Rainer Polak
I am a music researcher. My main research interests are:
- Celebration music and dance in West Africa
- Rhythm perception and performance
- Culture and perception
Coming
from social/cultural anthropology and African studies, my interest has led me into ethnomusicology, music theory, empirical musicology, and psychology of
music.
Currently, I work as a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA). Prior to this, I directed research projects at Bayreuth University and University for Music and Dance Cologne, and I briefly joined Durham University as a guest fellow. In parallel to my career as a researcher, I have taught jembe drumming at University for Music and Dance Cologne, Rotterdam University of the Arts, and across Germany as a free-lancer.