Sheila Clagg Cathey

Dr. Sheila Clagg Cathey is a music educator, theorist, composer, and pianist. She holds a D.M.A. in music education, M.M. degrees in music theory (Texas Christian University) and composition (Webster University), an M.Ed. in educational leadership, and a B.S. in church music with a concentration in piano performance and a minor in voice. 

As a composition major, she developed an eclectic style ranging from a large-scale passion with Bob Chamberlin to jazz piano solos with Kim Portnoy. Her work also includes publications in Clavier on left-hand piano music and in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy (with Dr. Jay Dorfman) on computer-aided instruction in postsecondary aural skills. She has presented papers at the Oklahoma Music Theory Roundtable, including collaborative work with W. T. Skye Garcia, examining current practices in undergraduate music theory curricula. 

She has served on the music faculties of Texas Christian University, Dallas Baptist University, Webster University, Jefferson College, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Tulsa Community College. She has also served as a field supervisor for student teachers at East Texas A&M University and as a dissertation mentor for Liberty University Online. 

She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and is a frequent adjudicator for Piano Guild and other festivals. She taught elementary music at a Christian school for many years, where she composed and directed annual musicals and performances.

Dr. Cathey holds PK–12 music certifications in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas and principal certifications in Oklahoma and Arkansas. She is a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and is of Choctaw–Chickasaw descent.