While Olson was at MacPhail, Hiner and her students came under the influence of the teachings of the famous piano pedagogue Frances Clark from Princeton, New Jersey.
While a graduate student, he worked for the school's radio station where he created the children's program "It's Time for Music".
The program was re-aired widely over a 20-year period through tape recordings distributed by the Minnesota School of the Air.
It was a piano book of easy tunes for children and became a best seller and brought fame to Olson.
He taught piano for Frances Clark in Princeton for a time until he experienced a number of financial successes with his compositions.