Quick Facts
The Music Box is an interactive music education podcast for kids, exploring fundamental music concepts through performing, responding and connecting. The current season is hosted by music educators Kiana Del and Fiona Palensky.
Each episode gets listeners involved in making music! Short episodes are perfect for a car ride or just hanging out at home.
Get printable lesson plans and ideas for extending the learning at . The Music Box is produced by Louisville Public Media and made possible in part by support from PNC and the Grace Hopkins Ruml Children's Fund.
Episodes
Latest Episode
October 15, 2026 · 13m
Kiana and Fiona interview electric piano technician Matt Blocher of the Chicago Electric Piano Company to learn all about his work. Find out about Matt’s day to day work, the differences and similarities between a Fender Rhodes and a Wurlitzer, advice for becoming a technician, and all the tricks of the trade. Although The Music Box is for everyone of all ages, we would recommend our Behind the Music episode for career-oriented high school-aged students and older, as it’s jam packed with lots of information.
More Episodes
Oct 1, 2026 · 10m
Kiana and Fiona dig into the music and language of the Gullah Geechee people including the incredible true story of one song, one recording, a decades-later discovery thousands of miles away, and the history of some of the music we still sing today!
Sep 18, 2026 · 8m
A wild night time traveling lands Kiana and Fiona somewhere they definitely weren't supposed to be, and they realize something huge: nobody around them knows the Happy Birthday song. That sends them chasing its real history, starting right here in Louisville, and a legal fight you won't believe.
Sep 3, 2026 · 10m
Fiona is nowhere to be found on recording day, and Kiana tracks her down at a vinyl factory where things get weird fast! This episode is a zany adventure into how a song goes from a recording to a record you can actually play.
Aug 20, 2026 · 12m
Kiana and Fiona hit the racetrack to help their friend Lightning Larry prep for a big race, and end up on a musical trip spanning the Kentucky Derby, an opera about a Swiss folk hero, a Lakota horse song, and Tuvan throat singers imitating a gallop. Turns out horses might have more in common with those singers than you'd think.Find out more at musicboxpod.org and follow us on Instagram @learnwithlpm
Dec 15, 2025 · 52m
The Music Box will be back with a new season in the fall. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this special about shape note singing — one of the oldest musical traditions in this country. It’s a practice that began in colonial America, and after centuries of ups and downs in popularity, today it’s finding an expanded and surprisingly diverse new following… and some of its singers believe the music can teach democracy a thing or two. Join Louisville Public Media’s Laura Atkinson and Justin Hicks as they trace this tradition, from its origins 200 years ago to the largest Sacred Harp singing in living memory. “Shapes of America” is an hour-long special from Louisville Public Media and the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom.
Nov 6, 2025 · 25m
In the season 8 finale, Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about what it takes to be a professional musician. And we’re lucky to have a very special guest join us on this episode – bassist Christian McBride. Interested in knowing more about careers in music, the secrets of touring and playing music for a living? This one is for you!
Oct 30, 2025 · 10m
This week on The Music Box, Kiana and Fiona find themselves on the case, investigating a haunted piano with a mysterious character. Everything is not what it seems in this Halloween episode. Help the gang find clues to uncover the ghost of music's past!
Oct 23, 2025 · 7m
The Music Box team is getting into the Halloween spirit a little early with this one. Fiona stumbles on mad scientist Kiana and her creations. This week, go a little mad breaking down auditory illusions like the Doppler effect and Shepard’s tone.
Oct 16, 2025 · 23m
What do you want to be when you grow up? Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about what it takes to work in sound design, and what better way to learn than from LPM’s very own Alex Biscardi? The Music Box is for all ages, however today's episode is recommended for high school-aged students and older who are interested in knowing more about careers in music and audio fields.