Gary Tucker

Gary Tucker is a graduate of Mount Allison's Music program (B.Mus. 1977, cum laude) and holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Western Ontario. He returned to Mount Allison, to join the music faculty in 1994.

Dr. Tucker's research specialty lies in early twentieth-century music, in particular the music of the Second Viennese School. He is the author of Tonality and Atonality in Alban Berg's Four Songs, op. 2 (The Edwin Mellen Press, 2001). Currently he is researching developments in Viennese art song (the Lied) focussing mainly on the early songs of Arnold Schoenberg. Though not primarily a performer, he has also appeared as a collaborative pianist and choral accompanist.

Dr. Tucker teaches courses in music theory and analysis and in music history. "One of my guiding aims is to help music students to see that music theory isn't separate from their training as performers and listeners; theory and analysis should help us to listen and perform more knowledgeably, more musically. One of the main reasons I have 'Treat Days,' time where students present their favourite pieces of music to their classmates (aside from the fact that it's just fun!) is to underscore the point that, whenever we think and talk about the music we like – we're doing theory and analysis!"

Dr. Tucker is especially supportive of students who wish to engage in individual research and creative projects under the University's Summer Student Research Awards program. Over the years he has mentored about twenty students in projects as varied as the radio documentaries of Glenn Gould, the music of George Crumb, the "Concord Sonata" of Charles Ives, music during the Great Depression, piano works by Alexander Scriabin, Gershwin, and Beethoven; and, naturally, the music of Second Viennese School composers. He has also taught special topics courses on the music and culture of fin-de siècle Vienna, and on Schenkerian analysis.

Long interested in teaching issues, Dr. Tucker served as Director of Mount Allison's Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre in 2002–2003. From 1999 to 2003 he was the University's representative to the Association of Atlantic Universities Faculty Development Committee (for which he was awarded the Committee's Distinguished Service Award). From 2003 to 2008 he was Head of the Music Department.

Dr. Tucker has long been a computer enthusiast; he developed and maintained the Music Department's Web site for many years, and is the administrator for the Department's Music Computer Lab. In recent years he has also developed a strong (well, maybe obsessive!) interest in digital photography.