Sheila Kearney Sloan (aka Sheila Kearney Converse)
sconverse@wsu.edu
Professor Emeritus of Music
Dr. Sheila K. Sloan taught in the Washington State School of Music and in the Honors College from 1997-2017. In the School of Music, she taught Studio Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Women in Music, Survey of Western Music, History of Musical Theatre, Aural Skills, Singer’s Diction, Voice Class and University Singers. In the Honors College, her interdisciplinary courses included Music and Society ( An Idiosyncratic Introduction to Music) , Heroes & Rings (Campbell, Lord of the Rings, Wagner & Star Wars) and Music: Science, Art and Healing (Neuroscience, Creativity, Ethno-Musicology and Music Therapy.)
In addition to teaching and adjudicating throughout the state, Dr. Sloan served as President of the Association for Faculty Women (AFW) and as Executive Secretary of the Faculty Senate. She received several awards including the Outstanding Teacher in the Honors College, the Teaching Award for Non-Tenure Track Faculty, The Sam Smith Leadership Award through the Association for Faculty Women, and in 2016 became the WSU Woman of the Year.
She was the first Non-Tenure Track faculty member to serve as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, to receive a teaching award, to be President of AFW, to receive the Sam Smith Leadership Award and to be Woman of the Year.
Dr. Sloan (Converse) was an active performer giving annual recitals, singing with the Washington Idaho Symphony (title role in Carmen, mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem), with the Palouse Choral Society (Handel’s Messiah & Israel in Egypt, Bach’s Magnificat), Washington Opera East (The Magic Flute). Prior to coming to WSU, Dr. Converse performed with The Long Beach Grand Opera (La Traviata, Faust), The Opera of Central Kentucky (Cosi Fan Tutte), The Lexington (KY) Philharmonic (Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem).
Dr Sloan holds a BA in Music from Manhattanville College, Purchase NY; an MA in Music Therapy from New York University, New York, NY; an MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University researching Gender in Music.
Dr. Sloan retired in 2017 and now lives in Spokane with her husband Les. Together they enjoy their children and grandchildren, traveling and spending time on the Pend Oreille River.