Andrea Norton

Andrea Norton is classically-trained singer and choral conductor with a degree in Church Music from Westminster Choir College. Across her career, Andrea has worked with musicians of all ages in studio and church settings, and served as the artistic director and conductor of a community-based Renaissance a cappella choir. She spent 6 years at New England Conservatory’s Research Center for Learning Through Music (LTM) piloting and refining a program that applies musical concepts and processes to teaching and learning in academic domains. Highlights of that work include co-authorship of the Handbook for Learning Through Music and articles on portfolio-based assessment, and design and implementation of music-centered academic curriculum, LTM skill assessments, and teacher workshops for LTM schools in Greater Boston and Minneapolis.

Since joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Music, Stroke Recovery & Neuroimaging Lab in 2002, Andrea has collaborated with neurologist/musician Gottfried Schlaug on studies aiming to: investigate the effects of music learning on children’s brain growth and cognitive development; examine the neural and behavioral effects of intensive Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) on post-stroke aphasia; test the efficacy of MIT combined with noninvasive brain stimulation; and adapt MIT for use with minimally verbal children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The central focus of this research in both healthy and impaired populations has been to deepen our understanding of music’s ability to change neural pathways, and with this knowledge, to selectively apply its most effective elements to enhance therapeutic interventions and positively affect recovery.