Browne Education Campus 8th Graders Groove to Go-Go with The Uncle Devin Show

Excitement and chatter filled the air as eighth-grade students at Browne Education Campus gathered for a special music class featuring Teach the Beat and The Uncle Devin Show. Once the students were settled and class announcements made, Uncle Devin didn’t miss a beat, jumping straight into the first lesson: Hamboning. In his introduction, Walker shared, “This percussion technique was created by enslaved African Americans that involved stomping and slapping to create rhythms with their bodies, since they were forbidden to use traditional instruments.”

Taking them deeper into Go-Go’s rich musical heritage, Uncle Devin introduced the students to Go-Go legends, such as Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go," and drummer Ricky “Sugarfoot” Wellman. He played Mister Magic by Grover Washington Jr., showing how this jazz-funk track laid the foundation for Go-Go’s signature sound. He continued to showcase the conga drums, splitting the class into groups to practice polyrhythms.

Uncle Devin highlighted Go-Go’s ties to Latin music through Chuck Brown’s work with "Lost Latinos." Using the “3 S’s”, he demonstrated Latin percussion elements:

SHAKE: Introducing students to the tambourine.
SCRAPE: Having them play a simple beat on the guira.
STRIKE: Demonstrating the vibraslap.

Credit: The Uncle Devin Show

“Go-Go started by taking what you had and making music out of it,” Uncle Devin explained, reinforcing the genre’s improvisational spirit.

The story of Go-Go is rooted in creativity and resourcefulness. The JunkYard Band, emerging from Berry Farms, couldn’t afford traditional instruments, so they made their own from crates, buckets, and scrap metal. Closing the class with a Go-Go performance, he reminded students, "Life is a drum, so beat it."

As the class ended, one of the students hugged Uncle Devin in gratitude. Ms. Collins shared that the student feared performing, and this hug was him opening up. Ms. Collins noted how transformational the session was for her students — in just a 90-minute session, even the most hesitant students now embraced polyrhythms, realizing music is about collective sound, not perfection. 

This session complemented Ms. Collins’ Go-Go unit, supporting the students’ grounding in Go-Go history, culture, and musical technique as the students prepare for a showcase as part of Music in Our Schools Month in March. Ms. Collins shared, 

Teach the Beat is an incredibly meaningful arts initiative. The Uncle Devin Show’s Think Local, Crank Global workshop offered our students an immersive learning experience. A variety of students volunteered to demonstrate their learning by playing percussion with him. It was a joy to see the students so engaged in the process, while learning about the go-go tradition here in Washington D.C. So many students said they want to play the drums now.