Norm Bergeron grew up in Sanford, Maine — a small, working-class town that happened to be the childhood home of Vic Firth, the legendary Boston Symphony Orchestra percussionist and educator. Whether that was destiny or coincidence, Norm was already a sound dabbler by the time he discovered the laundry machines. His earliest memory is sitting between the washer and dryer in his parents' basement, matching pitch with one and tapping out the rhythm of the other.

A self-described kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Norm found his way to the University of North Texas through a Modern Drummer magazine article about the best colleges for drummers. It turned out to be exactly the right place at exactly the right time, landing him at the pinnacle of UNT's jazz studies and percussion performance era.

Thirty years of music education and performance later, Norm brings a rare combination of deep expertise, genuine humility, and quiet wisdom to his work with students wanting to pursue music. He knows firsthand that the right school — even one you've never heard of — can shape an entire life. Trusting the process and following the flow led him to a marriage of almost 30 years, two amazing children, a career doing what he loves, and a life he couldn't have imagined as that little kid in the cold, wet basement by the laundry machines.