Joseph Kevin Ford was born in Chickamauga, Georgia. He was granted the BS in Choral and Instrumental Music Education from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the MME, and the Ph.D. in Choral Music Education from The Florida State University. While at Florida State University he studied conducting with Rodney Eichenberger and served as his assistant conductor for two years. He has also studied conducting with Dr. André Thomas and wind band conducting with Dr. James Croft. Dr. Ford has continued his conducting training through workshops with Robert Shaw, Roger Wagner, Dale Warland, Frederic Fennel, and Arnold Gabriel.

Dr. Ford taught High School Chorus, Band and Middle School Band in Rossville, Georgia where his performance groups consistently made Superior ratings at festivals. He was formerly Music Program Coordinator and Choral Director at Chattanooga State Technical Community College in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was also teacher of conducting and choral music education at the Crane School of Music at The State University of New York College at Potsdam where he founded the Potsdam Community Chorus and formed and directed the chorus for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, NY. Dr. Ford also served on the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte as Director of Choral Activities and Coordinator of Vocal Music Education prior to his current appointment as Director of Choral Activities at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the American Choral Directors Association, the Tennessee Music Educators Association, East Tennessee Vocal Association, College Music Society and the International Federation for Choral Music. Dr. Ford has guest conducted and adjudicated in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, New York, North Carolina and in Montreal, Canada.