Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Sloyka
From Eastman to Rancho, Dr. Sloyka brings decades of musical experience and a passion for student growth.
The students of today are in a constant game of tug-of-war throughout their lives, facing pulls from social media, yanks from school, and jerks from a myriad of other commitments. There is always something demanding attention, whether it is an assignment, a notification, a practice, or another responsibility waiting to be completed. For Dr. Sloyka, music offers an escape from that constant pulling. “Whenever I’m playing, I feel like it’s a mini vacation,” he said. “It totally takes me away from being so caught up with… burning myself out, spinning my wheels, and it grounds me.”
Music has been grounding Dr. Sloyka for most of his life. He began taking piano lessons in elementary school and picked up the guitar at thirteen. His interest in guitar eventually led him to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied classical guitar performance. He later earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in guitar performance from Arizona State University.
His doctoral project combined two of his interests: music and arrangement. He arranged keyboard works by Sebastián de Albero, an eighteenth-century Spanish composer, for guitar, studying the pieces alongside the works of Domenico Scarlatti. What began as an interest in guitar eventually became a lifelong commitment to understanding music from almost every angle.
That commitment now shapes the way Dr. Sloyka teaches. Rather than expecting every student to begin at the same level, he wants to meet students where they are. “I don’t have high expectations without knowing where the students are at,” he said. “If I know where the students are, I can help them improve their skills.”
For Dr. Sloyka, improvement is not limited to learning the correct notes or rhythms. He hopes his students develop discipline, accountability, and what he calls a “growth mindset.” He also wants music to remain enjoyable. In his guitar and ukulele classes, he has arranged songs such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Riptide” so that students can play together while still learning proper technique.
The goal is not perfection, despite Dr. Sloyka’s belief that perfection can be something worth pursuing. Instead, he wants students to discover something that makes them want to keep learning. “If I meet students halfway… and help them spark an interest or passion for their instrument, then that makes me feel like things are going well,” he said.
After decades of studying, performing, teaching, and exploring music, Dr. Sloyka has found something that he hopes to pass on to his students: music does not have to be another pull on the rope. Sometimes, it can be the thing that makes you let go.
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