May 21: Sweetcherie at Beers Elementary School
On Friday, May 21st, Teach the Beat visited Beers Elementary School to share the history of go-go music with a vibrant class of 3rd graders. At the start of the class, students were curious as to what go-go artists are, but after listening to an Experience Unlimited song, the student’s squares suddenly were filled with motion and joy. Next, the class listened to Chuck Brown, the godfather of go-go. Despite minor tech challenges, Sweet Cherie, a keyboardist from the go-go band Bela Dona and founding teaching artist with Teach the Beat, shared her heritage as a child born and raised in D.C. loving go-go music.
First, Sweet Cherie asked, “What is go-go?” A student shared that it was pop music and another shared that it was a mix of hip hop, rap, and pop. Sweet Cherie shared colorful slides about the history of go-go in D.C., including its 2019 designation as the official music of D.C. From the 1960s to 2021, students watched video clips and images to get a glimpse of the diversity and evolution of the sound of go-go music. After watching an excellent go-go dancing video, Sweet Cherie asked if any of the students could dance like that, to which they responded “yes!” Just in case they needed practice, we watched a tutorial on how to beat your feet and everyone stood up to participate.
Before our time came to an end, the class was exposed to the ingredients of go-go music. While learning how to make our own syncopation, one student joined in from his basement drum set. As a class, we practiced some call and responses and with only the smallest bit of lag, we got up and danced together! Out of their chairs and jumping out of the camera, Sweet Cherie sang “sardines!” while the kids enthusiastically responded “and pork and beans!” Seconds after we finished our first song, a student exclaimed “Oh, my goodness can we do that again? That was so fun!” Teachers, students, and the go-go guest artists danced and locked together, adjusting cameras for more space and filling the call with laughter. The music had everyone up and dancing, and even as the music faded, students broke out in solos and showed off their moves. From teachers to students, everyone was tired!
Among student’s questions after the presentation, one student asked why go-go was so important to D.C., and Sweet Cherie quickly explained that it is essential to keep playing D.C’s music and keep the legacy going forever. That is why we learn about it now. One student’s parent popped into the call, hearing her student talking about go-go. As she got on the call, she asked “Who knows about go-go?” To which Sweet Cherie responded — and the mom screamed in surprise and excitement to see Sweet Cherie there, as she is a fan of Bela Dona, bringing a special surprise into the classroom.
Through this pandemic, everyone agreed that (virtual) live music was a saving force. Even though no one expected their third grade classroom to transform into a dance floor, the energy of the meeting left us with gratitude and energy for the rest of the day. Sweet Cherie closed by saying that “go-go bands and go-go players are like D.C. stars! Look up to them!”