by any other discipline.

The Music Program at SMCPS prepares students for the creation, practice, study, criticism, and teaching of music, in a context that emphasizes cultural diversity, community engagement, and technical innovation. As a performing art, music builds self-discipline and promotes self-esteem in ways that are not inherent in other curricular offerings. Because of the ordered nature of the elements of music, students learn to think with increased complexity; because of the creative potential in music, they learn to think in divergent ways.

We enjoy a close relationship with arts-based community groups such as Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland, Chesapeake Choral Arts Society, St. Maries Musica, Southern Maryland Traditional Music and Dance, Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and Choir, and the St. Mary's County Arts Council.

The goals for the music performance program are consistent with the National Standards for Music, as well as the Maryland State Fine Arts Standards.