Mount was also passionate about music and a fiddle player, a composer and collector of songs, and designed and patented several versions of his own violin which he named the "Cradle of Harmony."

His Uncle Micah was an established composer, playwright, mimic, and poet who played the piano, flute, and violin, who helped inspire Mount's passion for music.

Mount returned to his grandfather's farm in 1815, where he stayed until moving back to New York City to work as an apprentice in his older brother Henry's sign and ornamental painting business where he cultivated his artistic skills.

Under his brother Henry's encouragement, Mount attended the American Academy of the Fine Arts exhibition in City Hall Park in 1825, an event that had a profound impact on him.

Inspired by Benjamin West and William Hogarth, as noted above, Mount was enamored with the Grand Manner and the lofty styles of these artists.

Striving to create his own success, Mount produced a number of historical paintings often selected from scenes in classical texts that represented death, resurrection, or near-death experiences.

While Jedediah was tragically run-over by a loaded wagon, the final project created by Mount leaves out the gruesome manner of his death, allowing his family to remembering him without being reminded of how he died.

His first success in genre painting was the multi-figural Rustic Dance After a Sleigh Ride, shown at the 1830 National Academy exhibition along with his Girl with a Pitcher, 1829.

Beyond providing subject matter, music gave Mount another outlet that he pursued as a fiddler, a fife player, a collector of folk songs, and a violin designer.

[5] Mount's fiddle performances for country dances convinced him there was a need for a violin that would project its sound loudly enough to be heard over the noise of the crowd.

He attended several spiritual conferences, participated in séances and table knockings, met some of the leading figures of the movement, and attempted to contact many spirits on his own.

In his writings, Mount claims to have been in contact with his uncle Micah Hawkins, who answered questions about his deceased mother, brother Henry, and other relatives.

His family home, surrounding property, and various outbuildings in Stony Brook became a National Historic Landmark dubbed the William Sidney Mount House in 1965.

The Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages owns the largest repository of Mount artwork and archival material.