As the department's resident musicologist, Dr. Zinck has a wide range of teaching responsibilities encompassing a broad spectrum of historical and theoretical areas: music history from the Middle Ages to modern times, post-tonal theory, Canadian music, advanced topics in music history, form and analysis, film music, musical theatre, and popular music.

His research interests include Canadian music, opera, twentieth-century music, and semiotics. A past recipient of the Hessian Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Zinck engages in a number of innovative teaching initiatives, such as the creation of Web-based instructional tools and collaborative online learning environments, as well as the development of pedagogical strategies that draw upon the principles of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) and Inquiry-Guided Learning. In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Zinck also remains active as a performer, composer, and arranger for both theatre and church music.