June 1-4: Ju Ju House at Coolidge High School
Tuesday, June 1
On Tuesday, June 1st, Coolidge High School students were joined by Ju Ju House. Ju Ju opened the class asking “What do you remember or know about go-go?”
One student highlighted that they did their homework for go-go — they remembered Chuck Brown was the king of go-go.
Ju Ju asked, “What makes go-go different then any other music? What are the two ingredients that make go- go?”
“Soul power and strength.”
“Beat and the lyrics.”
One student said, “Go-go is very upbeat and spiritual. I listen to it in the car and in the house. It makes me more positive when I am having a bad day.”
One student shared, “Go-go is a very native thing from Washington, D.C.”
One student highlighted, ”Go-go is a symbol of D.C.”
Ju Ju highlighted two beats in go-go: the pocket and the bounce. After he broke down the two beats, he had the class identify which of the two beats he was playing. After a few sets of music and game, Ju Ju brought in a go-go classic to see if the class could guess the name of the song, which was “Da Butt!”
Next, Ju Ju brought in Tanksley, who sang Marvin Gay’s “What’s Going On?” while Ju Ju played a go-go beat underneath.
Ju Ju returned to connecting us to the pocket and the bounce. For each song he played, the class was to put up one hand for the pocket and two hands for the bounce. Ju Ju reminded the class that you can take a pocket or bounce beat in almost any song. He played an Adele song that was converted with a go-go beat.
Throughout the class, Ju Ju reminded the class the difference between the pocket and the bounce.
The chat was just as engaging as the class visit with comments coming in:
“You are lucky enough to have the legendary Mr. Ju Ju from the World Famous GoGo Band EU teaching you about the pocket and the bounce.” - Ms. Sewell of Coolidge High School
The class was left with two homework assignments for our next visit on Thursday, June 3rd:
What is the song that was a collaboration between the go-go band EU and Salt n’ Pepa?
Share your 3 favorite go-go songs and 3 go-go bands.
Thursday, June 3
On Thursday, June 3rd, Ju Ju returned to visit Ms. Sewell’s Coolidge High School class for the second visit in the series.
He spent the first part of the class highlighting some of his experiences playing with E.U. and sharing different videos from performances he played over his career.
He transitioned the class into a series of question & answers to encourage their inquiry around his experience and the history of go-go:
Q: What is the greatest event you remember and enjoyed?
A: Madonna playing with E.U and an event with the Pope in NY playing with Roberta Flack.
Q: Why did you want to perform go-go?
A: It was the only sound that wasn’t touched. Go-go was a unique sound that hadn’t been touched.
Q: What was your first ever performance for go-go?
A: Wow! That’s really good, I need to write that down! I would have to say it was with the Peacemakers and it was at a place called Caveyard. It could have been a little bit before then, but that was one of the bigger ones I remember.
Q: Did you ever get Chuck Brown’s autograph?
A: Ju Ju gave us a brief tour of his house and shared one of his most coveted momentos — Chuck Brown’s signed guitar!
To which Ms. Sewell and the class were in awe!
Q: “Did you ever meet Michael Jackson?” asked one student, who loves Michael Jackson.
A: No, I met Janet Jackson. I did meet Prince and before he passed, he had wanted to do a go-go album.
Q: How many artists and bands did you meet?
A: I have met so many artists and bands, I am one of the few drummers that are represented at the National Museum of African American Museum of History and Culture. I have played with Journey, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller. We could be on here for two hours for how many artists I have played with and produced music with, as well.
Q: Did you ever play at a sporting event?
A: I actually played with Chaka Khan on the drums when the Dallas Cowboys were in the Super Bowl.
“This is why go-go is so important. Go-go will take you places. You are going to be the ones who carry the torch,” Ju Ju said.
Ms. Sewell celebrated go-go being played during a sneak peak of the upcoming Black Girls Rock celebration that airs on June 18th, 2021. In the clip, posted by Black Girls Rock, you can see MC Lyte and musicians dancing to a go-go beat.
Ju Ju asked the class again, “Would you change anything about go-go?”
To which the students unanimously said “No!
“Go-go is fine just the way it is.”
“It represents us, it represents D.C.”
Ju Ju asked the class, “Do you remember the instruments that make up go-go music?”
One by one the students shared:
“Congos, bongos, cowbell, and wood instruments.”
“Bass and guitar”
“You are missing one,” Ju Ju shared as he stepped back to his equipment.
He started playing on a set that we couldn’t see but could hear.
“ROTOTOMS!” one person exclaimed. To which Ju Ju played a celebratory beat.
Ju Ju returned to testing the class’ memory of what was a pocket and a bounce beat, playing a few sets of music and having the class raise one hand if we guessed the “pocket” and two hands for the “bounce beat.”
After seeing the class’ response, Ju Ju said “Congratulations! You know the ‘pocket’ and ‘bounce beat!’”
Ms. Sewell closed the class with homework, to which the students shouted, “Homework again!”
“Yes,” said Ms. Sewell.
The homework assignment: “What is the song ‘The Word,’ by Junkyard Band about and why did they write it?”
Ju Ju highlighted for an additional assignment to look up “Cool Disco Dan. What part of go-go did Disco Dan play?”
Friday, June 4th
As students joined their virtual classroom, Ju Ju House welcomed them with personalized songs, alternating between pocket beats and bounce beats. To warm up, the class was challenged to put up one hand for pocket beats and two for bounce beats!
Next, Ju Ju House let the class brainstorm what makes a go-go band for a few minutes, and when asked if the students were prepared, one student exclaimed, “I was born ready!”
Students each shared five aspects of go-go bands that distinguish them from other music, and with encouragement from Ju Ju House, the students reflected on the instruments they had learned about from the previous two sessions.
When one student was called on, he popped into the camera, shouting “Yay!” before rushing into many instruments that distinguished go-go music. From rototoms, electric guitar, congos and bongos, and saxophone, keyboardists, and cowbells, the go-go vocabulary was setting in!
The class also reflected on their homework project reflecting on Cool “Disco” Dan, and students popped in to discuss his death, the spread of graffiti, and his trademark which was signed on walls all over the D.C. metro area.
Ju Ju House tested us on our song recognition, and as he played “Da Butt” and “Bustin Loose,” students called in to share the names of the famous artists. Throughout class, students distinguish beats, lyrics, artists, and music. The stakes were high as Ju Ju House told the class that they would only get to meet his special guest if they could identify every beat and song and instrument correctly.
Beyond the teacher, classmates were encouraging each other as they continued to succeed in identifying all of the components of go-go!
Ju Ju congratulated the group on their success, and before meeting his special guest, Keesha Ceran, Associate Director of Teaching for Change, asked Ju Ju how he would change go-go and what legacy he imagined it would have. House explained that he would want go-go to stay raw, and he hoped that go-go musicians would liberate themselves to write their own music instead of covering primarily mainstream music.
Students had a few questions, ranging from what everyone’s favorite Micheal Jackson song was to Ju Ju House’s band affiliations. As everyone named their favorite Micheal Jackson song, Ju Ju Ju challenged the class to share three go-go songs. From participation in the chat to students unmuting in the call, we applauded everyone for their learning.
The class completed Ju Ju House’s challenge, identifying the name and instruments of songs he played. Finally we were allowed to see his special guest!
Ju Ju took us outside to his farm and to the classroom’s surprise, we were faced with a horse! Everyone was overcome with surprise. While we toured around to meet other animals, Ju Ju congratulated students on their graduation and prepared for one more round of the music tests.
By the end of the call, students burst into smiles and everyone applauded each other. One student shared, “I like everything about go-go because it is a part of my life. It symbolizes D.C.” Closing out with one last drum set, Ju Ju amazed us once again and left us all with a new interest in the legacy of go-go music!
