Activities in Mary S. Shoemaker School music classes and our MSS music curriculum are based on the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for the Performing Arts and the National Standards for Music Education. 

The NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards include:

• 1.1 (Aesthetics) All students will utilize and synthesize aesthetic knowledge and skills in response to music.
• 1.2 (Creation and Performance) All students will utilize appropriate skills, media, methods, and technologies in the creation, performance, and presentation of music.
• 1.3 (Elements and Principles)  All students will demonstrate an understanding of the elements and principles of music.
• 1.4 (Critique)  All students will apply, develop, and reflect knowledge of the process of critique.
• 1.5 (History/Culture)  All students will understand and analyze the role, development, and continuing influence of music in relation to world cultures, history, and society.

For some answers to FAQ's about the NJCCCS for the Visual and Performing Arts, visit http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/arts/faq.htm, and you can download a copy of the standards at http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/std1_vpa.doc.

The National Standards for Music Education include:

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

For detailed information about the National Standards, visit http://menc.org/resources/view/performance-standards-for-music-grades-k-4.