Sing A Song Sunday - Urge For Going

The other day, I was sitting at my desk at work searching for something to do. I had finished all of my clinical duties and had some time away from the computer (only one of us can use the work server at a time, so it was my intern's turn at the work computer). I happened to look over to see my most favorite songbook of all time - Rise Up Singing.  Inspiration struck!

I know many of these songs, but I don't know them all. I have worn through two copies of this book and am considering purchasing a third copy so I have one in good shape to carry around with me. This book thinks like I think - in chords and lyrics - there is just enough information about the song to replicate it.

When you thumb through my copies of this book, you'll find dots next to many of the songs. Those are the ones that I know, ones I can sing with familiarity or with just a little bit of thought. There are many, many songs that I don't know well. So, now I'm going to learn those songs.

The first one that I chose (randomly since I like that process) was Urge for Going by Joni Mitchell. I don't have much history with Joni Mitchell and her music, so I didn't have a clue what the song sounded like or what it was. Off to YouTube I went, and here is the song. Next step? Sheet music, of course.

You can find many examples of sheet music on the web, but I happened upon a free version. I don't know where it was since I am not at work right now, but I found a full copy for free. (If I find it again, I'll post the link here.) The sheet music and the recording by Joni were a bit different, but I had enough information to move into the music element portion of this song.
www.musictherapyworks.com

I don't have any ideas for how to use this particular song with my clients at this time, but I really like it. This song, and learning the music from Rise Up Singing, is probably going to be for my own enrichment first before I use the music clinically.

After listening to this song again, I can see myself using this to encourage rhythmic breathing, relaxation, and calming with my students. They probably won't have any prior experience with the song. I think some of the poetry could be changed to make the lyrics more relevant to my students. We might be able to change the words in a trauma-oriented session to address issues or situations that occurred in the lives of my teens, but I need to get much better at the song before I attempt that.

Join me as we go through the music of Rise Up Singing? I've got lots of songs to learn.

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