The Music Department at Whitman College traces its origins to 1885, when President Alexander Jay Anderson founded the Whitman Conservatory of Music as a department affiliated with, yet distinct from, the college. This early structure marked Whitman's commitment to serious music instruction on what was still largely a frontier campus. Student musical life flourished quickly: by 1896, chorale performances were already part of campus activity, and in 1908–1910, the Conservatory building, including the performance space MacDowell Hall, was completed to support formal instruction and concerts.

Over time, the Conservatory was integrated into the broader educational mission of the college, evolving into today's Department of Music. The department now offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music with emphases in performance, composition, music theory and history, or jazz studies, and a variety of ensembles including orchestra, choir, jazz band, and chamber groups. The curriculum speaks to Whitman's liberal arts values while nurturing performance and academic rigor across genres.

The Whitman College Music Department records, held by Whitman College and Northwest Archives, span from 1889 to the present and comprise approximately six linear feet of materials. These include recital programs, departmental budgets, event announcements, correspondence, newsletters, sheet music, and historical summaries. They provide a rich, multi-decade documentary record of faculty initiatives, student performances, and music's cultural role at Whitman.