September 23: Ju Ju at Randle Elementary School

Fifth graders at Randle Highlands Elementary School enjoyed a hands-on go-go workshop taught by legendary drummer, William ‘Ju Ju’ House.

With Ju Ju’s guidance, students excitedly took to the assorted drums, tambourines, and other percussion instruments and played basic go-go beats to the delight of their classmates, teachers, and Ju Ju himself. Vocalist Staci Payne (currently of Be’la Dona) also joined the session, and the visit quickly became a boisterous ‘in-the-pocket’ battle between the boys and the girls. 

After the battle (which included a rousing rendition of Adele’s/Back Yard Band’s “Hello”), Ju Ju taught the young Washingtonians the history of go-go, and shared a picture from his phone of a photo of himself and other go-go legends in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Everyone was invited to see him perform during the Museum’s opening festival that weekend.