Fund Story

The purpose of the Julia Diane Ragains Slawin Music Fund is to provide support for students to participate and thrive in school music programs. Diane Ragains-Slawin was a gifted soprano whose own singing talents translated into a remarkable ability to teach singing to others, which she did as a voice teacher at Northern Illinois University for about 40 years.

Diane Ragains-Slawin was born in Indiana and grew up in the Kokomo area, where her parents were music teachers. Her father started her on the violin when she was about 5 years old, where she became quite good and later majored in both violin and music education at Indiana University in Bloomington. Ragains-Slawin later earned a master’s degree in voice from what was then the Chicago Conservatory of Music, now part of Roosevelt University.

Ragains-Slawin is remembered for her incredible work ethic, love for her students, no fear, and her ability to teach more than just music.

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