Happy February everyone. I wish you all a happy Valentine’s day and a wonderful Black History Month. In honor of African Americans, we will be putting up some information on some on some of the best and most influential African American musicians in the world. 

Today we’ll talk about a famous pianist and composer named Scott Joplin. Mr. Joplin gave his whole life to the music profession. He was born in Texas in the 1860s to a family of railroad workers. He gave up life as a railroad worker to follow a career as a traveling musician. Even though it was hard he kept at it. He never gave up playing and writing music even when no one saw how good he was. 

Finally in 1893 at the Chicago Worlds Fair people noticed him. His music was finally seen as a great success. After that, he moved to Missouri and became a piano teacher while he published his most famous work “The Maple Leaf Rag”. 

This made him very famous and was able to support himself for the rest of his life. Scott Joplin never quit playing. He published many more songs, had many more students, and played many more concerts. His music is very lively and complex. Playing it requires a fair amount of skill and strength. 

Scott Joplin died in 1917. He won a Pulitzer Prize after he died.

The moral of the story is never quit playing. Keep practicing one day you will be able to play the music of Scott Joplin!

Thank you for reading.

Happy Black History Month

If you like this post please share it.

If you like pianoparents.net tell your friends about us and let your piano teacher know about our sister site palomapiano.com where there are tons of free piano teaching resources.