Michael Balonek
Adjunct Professor of Music and Ethnomusicology
Education
- Ph.D. in Social Sciences (Ethnomusicology Focus) from University of Allahabad’s GBPSSI (Allahabad, India)
- Sangeet Prabhaakar (Music Theory and Performance) in Tabla from Prayag Sangeet Samiti (Allahabad, India)
- M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Bethel University
- B.M. in Music Education from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music
Biography
Dr. Balonek received his PhD in Allahabad, India, under the guidance of Dr Badri Narayan Tiwari, with a focus on identifying and tracking cultural change in the Bhojpuri-speaking region of Northern India using Music as the primary source of data. For the dissemination of his research, he has a YouTube channel with sections which focus especially on folk songs from this region. With Paul Neeley as his Thesis Advisor, Dr. Balonek completed his MA in Ethnomusicology through Bethel University, studying Musical Contextualization in the Sinhala-Speaking Church of Sri Lanka. Living in South Asia for so long, he has become proficient at a number of instruments, including the Tabla, Sarod, Harmonium, and Dholak, as well as the Sri Lankan Thammattama and Geta Bera.