Over the years, Eric Maring has played music and given lessons to kids along the Route 1 corridor.

Now, some of those who learned from Mr. M appear with him on his first album aimed at children, “You Are My Sunshine.”

Along with this sons, Leo and Julian, several of Maring’s former students sign on the album along with other area musicians.

Recorded at Asparagus Studios in Takoma Park and Levine Music in D.C., the album features classics such as “Puff the Magic Dragon,” in which Maring is joined by a teen-age singing group called The Next Generation.

“This is truly special for me because I had these musicians in babies classes and now they are singing with me on a record,” he told the Hyattsville Wire.

The album also features other Maring favorites, such as “The Rattlin’ Bog” and “Five Little Ducks,” which he swears his recording has “taken to new heights.”

Maring first got into music at the age of six when he told his mother he wanted to learn piano, and he then learned guitar in college after becoming a fan of Led Zeppelin and the Indigo Girls. He said the Route 1 corridor is a great place for children’s performers, whether it’s puppetry, dance or music.

“The best music children can experience is up close, right with the musicians and their families, and hopefully with instruments in their hands as they grow,” he said. “It can start very early.”

The album will be available for download at Maring’s website, maringmusic.com, in early October, or you can pick up a copy at his performance on Oct. 12., 1 – 3 p.m. at the Old Parish House in College Park.

In the meantime, Maring will release a regular album “for grown-ups,” entitled “Hero in the Epic” also on his website.