Mission Statement

The Luther College Department of Music is committed to the study, development, and practice of the musical arts in the lives of our students and in the community where we serve. The Music Department is dedicated to providing an educational experience of the first rank, training that will prepare students for a lifetime of involvement in music, as teachers, performing artists, church musicians, arts administrators, composers, or community volunteers.

Our work is informed by an unswerving commitment to the liberal arts, intellectual rigor, a spirit of free inquiry, and the highest standards of teaching and learning. As educators and musicians, we affirm the vital importance of discipline and inspiration, and we recognize as a moral imperative our responsibility to educate the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. In all that we seek to do, we honor and affirm the transcendent, spiritual, transforming power of music and of education.

We acknowledge the historic relationship between artistic expression and religious faith, especially within the Lutheran musical tradition. We are committed to the cultivation of an active, richly collaborative learning environment. We value excellence, community, scholarship, and service.

To achieve its mission, the Department of Music provides a multitude of opportunities to study, practice, and explore the musical arts. The Department offers an extensive program of ensemble music making, ensembles large and small; professional, individualized instruction (applied music), instrumental, keyboard, and vocal; and a comprehensive undergraduate music curriculum, including coursework leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Music with credentials for teacher licensure (public school teacher certification).