"This page is intended to help anyone who needs some ammunition in their battle against the "conservative pragmatism" that would kill off their school music and arts programs"... Nick Drozdoff

To see his websites, go to...

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/3941
http://www.drozdoff.com 
http://www.mp3.com/NickDrozdoff 

If you can suggest any names to add to this list, email Nick!

Mixing Art/Music and/or Science and Math


"Music is the hidden arithmetical exercise of a mind unconscious that it is calculating." Gottfried Leibniz, quoted in Lorenz Mizler's Musikalische Bibliothek

This page is the result of an attempt to help a friend develop some ideas to rally his community behind their school music, language arts and arts programs in the face of an almost overwhelming drive to utterly eliminate them from the public school program.

I was arguing that our children benefit from studying music. Their skills in other areas can seriously improve if they are allowed to pursue music. Now, I would also argue that music is a necessity for
aesthetic reasons as well, but that can be the subject of another essay. I offer the following list as a collection of examples of the practical necessity of music as well.

The List

Scientist/Musician

Pythagoras - Greek philosopher/Mathematician/Musician 
Albert Einstein – Physicist/Violinist 
Enrico Fermi – Physicist/Pianist 
Richard Feynman – Physicist/Percussionist/Artist 
Werner Von Braun – Rocket Scientist/Piano and Cello Player 
Edward Teller - Physicist/Pianist 
Arthur Schawlow - Physcist/Clarinetist/Jazz Fan 
Albert Schweitzer - humanitarian/theologian/missionary, medical doctor/world-class organist and Bach expert. 
Gerald Edelman - Nobel Laureate in Biology/Violinist 
Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron - Mathematical visionary and credited with the invention of binary arithmetic/Harpist 

Musician/Scientist

Peter I Tchaikovsky – Composer/Mathematician 
Alexander Borodin – Composer/Chemist 
Fletcher Henderson – Jazz Legend/Chemist 
Charles Ives - Composer/Actuary 
Victor Ewald - Composer/Engineer 
Adolph Herseth - Legendary Principal Trumpet of Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Math Degree 
William Vacchiano - Principal Trumpet of New York Philharmonic/NBC Orchestra/Studied Accounting 
Clifford Brown - Jazz Trumpet Legend/Majored in Math/Chess Expert 
Ignance Jan Paderewski - Internationally acclaimed concert pianist/Ambassador from Poland to the U.S., and president of the Polish Parliament. 
Ernest Nsermet- Swiss conductor who made many guest appearances in the U.S. had at one time been a mathematics teacher. 
Charles Kavaloski - Phd in Physics/Former Principal Horn of Boston Symphony Orchestra/Horn Professor of University of Minnesota 

Luminaries/Musicians

Ansel Adams - Photographer /Concert Caliber Pianist. 
H.L. Mencken -Famous Newspaperman and Language Scholar/Cellist 
Harry Truman – President of the United States/Pianist 
Richard Nixon – President of the United States/Pianist 
Bill Clinton – President of the United States/Tenor Saxophonist 
Alan Greenspan – Economist/Saxophone/Clarinet/Former Professional Musician 
Henry Kissinger - Former Secretary of State/Clarinet 
William F. Buckley - Author/Political Analyst/Pianist 
Dwight V. Bird, P.E. -Mechanical/Environmental Engineer/Trumpeter 
Merv Griffin - Talk Show Host/Media Entrepreneur/Singer 
Paul Allen - Co-founder of Microsoft/Guitar 
Allan Kay - Computer scientist/Inventor of GUI/Keyboards 
Stephen King - Novelist/Guitar 
Robert Applebaum - Brilliant Physics Teacher (ret.)/Virtuoso Jazz Pianist* 

*Bob is not as well known as the other folks in this portion of the list, but, having worked with him for four years, I will testify to his genius. Bob is truly a tribute to notion that mixing music and science works!


Current Practitioners of Mixing Art and Science or
Other Challenging Disciplines

Nick Drozdoff – Electrical Engineer/Physics Teacher/Professional Trumpeter/Composer 
Philip Holmes – Cryogenic Physicist/Composer/Virtuoso Natural Horn Soloist 
Oliver Sacks - Neurologist/Author/Pianist 
Sam Wong - Medical Doctor/Conductor (Music Director of the Honolulu Symphony AND the Hong Kong Philharmonic!) 
Ted Conley - Software Engineer/Graduate Student/Trombonist 
Paul Lukas -Chemical Engineer/Trombonist 
Hugh Manning - Software Developer/Programmer/Trombonist 
John Lynch - NASA Engineer/Mouthpiece Manufacturer/Trumpeter 
David Cureton - Electronic Designer/Trombonist 
Mike Votta - Microbiologist/Director of Bands at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/ Triangle Brass Band and North Carolina Wind Orchestra 
Corey Clingo - Electrical Engineer/Trombonist/MIDI puppeteer 
Lans Taylor - PhD in Geology/Pianist 
Thomas Taylor - Lawyer/Principal Astronomer at the Chaco Observatory, Nageezi, N.M./Trumpeter 
Tom Rheam - Math Teacher/Trumpeter 
Andrew Michael - Seismologist/Trombonist 
Philippe Kahn - Software entrepreneur/Mathematician/Soprano sax 
Marvin Minsky - Computer scientist (MIT)/Keyboards 
Manfred Clynes - Psychologist/Inventor/Pianist 
Tony Sampognaro - Chemist/Trombone 
Stacy A. Rasgon - Ph.D. Candidate, Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Trombonist 
Susan Gall Hampton - Professional flutist/Founder & director of Boston's AUROS Group for New MUSIC/Former radar engineer 
Robert Pyle - Retired research physicist, MIT/French Horn 
Robert Higgins - Bass trombonist/Freelance database designer 
Charles Kavalovski- Boston Symphony former principal horn/Physicist 
Michael Kocour - Jazz piano faculty at Northwestern University/Math Major in college (New Trier HS Grad!)
Billy Cordova - Construction Estimator/Biology Graduate Student/Trombonist, Bass Vocalist 
Karen Zagrodnik - Assistant Professor of English and Philosophy/Pianist 
Steve Wagner - Associate Professor of Biology/Trombonist 
Deborah LeBlanc - Elementary School Teacher/Flautist 
Sandra Collier - Pharmacist/Flautist 
Jim Jaffe - Electrical Engineer/Trombone 
Daniel Sniderman - Computer Programmer/Systems /Professional Trombone Player 
Ken Johnston - Retired engineer/Active trombonist, organist, pianist 
Tim Hutson - Infrared spectroscopes/Trumpeter 
Paul Johnston - Industrial Electronics-Computer Networking Instructor/Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer-Trainer/Professional Bass Trombonist-College Low Brass Instructor 
Roger Cappallo - Radio-astronomer/PhD - MIT in Planetary
Sciences/Mathematical-physicist/Trumpeter 
Bernie Burke - MIT Physics Prof. Emeritus/Cello 
Alan Whitney - Asst. Director, MIT Haystack Observatory/Violin 
John Copella - Computer Scientist/NASA Contractor/Music Degree from IU/Trumpeter 
Richard Shook - Biologist/Animal Behaviorist/DVM in Veterinary Medicine/Professional Trumpeter 
John T. Lynch - Ph.D. in High Energy Physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison/Trumpeter 
William F. (Jack) Fry - Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Wisconsin/High Energy Physicist/Violin Acoustician 
Juan Roederer - Professor emeritus of physics - University of Alaska, Fairbanks/Expert in psychoacoustics/Organist 
Nathaniel Dickey - Professional trombonist in Boston/ Former visiting instructor of trombone at Baylor University/Freelance web designer/B.S. in Math, Oberlin College 
Andrew Hillaker - Professional trombonist in Boston/Computer software engineer and salesperson 
Michael Hosford - Professional trombonist in New York/Freelance web designer 
Alan Ashton - Computer Science Professor/Co-creator of WordPerfect/Trumpeter 
Bruce Bastain - Computer Science/Co-creator of Word Perfect/Bachelor's Degree in Music/Saxophone 
Bob Fredericks - Jazz Tenor Virtuoso/Software Engineer for Motorola 
Jim Booth - Top Flight Lead Trumpeter from Kansas City and Chicago/Computer Software Engineer 
Steve O'Brien - Top Lead Trumpeter from Chicago/Stock Broker with Merryl-Lynch 
Jim Peterson - Jazz Trumpet Virtuoso from Chicago/Stock Broker 
Terry Connell - Jazz Trumpet Virtuoso from Chicago/Telecommunications Entrepreneur 
James Boyk - Pianist in Residence/Lecturer in Music in Electrical Engineering/Director of the Music Lab - California Institute of Technology 
Mike Valdez - Chemistry Teacher/Computer Expert/Electronics Graphics Designer/Artist/Guitarist 
Larry Madsen - Ph.D. Physical Chemistry/Professor of Chemistry/Trumpeter 
Dan Hessler - Saxophonist/Defense Attorney in the Federal Courts System 
Al Goldman - Trombonist/Partner Sidley & Austin 
Stu Katz - Pianist/Attorney 
Rich Lapka - Trombonist/Keyboard Player, and Network Engineer 
Rich Moss - Trombonist/Executive Recruiter 
Michael Halpin- Trombonist/Accountant and Financial Planner 
Eddie Barrett - Jazz Clarinet Virtuoso (ala Benny Goodman)/Attorney 

Now, this list is a fluid thing! If you know of other folks who have found that studying music has helped them in their other careers, please feel free to email me. Even graduate students in applied science or engineering who are studying music or music students who are studying math or physics are welcome to have their name added to the list. If you can think of any major historical figures such as those already listed, let me know via my email at the top of this page.