The Cali School of Music offers a curriculum that blends a liberal arts education with the intense musical instruction of a conservatory. Students receive personal attention from world-class faculty drawn from the finest musicians and scholars in the New York metropolitan area and beyond. They take full advantage of the cultural riches of New York City. The School nurtures creative exploration for students in performance, jazz, composition, music education and music therapy. In addition, the School is home to the unique Harry Partch Instrumentarium, the world's largest collection of instruments created by the pioneering mid-20th century composer. Students have the opportunity to use these instruments to perform, study microtonal tuning systems, and compose.

The Cali School presents over 200 performances and masterclasses each year by students, faculty, guest artists, and the Shanghai Quartet. The members of the eminent Shanghai Quartet have been artists-in-residence since 2002. They teach, coach, read the works of student composers, and perform regularly on campus.

Students also have opportunities to perform off-campus. They have recently performed at NJPAC with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, at Lincoln Center and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and on tour in the US, Austria and Italy.

Students may also study abroad through international exchange programs in Austria (University of Music and Performing Arts Graz), Russia (Moscow State Conservatory), Hungary (Liszt Ferenc Academy, Budapest), Norway (University of Agder, Kristiansand), and Italy (Milan Conservatory).

Part of Montclair State's College of the Arts, the music school is located in Chapin Hall, a facility that includes the elegant Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall.