Norm Bergeron Profile

Photo of Norm Bergeron

Norm Bergeron

  • College of Arts & Sciences
  • Department: Humanities, Music Program partnership with Temple College
  • Temple College, Music Department, Associate Professor
  • Email: norm.bergeron@tamuct.edu

Norm Bergeron is Associate Professor, Department Chair and Director of the Percussion Ensemble at Temple College and instructs Percussion Studies, Percussion Pedagogy, Technology Application Music (electronic music) and topics in Ethnomusicology.

From a small New England milltown, his most vivid early childhood memory is of sitting between the washer and dryer in his parent’s basement matching pitch with the one and tapping out the inherent rhythm of the other. An All State orchestral percussionist and All State big band drummer, he suffered from big-fish-little-pond syndrome as a teen but was cured immediately upon arrival at the University of North Texas. His life was forever changed by the culture of camaraderie, the institutional expectations, and the self imposed work ethic that came from being surrounded by some of the finest musicians in the world at such a pivotal moment in his life.

While at UNT, Norm completed a BA in Jazz Performance and was a long-standing member of the One O’clock lab band as the percussionist. During his tenure he had the good fortune to record numerous albums and travel all over the world. He stayed at UNT to complete an MS in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphasis in Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, and Documentary Film and was the instructor of the Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, and Gamelan ensembles.

Norm has been in the classroom as teacher/professor/facilitator/guide for over 25 years. His research, performance, and pedagogical interest lies in the study of the musics of the African diaspora with special interest in the percussion traditions of Cuba and Brazil. He believes in depth over breadth and pushes students to demonstrate profound understanding of the topics covered in his courses. He trusts that narrative assessment and in-person discussion is a considerably more robust measure of a student’s understanding than a standardized test can ever be.