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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May 20: Ju Ju at Houston Elementary School

May 20, 2016 / Mykella Palmer

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The young students who participate in Mr. Wood’s drumline at Houston Elementary School in Ward 7 got a special visit on May 20 from renowned go-go drummer Ju Ju House. Ju Ju started the visit by gathering the students together to talk about their favorite musicians. Students saw pictures of Ju Ju, Chuck Brown, and other go-go performers in magazines. They clapped along to a go-go beat and belted out the chorus to go-go classic “Sardines.”

Then students got their drums and Ju Ju gave them a got a drumline lesson. He showed the bass drummers and then the snare drummers a go-go beat, then focused on drumline basics. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

categories / 2016