Music HIstory Archives - Piano Parent Podcast

23 Mar 2026

PPP 378: Rediscovering the Music of Florence Price, with editor, Dr. Michael Clark

Music HIstory, Podcast, Teacher InterviewsFlorence Price, Michael Clark, rediscovered jems

What happens when a beautiful body of music is nearly lost to history… and then slowly brought back into the light? In this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Clark, Assistant Professor of Piano at Baylor University, to talk about the life, music, and growing legacy of Florence Price. Dr. Clark also shares his personal piano journey, with encouragement about how parents can support young musicians, why students need opportunities beyond their weekly lessons, and how much richer our musical world becomes when we explore beyond the usual names. If you love music history, meaningful…

27 Mar 2023

By Shelly Davis

PPP 326: Musical Mystery Opus 4, No. 2 “Turn out the lights, the party’s over!”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastMike Rowe, Musical Mystery, Paul Harvey

In the style of Mike Rowe’s podcast “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s radio show “The Rest of the Story”, this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar.I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Where words fail, music speaks”- a quote by Hans Christian Andersen. Today’s musical mystery will tell you the story of an occasion where words could have gotten you fired so music was the only…

08 Nov 2021

By Shelly Davis

PPP266: Musical Mystery Opus 3, No. 2 “Down in History”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastBarbara May Lewis, Gene Autry, Johnny Marks, Musical Mystery, Robert May, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

In the style of Mike Rowe’s podcast “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s radio show “The Rest of the Story”, this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar.In this case, I will tell you the story of a young author who never wrote the great American novel but still managed to go "Down in History". Here is his story: Listen to the full episode here First, a word…

30 Aug 2021

By Shelly Davis

PPP256: Musical Mystery Opus 3, No. 1 “The Original Piano Guy”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastBartolomeo Cristofori, Elizabeth Rusch, Musical Mystery, National Piano Foundation, National Piano Month, Schroeder, September, The Music of Life, The Piano Guys

In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar; in this case, I will tell you the story of the person I am calling "The Original Piano Guy". Listen to the full episode here Happy September!!! Did you know that September is National Piano Month? I tried to find out…

21 Jun 2021

By Shelly Davis

PPP246: Musical Mystery – Opus 2, No. 5 “Her Declaration of Independence”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastClara Schumann, Friedrich Wieck, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann

In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar; in this case, I will tell you the story of a young woman who had no choice but to declare her own independence. Listen to the full episode here Here, in America, we are approaching our annual birthday celebration. July 4th…

01 Feb 2021

By Shelly Davis

PPP226: Musical Mystery Opus 2, No. 3 “An Unsung Hero” (If you’ll pardon the pun)

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastAmerican Film Institute, Amistad, E. T., Film Score, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws, John Williams, Los Angeles City College, Raymond Scott Jazz, Star Wars, U.S. Air Force, UCLA

In the style of Mike Rowe’s podcast “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s radio show “The Rest of the Story”, this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar; in this case, I will tell you the story of a very well-known, yet unsung hero (if you'll pardon the pun). Listen to the full episode here An Unsung Hero Who doesn't love a hero? The kind of character…

09 Nov 2020

By Shelly Davis

PPP216: Musical Mystery Opus 2, No. 2, “One Night at the Opera”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastChico, Groucho, Gummo, harp, Harpo, Marx Brothers, Minnie Marx, music, Nacogdoches Texas, New York, piano, Vaudeville

In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musical group who had an unexpected interruption during their performance at the Opera House in the oldest town in Texas. Listen to the full episode here This story is about a mother's desire to give her young sons something productive to do to keep them from getting mixed up with the wrong crowd on the streets of New York. While her plan worked, it didn't turn out exactly the way she might…

24 Aug 2020

By Shelly Davis

PPP206: “I Wish I Didn’t Quit” author, Nate Holder

Music HIstory, Podcastauthor, I wish I didn't quit, Nate Holder, piano, practice, saxophone, The Why Books, Why is my Piano Black and White?

I first e-met Nate Holder when I started following him on Instagram. His account shares beautiful pictures of musicians at every level and age.Nate's passion is to broaden the spectrum of music education to include voices from all walks of life. While celebrating the works of traditional classical giants, he also shines a light on lesser-known composers and song writers.Music is a language and it includes many dialects. Listen to the full episode here Resources mentioned in today's show Nate Holder MusicFollow Nate on InstagramPre-order your copy of "Why is My Piano Black and White?"The Why BooksDuring our conversation, I…

20 Jan 2020

By Shelly Davis

PPP176: Musical Mystery Opus 1, No. 4, Chris’ Sister

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, Podcast1756, January 27, Maria Anna Mozart, Mike Rowe, Musical Mystery, Paul Harvey, piano mystery, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you a Musical Mystery; the lesser known story of someone or something you’ve likely heard about all your life. Listen to the full episode here I have long said that younger siblings have a huge advantage when they hear their older siblings practice piano. They hear songs before they try to read them or play them. They learn that you have to make a few mistakes before you can master a piece. Because of this, music…

28 Oct 2019

By Shelly Davis

PPP166: Musical Mystery Opus 1, No. 3 “A Simple Little Song”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastDavid Foster, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, I will always love you, Kevin Costner, Musical Mystery, Opus, Porter Wagoner, r, Whitney Houston

In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a simple little song that keeps finding its way to the top of international charts and in the hearts of multiple generations. Listen to the full episode here This story is about a simple love song, but not the typical kind of love that you might be imaging. It doesn’t tell the story of romantic love that was doomed to fail, nor does it carry any of the harsh feelings that often accompany…

19 Aug 2019

By Shelly Davis

PPP156: Musical Mystery Opus 1, No. 2 “What Frank Saw”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastFrances Scott Key, Mike Rowe, Musical Mystery, National Anthem, Paul Harvey, Star-Spangled Banner

In the style of Mike Rowe's "The Way I Heard It" and Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of one of America's most well-known songs. Listen to the full episode here Resources for this Musical Mystery Songs Sung Red, White, and Blue by Ace Collins Sampler of American Songs by Maymie Krythe Details of the battle at Fort McHenry Lt. Col. Armistead's account of the battle See the Fort McHenry flag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiVryYnzmdI Thanks for listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Ask…

10 Jun 2019

By Shelly Davis

PPP146: Musical Mystery Opus 1, No. 1 “Wishful Thinking”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastMike Rowe, Musical Mystery, Paul Harvey, The Rest of the Story, The Way I Heard It

If you are a regular listener to podcasts, chances are you have heard the popular “The Way I Heard It” written and produced by Mike Rowe. You may remember Mike Rowe as the host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” program. In his podcast, “The Way I Heard It”, Mike weaves a story, dropping hints about a seemingly obscure event only to reveal, at last, that he is telling the backstory of a well known person or event. His show is similar to Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” if you listened to radio in the 1970’s.Please listen to…

20 May 2019

By Shelly Davis

PPP143: Mr. Rogers’ Code for I Love You

Music HIstory, Podcast143, Child Development, Feelings, Fred Rogers, I Love You, live musicians, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, piano, Rollins College

Do you and your piano kid share code words? Words or a phrase that has a secret meaning between the two of you? My daughter, Tracy and I will do the ASL sign for I Love You when we see each other in a crowded space. Our family also has different references or words that recall inside jokes that would be meaningless to anyone else, one of which is "Furniture Lacks Appliances" (you'll have to ask my son Justin about that!). When I saw the “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” documentary last year I learned about a special number code…

01 Apr 2019

By Shelly Davis

PPP136: No Foolin’! This performer had fans screaming and swooning in the aisle and it’s probably not who you think.

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, PodcastApril Fool's Day, Beatles, Elvis Presley, Rock Star, Tom and Jerry

Happy April Fool’s Day! You’re no fool though because you are listening to this wonderful podcast! :) I did try to fool you with the title of this episode. Do you have a guess? What if I told you his fans pulled and clawed at each other trying to be the first to grab something he had touched: a glass or a handkerchief or even a cigar? Are you thinking of Elvis Presley maybe? or Queen with the recent revival of their music (I had a third grader ask me if I’d heard of Bohemian Rhapsody yesterday!) Think of Beatlemania…

12 Nov 2018

By Shelly Davis

PPP118: Musical Anniversaries and Thanksgiving Tunes

Music HIstory, Podcast

On today’s show I thought I would share with you some of the things I’ve been doing with my students to commemorate a few anniversaries and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. U.S. Armed Forces Songs November 11, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. With my 4th-grade classes at school, we took one song per week during October and learned a bit about the history of the song and how important music was for rallying the troops and even sending messages with bugle calls. Listen to U.S. Armed Forces Songs here. Disney Songs November 18 is…

08 Oct 2018

By Shelly Davis

PPP113: The Legacy of Van Cliburn, presented by Annette Morgan

Music HIstory, Podcast, Practicing and Motivation1958, Annette Morgan, Cold War, Concerto, East Texas Music Teachers Association, Eastman School of Music, Interlochen Arts Academy, Juilliard, Kilgore College, piano, Rachmaninoff, Rildia Bee Cliburn, Russia, Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, Van Cliburn

Today's guest, Annette Morgan, is a former student of Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn. In today's interview, Mrs. Morgan shares her experiences in Mrs. Cliburn's studio as well as the story of Van Cliburn's rise to fame after he won the first Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, in 1958. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Ann Saslav, a well-respected pianist herself, who was the catalyst for Annette Morgan's presentation to East Texas Music Teachers Association and for today's interview. Ann Saslav interview with Tyler Morning Telegraph Ann Saslav obituary Mrs. Cliburn, piano teacher Rildia Bee O'Bryan was born October 14,…

Category: Music HIstory