Playlist Saturday: Get Down with Country

Written by Anna Bocanegra
[Disclaimer: These posts are meant to build repertoire ​and be a stepping stone in how to use these songs within a session. If you have used this song differently or have any other ideas for songs and suggestions use the comment section to create a discussion.]
   
   Deciding to choose the Country genre to be my first post of this series wasn't my idea to say the least, but for someone who disliked country for quite some time, it was best to start with something I knew hardly anything about. If Country music isn't your cup of tea, this post is definitely going to be a great resource for you to start off with and broaden your horizons!

   As a Rising Star at Cracker Barrel, Country music is always blasting. As a Music Therapy student, I listen and observe the music closely, trying to understand how to use these songs in a session should Country music be a preference for future clientele. Though small, these few songs gathered from a Cracker Barrel playlist deemed great use to add to a playlist and begin learning some Country tunes.

Some Things I Want to Sing About by The Grascals
Originally written and recorded by The Osborne Brothers (another artist you should definitely give a listen to), this song has the potential for lyric substitution to get a client engaged in your session by writing about memories, things they like, or even about what is happening in their life. The instrumentation isn't on the "happy" or "sad" side of it's F Major key and can definitely be on the slower side if need be.

Give it a listen on Spotify!

If I Die Young by The Band Perry
The Band Perry created a lovely and somber song about death. Death is a major part of the human life for the living with pondering thoughts, played out scenarios, and questions. This song could be used for grieving about a client's loss, existentialism, and learning to come to terms with death. 

Give it a listen on Spotify!

Buy Me A Boat by Chris Janson
This is one catchy song especially when you get to the chorus. With a catchy chorus comes a great opportunity for small task sequencing for your client to use for every day tasks or problem solving. Just remember to fit your words into a proper duration of the original chorus for it to make sense musically!

Give it a listen on Spotify!

   Now that you've got a couple of different songs to listen to and experiment with, why not broaden your horizons by searching for more Country on Spotify or any other apps you using for music. 

What are some Country songs you've used in session or how else can these songs be used? 

Comment down below!