AARP Rocks in Nashville at 2022 Country Music Association Festival

We’re headed to Nashville this week for the 49th Country Music Association Festival — a four-day celebration returning for the first time since 2019.

It’s our first year sponsoring CMA Fest, which kicks off Thursday, June 9, and is expected to draw tens of thousands of country fans with a lineup featuring Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and many more. Throughout the weekend, we’ll host country line dancing, an interactive photo booth, an AARP Rockstar Singing experience and music trivia, where winners can get tickets to nightly stadium shows.

We’ll also be promoting music’s connection to improving memory and overall brain health. Studies have shown that music stimulates areas of the brain that produce dopamine, making it a strong mood booster. Our Global Council on Brain Health has also found strong evidence that music has a positive impact on patients with serious medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, and those recovering from strokes.

If you’re in town for the festival, find us on Broadway at the corner of Fourth Avenue. But if you can’t make it or just want to relive the experience after the festival ends, we have you covered. We’ve put together three Spotify playlists curated with mood, movement and love of country music in mind.

Scroll down to the playlist you’d like to explore, and listen through Spotify. You can also check out more of AARP’s music coverage and keep up with the latest in brain health through AARP Staying Sharp.

And be sure to bookmark this page to come back and keep the party going.

Move

• This playlist was crafted to get you dancing and singing. Not only is movement good for your overall physical health, dancing and singing can help relieve stress, build social connections and exercise your brain.
  

Mood

• This playlist was crafted to elevate, encourage and inspire. Music has been found to stimulate areas of the brain that produce dopamine and can help trigger memories.

AARP Loves Country

• Featuring Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Shania Twain and more, the AARP Loves Country playlist features some of the genre’s best songs and artists from the past few decades.

AARP Members can access exclusive country music articles, quizzes and celebrity interviews through AARP Members Only Access. Not an AARP member? Join today!