Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy: Hometown Recorders (B-A-G Play Along)
(Soprano Recorders)
Upper Elementary (4-5)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
This teaching strategy is all about playing soprano recorders with an awesome track. It goes with “Eight More Miles to Louisville” by Sam Bush from 2004 because it’s a track that supports young musicians playing 3 notes: “B-A-G” in addition to reviewing quarter rests!
This track is available on multiple streaming audio platforms. (Like many of my teaching strategies, you should feel free to find other audio tracks to anchor the learning experience using music that works in your setting or new tracks to simply “mix it up.”)
Pedagogical Foundations
Playing a soprano recorder requires the ability to balance and hold the instrument AND the ability to control your breath. It requires students to pinch their fingers to completely cover the holes on the instrument to play individual pitches. Additionally, successful playing happens when students demonstrate physical coordination and the ability to connect playing specific pitches with fingerings and playing specific rhythms on the instrument. For young musicians, this is complex.
It’s important to remember that for many students, playing the soprano recorder in music class is the very first time they have ever played a wind instrument! In this light, we need to make sure the sounds they play—and hear—are musical (and successful). If it sounds good, they are with us. If not, they may try to opt out…
That said, it’s essential to view the words we use as guides that tell students how to play. In my experience, asking students to “breathe” into the instrument rather than “blow” into the instrument makes a BIG difference. They are pretty familiar with blowing out candles on a birthday cake, and that is NOT the best way to play the soprano recorder (lol). **Use that analogy with students to help them understand the expectation.** I’d even have them explore playing one note, like “B”, by blowing and breathing to understand and feel the difference. When students “blow” into the soprano recorder it squeaks and squawks. When they “breathe” into it they are able to make musical sounds.
Finally, I believe 100% that there is a place for traditional pieces like “Hot Cross Buns” for beginning soprano recorder players, but in my view adding a track like “Eight More Miles to Louisville” ups the game and makes the playing more updated for everyone. Stated another way, the track becomes a motivator for students and enhances the playing experience.
Today’s teaching strategy “Hometown Recorders” includes an opportunity for students to play 3 notes on the soprano recorder (i.e., B-A-G) in a sophisticated context. It also includes room for students to explore producing musical sounds on the instrument. I hope you give it a try with your students. But first, let me remind you who I am:
Hi! I’m Darla, an experienced PK-12 music educator, college professor, and former Berklee College of Music Dean looking to connect with teachers, parents/caregivers, and others seeking to advance creative music making for today’s students—and their teachers. In Darla Hanley’s Music Room you will find teaching strategies, advice and teaching tips, playlists, and more.
Today we are going to play our recorders using 3 notes we know (B-A-G) and quarter rests along with a track called “Eight More Miles to Louisville” by Sam Bush.
Where is Louisville? (Kentucky, United States)
Let’s listen closely to the lyrics in the beginning of the song. Why is the singer going to Louisville? (It’s his hometown)
ProTIP: Asking questions about song lyrics provides a listening focus for students.
Distribute soprano recorders, 1 per student (or have students take out personal instruments), and review playing “B-A-G” in an echo/follow-the-leader manner.
ProTIP: Depending on the playing level of your students, this follow-the-leader echo-playing activity could be led by the teacher OR a student.
Show the music notation for “Hometown Recorders” and lead students to play the piece—without a track. Notice that the name of our recorder piece is “Hometown Recorders” because it goes with a song about a person making his way home!
Remember to breathe into your soprano recorder (not blow) to produce a beautiful sound! Lead students to practice the piece (including discussion of notes, rests, and repeat signs).
Now that we are familiar with the “Hometown Recorders” music, let’s play it along with the track!
ProTIP: Practice time is essential at a slow tempo, etc. Add the recording when students are ready.
Play the recording of “Eight More Miles to Louisville” and direct students to begin playing following the introduction.
ProTIP: Begin playing at 0.18 when the vocal enters.
ProTIP: Play “Hometown Recorders” with the first 1.44 of the track.
Materials/Set Up
Soprano Recorders (1 Per Student)
🎵 Sam Bush "Eight More Miles to Louisville” Link to Track on Spotify
Hometown Recorders (B-A-G Play Along)
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
EXTEND the Learning:
Ask students to play the last 8 measures of “Hometown Recorders” — keeping the pitches but changing the rhythmic values.
ProTIP: Demonstrate a variety of options (e.g, playing all notes as eighth notes; making half notes quarter notes and quarter notes eighth notes).
ProTIP: Be sure to have students keep the 2 quarter rests in measures 21 and 22 to accommodate the harmony.
Divide the class into 2 groups (i.e., 1 playing “Hometown Recorders” on their instruments; the other playing unpitched percussion instruments to the steady beat) and perform their parts together with the track. Switch roles and repeat.
Learning Targets
Read, Play
Learning Outcomes
Respond with pitches, rhythms, and rests
Create original rhythmic variations*
Perform on a soprano recorder (and with unpitched classroom percussion instruments*) with a track
Assessment
Informal Observation/Formative Assessment
*These learning outcomes only happen in the EXTEND the Learning section of this teaching strategy.
Thanks for checking this out. If you use this teaching strategy, be sure to leave a comment to let me know how it resonates with your students!