The music department seeks to cultivate an understanding of the language and history of music and to nurture artistic skill and musicianship. Applied music and an ensemble program are at the center of the curriculum. Performance facilities include a Recital Hall, Stetson Chapel, and Dalton Theatre. The College has an outstanding collection of keyboard instruments (Dowd harpsichord, Schreiner positive organ, and McCobb fortepiano), a reconstructed 1907 Steinway concert grand piano, a Hamburg Steinway concert grand, and a three manual, 65-rank mechanical action organ by Hellmuth Wolff, as well as collections of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.

Courses in music theory, music history, and practical musicianship combine with applied music to provide an integrated approach to the discipline.