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

In this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, host Shelly Davis welcomes Dr. Michael Clark, assistant piano professor at Baylor University, to discuss the rediscovery and revival of the music of Florence Price, a pioneering Black American composer. Clark shares his personal journey into music, his formative experiences as a student in Missouri, and how his passion for teaching was shaped by his own mentor. He then delves into his deep dive into Price’s life and work, beginning with a 2018 article that introduced him to her. Clark recounts how Price’s music—rich in emotional depth, blending Romantic, Impressionistic, and African-American spiritual influences—was nearly lost after her death in 1953, only to be rediscovered in 2009 when hundreds of unpublished manuscripts were found in an attic in Chicago. Since then, Clark has played a key role in bringing her music to light through research, recordings, and a newly published collection of piano pieces. He emphasizes the importance of accessibility, noting that his Hal Leonard publication makes Price’s music widely available to students and teachers. Clark also encourages listeners to explore underrepresented composers like Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, and others, framing music as a powerful time machine connecting us to the lives and legacies of forgotten artists. The episode closes with a call to action: support these composers by listening, purchasing, and sharing their music to ensure future publications. Key takeaways include: (1) Parents should encourage children to explore diverse composers beyond the usual canon; (2) The practice-to-lesson time ratio is a simple, effective benchmark for practice; (3) Exposing students to summer camps, festivals, and performances outside their comfort zone can spark lasting passion; (4) Rediscovered works like Florence Price’s are not just musical treasures but historical and cultural revelations; (5) Supporting underrepresented composers through listening and purchasing helps sustain their legacy; (6) Music education should include stories of resilience and identity; (7) Publishers are more likely to invest in music that shows market demand; (8) Archives and special collections are accessible with proper planning and can inspire deep learning.