Paul Tucker

D.M.A. The University of North Texas; M.M. The University of North Texas; B.M. The University of Texas at Arlington

Paul Tucker, DMA, retired at the end of the 2020 spring semester. Tucker served as the Director of Choral Activities at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where he taught Graduate Choral Conducting, Orchestral Bowing for Conductors, directed two of KU’s ten choral ensembles, and oversees all aspects of the choral program. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dr. Tucker studied conducting and piano at the Jamaica School of Music with Dr. Kaestner Robertson. His musical experience includes owning and operating Sabre Sound Studio in Riverside, California, where he produced and performed on albums for various recording artists. He earned a Bachelor’s of Music degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, a Masters of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas.



He has taught choral music at the Junior High, High School, and Collegiate levels, and has also served as the Director of Bands at the Junior High and High School levels. As a choral clinician, conductor, and adjudicator, Dr. Tucker has traveled across the United States, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Europe. Well-known for his unique approach to the tuning of choral ensembles, Dr. Tucker’s special interest in this particular area of music research has led him to develop a methodical approach to tuning. In addition to teaching his method in choral clinics, he has outlined these steps in a paper entitled Choral Intonation: A Proactive Approach. 



Prior to joining the faculty at KU, Dr. Tucker served as the Director of Choral Activities at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. He is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor of Paradigm Vocal Ensemble, a semi-professional choral ensemble based in Arlington, Texas. With this ensemble, he has recorded five compact discs, The Best of Paradigm, What Sweeter Music, Christmas Through the Ages, Paradigm Vocal Ensemble 10 Year Reunion, and Sing ‘til the Spirit Moves. Under Dr. Tucker's leadership, Paradigm Vocal Ensemble has appeared recently as the headline performers for the Kansas Choral Directors Association convention in Topeka, Kansas (2008), and the Nebraska Choral Directors Association convention in Crete, Nebraska (2009). Dr. Tucker pursues a varied music career as a conductor, pianist, composer/arranger, and record producer. Alliance Music Publishing and Neumark Music Publishing distribute his compositions. 



Dr. Tucker is also a licensed pilot who holds an Airline Transport Rating and has worked as a professional pilot. His identical twin, Stephen, is the Director of Orchestral Studies at The University of California, Irvine. Dr. Tucker resides in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife Vicki and their two children Carly and Jordan.