Teach the Beat!

Bringing the distinctive D.C. sound of go-go into the classroom.

Teaching for Change is honored to work with D.C.  area schools and the authors of The Beat! Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C. to develop lessons and share teaching ideas for infusing the history and music of go-go in middle and high school social studies, language arts, math, music, and/or D.C. history classes, and to bring renowned go-go performers into D.C. classrooms.

"Go-go has stayed true to time-honored cultural scripts such as live call-and-response, live instrumentation, as well as its locally rooted fashions, slang, dance, distribution and economic systems. Simply put: Go-Go never sold out. There is a grit and texture to the music that gives voice to the communities where it was created." –Natalie Hopkinson

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April 19: JuJu and National Cathedral School (NCS) Bring Down the House

April 19, 2023  /  Mykella Palmer

National Cathedral School (NCS) Diversity Forum 2023: MYdentity

With a special invitation by the National Cathedral School (NSC), JuJu House facilitated two Teach the Beat sessions as part of the school’s Diversity Forum 2023: MYdentity day. The annual Diversity Forum is a culmination of the school’s year-long engagement exploring themes of diversity in depth. This year’s forum connected students with local organizations throughout the D.C. metro area, exposing them  to experiences and history throughout the region. 

In two sessions, founding teaching artist JuJu House and Teaching for Change deputy director Keesha Ceran connected with NCS students on the history and foundational sounds of go-go. Through a brief orientation utilizing Go-Go Sound of Summer, a collaboration between DC Public Library and Teach the Beat, students became familiar with the pocket and bounce beats of go-go. With an intimate class setting of no more than 20 students, the young girls of NCS created their own bands, replicating the different beats they were learning. One by one, each student overcame a bit of shyness and drummed, tapped, shook, or clapped to the beat. 

The sense of support was palpable. When a student became intimidated or forgot the beat, peers in the audience maintained the cadence for them to jump back in. 

JuJu balanced various methods of teaching, offering opportunities for the classes to watch or listen to different go-go songs, connecting the genre’s deep influence within the music industry. For example, JuJu informed students how go-go influenced Amarie’s One Thing and Beyonce’s Crazy In Love. One song with go-go ties that JuJu shared threw associate director Ceran into a loop. Did you know that Nelly’s Hot in Herre samples Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers’ Bustin’ Loose?! Check out Ceran’s reaction in this tweet thread. 

In thank you notes received following the forum, students and staff at NCS expressed how much they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were grateful for the time spent with JuJu and learning more about the official music of D.C. 

categories / 2023
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