This article is a version of a keynote speech presented at the St. Augustine Symposium on the History of Music Education, sponsored by the National Association for Music Education History Special Research Interest Group and held at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, May 28-31, 2014. The keynote was on the first book on the history of music in American schools, "History of Public School Music in the United States", by Edward Bailey Birge. Birge's model defines music education largely as school music, emphasizing leading individuals and organizations, and provides factual but little analytical history. Since the book was first published in 1928, most music education historiography has followed this model. The Birge book has meant a great deal to the profession, and historians have augmented the story line considerably in the author's opinion. However, according to him, no one has seriously challenged the approach, scope, findings, conclusions, or facts of the book. No matter their importance, according to him, works of history rarely remain definitive forever, because among the most important tasks of historians is the challenging of assumptions, paradigms, methods, conclusions, and facts of other scholars. He proposes holding a centennial symposium in 2028 to celebrate the Birge contribution, a century during which so far the story of American music education has stood virtually unchallenged. In the meantime, he proposes that music historians could energize, add vitality to, and generally "amp up" the "Birge story" of American music education.