When both sides work in tandem, genius is born. Witness Leonardo daVinci. Leonardo, from the Italian hamlet Vinci, is often regarded as the first student of this school of artistic thought embracing anatomy, mathematics, and logic to create new perspectives on human and spiritual life. Born in 1452, da Vinci wasn't just a painter whose talents were derived solely from a creative twinkle in his eye and a knack for mixing colors. He is considered a pioneer in the studies of anatomy, geology, mathematics, architecture, and engineering Tracy Petersen BS'72 MFA'76 PhD'80, a U professor who teaches music and computer science applications, says his brightest pupils don't fight the impulses from both sides of the brain, but employ them in exploring new forms of creative expressions.
Composition involves both sides of the brain at the same time.
A lot of people struggle with that. I see it in my students. Petersen, whose father also was an accomplished musician, believes some of his musical and mathematical talent was aided by early exposure to measures, chords and extended riffs. Results of scientific research may prove the claim that early training in the arts develops intellectual skills vital to later scientific endeavors. A study of Standard Aptitude Tests by a college board also showed that students who enrolled in arts-based classes four or more years scored 59 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math portions of the SAT than students who did not take music or art.