Facilitate with Pride: 3 Music Therapy Interventions Utilizing Queer Music

Pride Month is here, and everyone at Keynote Music Therapy is excited to celebrate diverse voices this June! To get us into the mindset of uplifting queer voices, I’ve compiled 3 interventions utilizing music by LGBTQ artists, along with some background information about each artist. I hope these interventions spark ideas for adding queer music into your sessions, this month and always!

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury, the frontman of Queen, was one of the most electrifying performers in rock history. He is remembered for his bold stage presence, flamboyant style, and emotionally charged songwriting—seen in hits like “Somebody to Love” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. 

Intervention Idea - We Will Rock You Improvisation

Materials: Djembes or floor drums, guitar, speaker, handheld percussion instruments as needed

Goals: Creative self expression, group cohesion, increasing self confidence

Anyone who has heard “We Will Rock You” can recognize it from just one rhythm… boom boom clap! This simple rhythm makes the song very approachable within a group improvisation setting. 

1. First, arrange clients in a circle, and pass out instruments so that at least a majority of the clients have drums. Other clients can rock out on rhythm sticks, shakers, or other instruments you have! 

2. Teach the rhythm to your clients so that those on drums play on “1 and,” then clap on beat 2. 

   1. Clients with other instruments can play the same rhythm by stomping on “1 and” then playing their instruments on beat 2. 

   2. Teaching the rhythm to your clients will vary based on their cognitive abilities and learning styles - it may work well to play the recording so clients who are not familiar with the song can hear it first!  

3. Once the group has a steady beat going, add in your guitar and start singing the first verse. When you get to the refrain, cue the whole group to sing along with you!

4. The original song features a guitar solo. To incorporate a similar idea into your intervention, invite clients to solo on their instruments one by one while the rest of the group maintains the steady beat. 

   1. Clients can cue in the next soloist themselves by pointing at whoever they want to hear next, or the soloist role can be passed around the circle for a more predictable experience.

5. Once everyone who wants to solo has gotten to, cue everyone to sing the refrain together 3-4 more times before stopping the group with a visual and/or musical cue.

6. After the improvisation, consider leading a brief discussion to prompt reflection, such as asking clients how it felt to play the song together, and what changes in their mood or energy they noticed before and after the song.

Lil Nas X  

Montero Lamar Hill, professionally known as Lil Nas X, is an artist unbound by genres and societal norms. He entered the music scene with his 2018 hit “Old Town Road,” which combined elements of country and hip hop. “Old Town Road” sat at #1 on the Billboard charts for 19 weeks, breaking the record for the longest-standing #1 song.

Intervention Idea - Old Town Road on Boomwhackers 

Materials: Set of boomwhackers (including chromatic pitches F#, G#, and C#), guitar, and other percussion instruments as needed for group of more than 4

Goals: Group cohesion, positive mood, cooperation, staying on task

Old Town Road uses the same chord progression throughout, making it highly accessible to musicians of all abilities! This intervention works best for groups of at least 4 clients, but you can make it work with 3 clients and yourself. If you have more than 4 clients, you’ll also want to provide other percussion instruments like rhythm sticks, shakers, or djembes. 

1. First, assemble a main group of 4 clients in a circle, and pass out boomwhackers in the following order: 

2. Start by cueing Client 1 to hit their 2 boomwhackers together on beat 1, then use the boomwhacker in their left hand to hit Person 2’s right hand boomwhacker on beat 2. Continue this same movement in a loop around the circle, and this will produce the chord progression of Old Town Road. 

3. Start with visual cues, then add the chords in using guitar to move the progression forward. Once the chord progression has been completed 2-3 times and the group can maintain a consistent rhythm, start singing the chorus’ lyrics along with the chords.

4. Experiment with different rhythms and playing styles - such as tapping boomwhackers together twice on each beat, hitting them on the floor, or trying to tap them together up high. 

5. If there are more than 4 clients, have others in the group play djembes, rhythm sticks, or other percussion instruments and sing along! 

Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) is known for her campy, emotionally honest songs about queer love and her bold, theatrical style. After years of slow growth, she skyrocketed to fame with her 2024 hit “Good Luck Babe.” Beyond music, Roan is a vocal LGBTQ advocate—supporting The Trevor Project, performing at benefit shows, and featuring local drag queens as openers. 

Intervention Idea - California Song Discussion

Materials: Speaker to play recording of “California,” lyric sheets and highlighters if appropriate

Goals: Emotional identification, coping skill identification, and emotional expression. 

Roan’s song “California” is about obstacles she faced while pursuing her music career in Los Angeles, and longing to return to a simpler life in her rural hometown. The song features driving percussion and sustained synth chords working together, which could be interpreted as a blend of high-energy emotions, such as anxiety or anger, and low-energy emotions, such as depression or tiredness, contributing to a sense of overwhelm. 

Here are some sample questions to discuss this song:

• What emotions do you think Chappell Roan was feeling when she wrote this song?

• What different instruments do you hear in this song? What emotions do you hear in each instrumental part?

• A main line in the chorus is, “To think I almost had it going, but I let you down.” Have you ever been in a similar situation? If so, what kinds of thoughts and feelings were you having?

• Chappell repeats the phrase “come get me out” a lot in this song. Have you ever felt “trapped” in a situation like Chappell is in this song? What was that like, and what helped you through it? 

• If you were in a situation like Chappell is in the song, what might you say to yourself to help you through it? What might you do to cope with the situation?

This is just a sampling of the many songs by LGBTQ artists who have transformed the music industry by expressing their true selves. Thank you for reading, and I hope these ideas inspire your sessions this Pride Month and beyond!