About

The Neurodivergent Music Network (NMN) is a cross-disciplinary hub for neurodivergent researchers to explore the intersection between music and neurodivergence, sharing ideas and methodologies. Our mission is to support our members’ work while collectively establishing Neurodivergent Music Studies as a distinct and rigorous field of studies.
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This emerging field currently lacks a formal home within traditional music departments. Despite this, a vibrant community of scholars is beginning to explore this topic through lenses as diverse as musicology, music education, acoustics, architecture, music psychology, practice research, and more! Our goal is to establish this network as a dedicated interdisciplinary hub that centralises this expertise and facilitates knowledge exchange across institutions.

We welcome researchers from all fields and at any stage of their career who are interested in exploring music and neurodivergence in a neuro-affirming way.

NMN is part of the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-east England (CHASE) research networks.
To join or find out more, please fill in this form

Our Committee

Tara Allen (Co-Founder)

Tara Allen (she/her) is a American punk, queer, multi-neurodivergent, and disabled music psychologist and bass clarinetist. She is based in Boston, MA -- currently serving as the Neurodiversity Program Manager of the MIND Program at Berklee College of Music. Where she works as a neurodiversity specialist and music psychologist. 

She holds an MA in Psychology of Music from the University of Sheffield (22') and a BMus in Music Education with concentrations in Instrumental Wind Band and Bass Clarinet from the Crane School of Music (21'). 

​Her master’s thesis, “The Bees Are Too Loud!: ADHD’ers Sound Preferences as an Aid Daily Task Completion" focused on how ADHD’ers used sound and/or music to help subconsciously motivate task completion and sound as a coping tool for societal backlash in said situations. In undergraduate, she did a research project on dyslexia, cognition, and accessible elementary classrooms. Her research areas of interest are: neurodivergence and music perception/cognition, learning, processing, behavior (especially subconscious), and accessible music education.

As a co-founder of the Neurodivergent Music Network, she is dedicated to establishing Neurodivergent Music Studies as a cross-disciplinary field. Her goal is to help cultivate a space that amplifies the spectacular research between music and neurodivergence. Above all my goal is to empower neurodivergent researchers. For Tara, this network serves as an act of resistance to systemic ableism, and liberation of neurodivergent people. 

In her time she enjoys thrifting, Yu-Gi-Oh!, heavy metal concerts, and stopping by the tattoo shop! 

To be a nerdy music psychologist, get to know Tara through her music playlist HERE. 

Nina Danon (Co-Founder)

Nina Danon (she/they) is a French-Italian doctoral researcher, composer, and lecturer based in London, UK. Her work allows her to explore her identity as a multiply-neurodivergent and disabled musician. 
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As a co-founder of the Neurodivergent Music Network, she is dedicated to establishing Neurodivergent Music Studies as a cross-disciplinary field that investigates the specific ways neurodivergence interconnects with the creation, performance, and reception of music.

Her work is deeply rooted in both performance and composition; she holds an MMus in Classical Piano from the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia and an MMus in Sonic Arts from Goldsmiths. Her career as a composer—which includes multi-sensory installations for the Museum of Oriental Art of Turin and the Schneiberg Museum—serves as the primary catalyst for her current research.

Funded by the AHRC and CHASE, Nina is currently developing a musical neuroqueering practice for her PhD at Goldsmiths, under the supervision of Prof John L. Drever and Dr Alexis Bennett. This research is further informed by her experience as a Senior Lecturer at BIMM University, where she specialised in mentoring neurodivergent students and conducted action research on neuro-inclusive pedagogy for her PGCE.
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Through the Neurodivergent Music Network, her goal is to facilitate a global knowledge exchange that empowers neurodivergent scholars and practitioners alike.

Outside of her formal research, she is a lover of deep-dives and draws constant inspiration from her special interests. Whether she's immersing herself in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, dissecting the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, or exploring her fascination with whales, these passions provide the rich, essential backdrop to her academic and musical life.
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Find out more about Nina: https://linktr.ee/ncdanon

Niamh Gallagher

Niamh Gallagher (She/Her)  is a disabled and neurodiverse violist, performer and practice researcher. She is an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) funded doctoral scholar at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her practice-led research project is entitled Authentic Bodies: Diverse Embodiment and Disabled Identity in String Performance Practice. 
 
Gallagher is interested in combining embodiment, string performance practices, disability studies and practice research to explore the knowledges and agencies of diverse embodiment (Gallagher, 2025). Her work is offering practitioners a methodology, the body-first approach (Gallagher, 2025), to engage with their practice and body authentically, without pain, strain or discomfort. 

Calanthe Milton

Calanthe Milton (she/her) is a PhD candidate at the University of Kent, whose research looks at embodied Madness in interactive media through a Mad and crip lens. Music formed much of her escape whilst growing up as an undiagnosed autistic, and she dove headfirst into learning piano, clarinet, saxophone, guitar and singing. As an adult she developed chronic pain and fatigue, so a lot of those instruments have fallen by the wayside, but her attempts to play her student violin prove she's not quite done with learning. These days she is mostly found with a ukulele, playing sad acoustic versions of video game music, or singing in the University of Kent Chorus. Though her research is not specifically focused on it, she incorporates thoughts about music and soundscapes into her work, from examining the use of binaural audio in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice to building on La Marr Jurelle Bruce's deeply musical concept of Mad time.

Carmen Rosas-Pérez

Carmen Rosas-Pérez is an acoustic engineer who just finished her PhD at Heriot-Watt University. Her thesis, titled “Disabling acoustics: Lived experiences of neurodivergent, aural divergent and noise sensitive people in daily life acoustic environments”, has been shaped by her past experiences as a neurodivergent participant and researcher in several institutions, and by the work of disabled scholars and activists. Bringing together her passion for acoustics, field recording, and sharing sounds, she created a Sound Map of Malaga. She’s also a member of the Aural Diversity Network, and is currently developing a platform to gather practical information on acoustical inclusivity.

Jess Walls

Dr. Jess Walls (she/her) is an interdisciplinary music education researcher whose work explores the intersections of music, mental health, and neurodivergence in educational settings. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Texas at Arlington, a Master of Music Education from Texas Woman’s University, and a PhD in Music Education from Auburn University.

With over a decade of experience as a K–12 music educator, Dr. Walls brings a practitioner-informed perspective to her research, focusing on how music classrooms (particularly choral ensembles) can serve as spaces for emotional awareness, regulation, and student wellbeing. Her work integrates evidence-informed strategies drawn from psychology into music education contexts, with an emphasis on practical application for educators. Her positionality as a late diagnosed autistic woman with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, along with experience overcoming significant mental health challenges, make this work both personally and professionally significant.

​Dr. Walls has presented her research at state and national conferences and has led professional development for K–12 educators, accompanied by her cardiac alert service dog, Phantom . She is currently preparing multiple manuscripts for publication based on her recent studies. Her ongoing and future research includes interdisciplinary collaborations and a proposed NIH-funded postdoctoral project focused on music, mental health, and support for neurodivergent learners. She is also a Mental Health First Aid–certified trainer, supporting educators in fostering responsive and inclusive learning environments.