Down To Cairo

This spry old folk song for soprano recorder (using the notes D, G, A, B, C, and D') is ideal for African American History Month. It was originally a call and response tune for the workers on the riverboats during their heyday. "Cairo," pronounced "kay-row," refers to the Illinois town at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. If you go into the history of the Underground Railroad with your students, it's notable that Cairo was the first town in a "free state" when traveling north on the Mississippi. (from Music K-8, Vol. 30, No. 3)

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