At the junction of science and the arts, a trip back in time.

My siblings and I grew up in a world rich in make-believe.

Both of my parents were musicians and passionate music educators. They employed special little songs to cajole us into bed or the bathtub. Their dinner song beckoned us to the kitchen table, where the entire family sang grace in multiple harmonies, seldom the same way twice.

Our basement doubled as a playroom for us and the music room where my parents taught private lessons. Creativity was our bread, and we were well-fed. My parents passionately believed that arts education develops abilities in reading, writing, and arithmetic. And, indeed, I loved school. Throughout my youth, I struggled to choose between making a career in music and dance or in medicine. I wanted to do both.