The Carson-Newman University Music Department offers a vibrant and Christ-centered environment where students pursue excellence in performance, teaching, worship leadership, and scholarship. With a low faculty-to-student ratio, we provide deeply personalized mentorship as students develop technical mastery, artistic expression, and a clear sense of purpose. Our curriculum combines rigorous core training—music theory, history, applied lessons—with flexible pathways that allow specialization in music education, performance, worship leadership, or interdisciplinary fields. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and mission-driven, we prepare graduates to lead in churches, schools, and communities with integrity, creativity, and purpose.
Our Vision
We will be the Christ-centered Department of Music of choice in the Southeast—preparing musicians for the stage, the classroom, the church, and the community through education and service.
Our Mission
The mission of the Carson-Newman University Department of Music is to nurture and challenge students in a distinctly Christian environment by providing rigorous musical training, creative and scholarly exploration, and transformational performance opportunities—equipping graduates to serve as performers, educators, worship leaders, and servant-leaders in the church, schools, and community, throughout Appalachia and beyond.
What We Believe
The convictions that shape how we teach, perform, and live as a department.
We educate the whole person—mind, craft, character, and calling—under the Lordship of Christ.
We pursue high artistic and academic standards because our work is ultimately offered “for the Lord.”
We believe music is a powerful means of cultivating what is true, beautiful, and good for the glory of God and the good of neighbor.
We honor the great traditions while cultivating composers, creators, innovators, and leaders who contribute new work with discernment and skill.
We develop musicians who lead by serving—musically excellent, spiritually mature, and prepared to bless their communities.
We serve the local church, train worship leaders and church musicians, and remain rooted in Baptist conviction and cooperation.
We are a formative community where faculty invest deeply and students grow through shared discipline, encouragement, and accountability.
We equip students with the musicianship, pedagogy, scholarship, and practical leadership skills needed for careers and graduate study.
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