September 27: Ju Ju at Garfield Elementary

Fourth and fifth graders in Mr. Brach Cobb’s music class participated in a go-go workshop with the legendary go-go drummer, Ju Ju House on September 27. Ju Ju introduced himself and shared some history of go-go music and then said to the children, “But today I want you to teach me about go-go music. This is your music. It comes from you and belongs to you, so I want you to teach me.”

Ju Ju proceeded to call students up in groups of four to improvise on various percussive instruments. He guided each one of them in discovering the rhythm for their instrument. Once each member of the Go-Go quartet knew their part, he asked another student to call “One, Two!” and the rest of the class would respond “Gimme that beat!” Each group of four would synthesize their parts and share their unique go-go rhythm. This became a “battle of the bands” and students were thoroughly inspired and engaged. During the final round, everyone danced and celebrated the creativity of one another. Everyone finished feeling like a winner.

September 27: Sweet Cherie at Raymond Education Campus

Go-go performer Sweet Cherie led a Teach the Beat workshop with approximately twenty-sixth graders in Mr. Dylan Nowak’s music class at Raymond Education Campus. She was introduced by a student who chronicled her long history as a go-go performer in DC. Sweet Cherie began the workshop by explaining the percussion beats in go-go and asking for examples of these instruments while Nowak passed them out to the students. Sweet Cherie and Mr. Nowak modeled rhythms for the different instruments and the students excitedly picked it right up.

Sweet Cherie explained the role of the “talker” as an integral part of go-go that includes the audience as part of the performance. Acting as the Talker while the students played, Sweet Cherie welcomed them all to class before demonstrating call and response. The students then helped her compile a list of go-go musicians. Sweet Cherie was wearing a Chuck Brown shirt, which all the students excitedly recognized as the Godfather of go-go. From there they talked about the different legends leading up to today’s generation of crank go-go bands.

The students and Mr. Nowak brought the beat back while Ms. Cherie performed “Sardines” with the students calling back. To close, students had the opportunity to ask Sweet Cherie questions. They asked what inspired her, how she became such an influential performer, as well as about her experience of playing with Chuck Brown for so many years. On their way out, the students wanted autographs and continued to call their thank yous.

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.

September 22: Sweet Cherie at Charles Hart Middle School

Go-go performer Sweet Cherie led a Teach the Beat workshop with approximately 60 sixth through eighth graders in Ms. Pierce’s music classes at Charles Hart Middle School. She began the workshop by asking what the students knew about go-go already and telling the students about the history of go-go music. 

Cherie taught the students the base go-go beat and explained the roles of various band members in a go-go band, including the “talker.” She then led the students in call and response, including “Sardines and Pork ‘n Beans” and calling out student’s names and neighborhoods. Students then joined Cherie at the piano, where they played beats and sang along while she played Backyard Band’s version of “Hello,” a go-go version of Rihanna’s “Work,” and more. After the class, students crowded around Cherie for autographs.

June 8: John "JB" Buchanan at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Go-go legend Mr. John "JB" Buchanan worked with Mr. Davey Yarborough's students on June 8, 2016 at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as part of the Teach the Beat program funded by DCPS and coordinated by Teaching for Change. The school was in swing space during renovation at the old Meyer Elementary School. JB began by expressing his respect for the students who take a 7AM class. He explained the origins of go-go and then taught a go-go variation of All Blues by Miles Davis. This video clip shows JB working with the students, followed by their reflections on the visit.

June 7: Sweet Cherie at Patterson Elementary School

Go-go performer Sweet Cherie led a Teach the Beat workshop with preschoolers in Ms. Lester’s class at Patterson Elementary School. She began the workshop by asking the children how much they knew about go-go music and talking to them about Chuck Brown and the origins of go-go music. Sweet Cherie passed out drums, tambourines, cowbells, and maracas to the students. Excited, they immediately began to play their instruments.

Sweet Cherie did call and response exercises with the students and played the song “Sardines and Pork ‘n Beans” with them. She taught them about the role of the “talker” and the importance of drums in go-go music. One young girl had such a great sense of rhythm that Sweet Cherie would always call on her for the base beat. Many students took turns on the keyboard, some expressing that they wanted one for themselves.

To their delight, Sweet Cherie played the Nae-Nae song on her keyboard for the preschoolers and they danced and continued to play their instruments. The students happily exclaimed “Thank you for the music!” at the end of the session. They all said that they wanted her to come back and do more sessions with them. The visit was funded by the office of the Chief of the Schools of DCPS.

June 2: Ju Ju at Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School

Marching Band Students at Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School (Phelps ACE) in northeast DC were incredibly grateful to have legendary go-go drummer Ju Ju House facilitate a rhythm workshop for them after school on June 2. Music teacher Andrew Green requested Ju Ju because of his expertise and ability to “help his students take their performance skills to the next level.” Specifically, he was hoping Ju Ju could teach the students how to separate the rhythms of Bounce Beats and Pocket Beats to different parts of the drumline.

Ju Ju did just that and so much more. After an introduction of himself and his generational history with music and go-go, he immediately launched into the lessons. He first listened to the songs the band played during the recent Emancipation Day parade in D.C. From there he worked with the students to understand how to improvise and enhance their part with bounce, pocket, and go-go beats. Through consistent affirmation of their hard work and talent, he worked with students individually, in sections, and with the entire band. From the guitar and congas to the keyboard and brass instruments, Ju Ju helped them to understand how it all comes together with the percussion and traps holding the beat. He held them accountable and assessed their understanding through a demonstration of the different beats. These focused students were up to the challenge and impressed Ju Ju with their skills.

Finally, through a series of questions and conversations, Ju Ju and the students improvised and created their own tune—a mix of go-go, funk, and reggae—that the students decided to call “Ju Ju-Phelps Beat.” They promised to fine tune it and perform it if Ju Ju promised to come back and jam with them. He happily agreed. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

June 1: Sugar Bear at Ballou High School

Sugar Bear, a graduate of Ballou, visited the new Ballou High School building for the first time to the delight of the music students in Mr. Watson’s class. When entering the building, staff members shouted “Sugar Bear”! When he entered the classroom, he was greeted with a round of applause from students. After sharing some history of go-go, Sugar Bear said, “Lets jam.” Students jumped up and got their instruments. Over the next hour, Sugar Bar played various tunes with the class. When a new tune was introduced, Mr. Watson and Sugar Bear coached students on how to play it. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

May 31: Sweet Cherie at Johnson Middle School

Sweet Cherie did a go-go workshop with 6th-grade students at Johnson Middle School. The students entered the library excited to meet Sweet Cherie. Students were asked if they had been to a go-go before. One student shared how his older brother had taken him to a go-g0 and that he loved the experience. After describing her own history with go-go, Sweet Cherie asked the students to make some go-go beats on the tables. 

Students kept the beat while Sweet Cherie played some popular songs on her keyboard. At one point, a student goes up and began to sing along to the surprise and delight of his classmates. Another student played a song on Sweet Cherie’s keyboard while she backed him up with a go-go beat. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

May 27: Ju Ju at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan

Third-grade students in Mr. Strother’s music class at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan (DCPS) got a special treat on May 27, when go-go legend Ju Ju came to give a lesson. Ju Ju asked the students about their favorite musicians, then coached the students as teams of four on the rototoms, conga, cowbell, and tambourine. Students competed to see who had the tightest band and quickly discovered that in order to succeed, they needed to listen to each other and work together as a team. Ju Ju had the students copy his beats in their seats and in front of the class. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

May 20: Ju Ju at Houston Elementary School

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.

May 20: Sweet Cherie at Simon Elementary School

Fourth graders in Ms. Shanklin’s music class at Simon Elementary School (DCPS) hosted a Teach the Beat workshop with go-go performer Sweet Cherie. All of the students participated, learned, and enjoyed.

Sweet Cherie opened with a talk about the history and culture of go-go. Then she invited students to play go-go music with her. The teacher had instruments ready, calling students up in small groups by their birth months to select from the drums, tambourines, cowbells, and maracas. While playing songs such as “Sardines and Pork ‘n Beans,” Sweet Cherie wove in lessons about the go-go beat, call-and-response, and the role of the keyboard player.

Many of the students (including the drummer pictured below) are part of the school’s drum line. The Be’la Dona performers noted that the young girl (pictured below to the right) could be a future lead singer in their band. The visit was funded by Office of the Chief of Schools of DCPS.

May 11: Sweet Cherie, John Buchanan, Sugar Bear, Natalie Hopkinson, and Ju Ju at Sidwell Friends School

On May 11, Cherie “Sweet Cherie” Mitchell-Agurs, Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott, John Buchanan, William “Ju Ju” House, and Natalie Hopkinson visited Sidwell Friends School to give students a sense of the rich history of go-go in the D.C. area, its roots as an art form, and its evolution over the years. The school wanted students to learn about go-go in advance of the go-go dance that weekend, a decades-long annual tradition.

Teaching for Change and the performers offered two classroom workshops followed by a presentation in the weekly all-school assembly. 

One of the workshops engaged students in our meet and greet activity. Participants take on the role of a key person or institution in go-go history and interview each other. For the session at Sidwell, the artists and scholars played themselves to the delight of the participants. Following the activity, participants worked in small groups to write questions about go-go. The performers and scholars were each assigned to one of the small groups to respond to the questions. This led to a highly participatory and intimate dialogue.

In the assembly, author Natalie Hopkinson introduced each artist and invited them to talk about the history of go-go and their respective role as artists. She also took questions from the audience. One student asked about the role of improvisation and another asked what the performers think of the new bounce beat. Another said, “Can you play more music for us.” The artists enthusiastically agreed as long as students would join in. About ten students came to the stage, including one young man who got on the mic and invited everyone to “get on their feet” to join in. The room erupted in clapping and shouts as the student invoked the time-honored tradition of call and response, a key aspect of go-go.  “Hey ya, hey ya, hey ya,”  echoed throughout the room as students responded to each chant. The visit ended with the group performing the hit song “Da Butt” with the entire room on their feet.

May 10: Sweet Cherie at Dorothy Height Elementary School

On May 10, Cherie “Sweet Cherie” Mitchell Agurs visited the second-grade classroom of Kevin Johnson at Dorothy I. Height Elementary School (DCPS). Cherie began by talking about the history of go-go and finding out how much students knew about DC’s indigenous music. After that, she demonstrated a few classic go-go beats and asked students to join her. 

Students were then given instruments, with Cherie instructing each student on a specific beat to play. After practicing a bit, Cherie asked a volunteer to come up and sing. One student jumped up and began to sing “Hello” accompanied by her classmates and Cherie on piano. The class continued with a variety of students taking turns singing, dancing, and serving as the “talkers.” The class concluded by everyone singing the classic go-go tune “Sardines and Pork ‘n Beans.”

March 24: Ju Ju at E.L.Haynes Public Charter School (High School)

On March 24, William “Ju Ju” House visited students in Julian Hipkins III’s DC History classes at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. The DC History class was joined by students from Jennifer Fox-Thomas’ music classes. Ju Ju began by asking students to gather around a table at the front of the room to view images and documents related to go go from all over the world. Students were able to examine and discuss various pieces of go-go memorabilia that Ju Ju collected over three decades of playing DC indigenous music.

Ju Ju then asked students to come up and play some go-go beats with instruments that he brought. Ju Ju instructed each three-person group on how to play a go-go beat. After the brief tutorial, they began and ended with a loud applause from their classmates. After the demonstration, Ju Ju explained the history of go-go and how he came to love the music. He took the opportunity to ask students their thoughts on how to keep go-go alive. Students had a variety of answers.

• A reunion concert with all of the great go-go groups.
• Larger social media presence in regards to the history of go-go as well as upcoming events.
• Photographer Maybelline McCoy suggested using the hashtag #reclaimgogo when posting information on social media.

When Hipkins mentioned that Ju Ju would be speaking at a whole school assembly at another school the following week, a powerful exchange occurred:

Student: Why didn’t you do that for us?

Hipkins: Ju Ju is here.

Student: I mean for the whole school

Haynes teacher: Why are you asking him? You have the power.

Student: Can I work with you to make it happen? Are you willing to work with us?

Hipkins: I am.

After the visit, the student agreed to help bring a go-go event to the school as a gift from the senior class to cement their legacy at the school.

This classroom visit was funded by #NzingaNewYear donors. Photos by Maybelline McCoy.