Beloved Lincoln Unified music teacher Paul Kimball retires after 36 years in the classroom

A beloved Lincoln Unified School District music teacher is retiring after 36 years of serving Stockton students.

Paul Kimball, who taught choir at Lincoln High School, Sierra Middle School, and Tully C. Knoles School, has instilled a passion for music in his students for decades, according to those who have set foot in his classroom.

"I have always been a musician, kind of from birth and even before that," Kimball, 61, said.

A native of Berkeley, Kimball played the French horn in the band and orchestra at Berkeley High School, sang in the choir and performed in plays. He moved to Stockton in the 1980s to attend University of the Pacific’s music conservatory, graduating in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in music education.

Kimball decided to stay in the city because he secured a job as a French horn player in the Stockton Symphony when he was a junior at Pacific. He also met his wife, one-time drama teacher and school principal Dominee Muller-Kimball, during this time.

The Berkeley native would go on to play in the Stockton Symphony for 27 years, as well as direct the Zion Chamber Orchestra and Stockton Civic Theatre musicians — all while helping his choral students at Lincoln Unified School District develop their musical talents.

From chalkboards to touch screens

There had been many changes in education from the start of Kimball's teaching career in 1988 to its finish this summer.

One of those changes, he said with a laugh, was teachers shifting from chalkboards to touch screens. Kimball, on the other hand, preferred to keep it old school and focus on building relationships with his students.

"I've stuck to that ... to just the humanity of being in a room with a bunch of people that want to make some music," Kimball said. "Maybe the computer can help you a little bit sometimes, but I'm definitely old school when it comes to that and it's worked out fine."

He recalled some of his favorite memories at Lincoln Unified, including teaching his daughters Alyssa and Ashley, now 32 and 28, when they were elementary students at Tully C. Knoles School.

"I loved it because it was beyond the job. It sort of felt like it was a program for my family that somehow other families were also involved in, so it was really a magical time," Kimball said. "Then I followed them to high school. I had them for basically 16 years, which was really neat."

Another memory that has stuck with Kimball was when about a decade ago, he witnessed a hard of hearing student listen to music for the first time.

"She got the implants and the day that she got them, she came into our women's choir and we were singing 'Peter Pan,' and she's hearing music for the first time live with a full set of hearing," Kimball said, adding that he could never forget "the raw emotion on her face while that was happening."

'His passion ignited my passion'

While there are many memories Kimball won't forget, there are many students who won't forget the music teacher or his lessons either.

Rachel Kiley was one of Kimball's earliest students in the late 1980s. She took his choir classes from the first through sixth grades. She said that Kimball taught solfège — a form of solmization — which helped set her up for success as an adult.

"I ended up going to UOP later in life and when I did that, I was a step ahead of the game because I knew solfège already," Kiley said. "I knew how to read music."

Kiley majored in vocal performance and considered pursuing a career in education, with the backing of her childhood music teacher.

"I fully intended to be a classroom music teacher because of Paul Kimball," she said. "When I was in college, because I wanted to do classroom music, he let me come and be an informal student teacher on campus with him. I helped him conduct a couple of concerts. I was a chaperon for a couple of his field trips."

Although life took Kiley in another direction and she did not pursue a teaching career, she said she still appreciates that Kimball supported her aspirations.

Alyssa Cavero, a 2019 Lincoln High School graduate, was enrolled in Kimball's classes from seventh grade until her senior year of high school. While Cavero had a love for music before becoming Kimball's student, she credits him for helping that love "blossom" as the years went on.

"Even the people around him in choir who weren't as fond of music as he was, just seeing his passion, he lit something up inside of kids about choir, about wanting to sing," Cavero said. "He shaped my love for music, no doubt."

Cavero will enter her senior year as a double-major in music and speech language pathology at California State University, Fullerton in the fall. She said she was also inspired by Kimball to pursue music as a field of study.

"Without him, I don't even know if I would have chosen to become a music major," Cavero said. "His passion ignited my passion, and it made me excited to want to do musical theatre. I did plays with Mr. Kimball, I did choir performances with Mr. Kimball, I did solo performances ... his guidance and his support of me as a musician, it made me want to keep doing this."

"He really shaped my childhood in so many ways and opened the door for me about what music can do for you," Cavero added. "He gave us a reminder that it's OK to be silly and goofy, and to enjoy music and have fun."

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Beloved Stockton music teacher Paul Kimball retires after 36 years