On Thursday, June 3rd, Ju Ju returned to visit Ms. Sewell’s Coolidge High School class for the second visit in the series.
He spent the first part of the class highlighting some of his experiences playing with E.U. and sharing different videos from performances he played over his career.
He transitioned the class into a series of question & answers to encourage their inquiry around his experience and the history of go-go:
Q: What is the greatest event you remember and enjoyed?
A: Madonna playing with E.U and an event with the Pope in NY playing with Roberta Flack.
Q: Why did you want to perform go-go?
A: It was the only sound that wasn’t touched. Go-go was a unique sound that hadn’t been touched.
Q: What was your first ever performance for go-go?
A: Wow! That’s really good, I need to write that down! I would have to say it was with the Peacemakers and it was at a place called Caveyard. It could have been a little bit before then, but that was one of the bigger ones I remember.
Q: Did you ever get Chuck Brown’s autograph?
A: Ju Ju gave us a brief tour of his house and shared one of his most coveted momentos — Chuck Brown’s signed guitar!
To which Ms. Sewell and the class were in awe!
Q: “Did you ever meet Michael Jackson?” asked one student, who loves Michael Jackson.
A: No, I met Janet Jackson. I did meet Prince and before he passed, he had wanted to do a go-go album.
Q: How many artists and bands did you meet?
A: I have met so many artists and bands, I am one of the few drummers that are represented at the National Museum of African American Museum of History and Culture. I have played with Journey, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller. We could be on here for two hours for how many artists I have played with and produced music with, as well.
Q: Did you ever play at a sporting event?
A: I actually played with Chaka Khan on the drums when the Dallas Cowboys were in the Super Bowl.
“This is why go-go is so important. Go-go will take you places. You are going to be the ones who carry the torch,” Ju Ju said.
Ms. Sewell celebrated go-go being played during a sneak peak of the upcoming Black Girls Rock celebration that airs on June 18th, 2021. In the clip, posted by Black Girls Rock, you can see MC Lyte and musicians dancing to a go-go beat.
Ju Ju asked the class again, “Would you change anything about go-go?”
To which the students unanimously said “No!
“Go-go is fine just the way it is.”
“It represents us, it represents D.C.”
Ju Ju asked the class, “Do you remember the instruments that make up go-go music?”
One by one the students shared:
“Congos, bongos, cowbell, and wood instruments.”
“Bass and guitar”
“You are missing one,” Ju Ju shared as he stepped back to his equipment.
He started playing on a set that we couldn’t see but could hear.
“ROTOTOMS!” one person exclaimed. To which Ju Ju played a celebratory beat.
Ju Ju returned to testing the class’ memory of what was a pocket and a bounce beat, playing a few sets of music and having the class raise one hand if we guessed the “pocket” and two hands for the “bounce beat.”
After seeing the class’ response, Ju Ju said “Congratulations! You know the ‘pocket’ and ‘bounce beat!’”
Ms. Sewell closed the class with homework, to which the students shouted, “Homework again!”
“Yes,” said Ms. Sewell.
The homework assignment: “What is the song ‘The Word,’ by Junkyard Band about and why did they write it?”
Ju Ju highlighted for an additional assignment to look up “Cool Disco Dan. What part of go-go did Disco Dan play?”
Friday, June 4th
As students joined their virtual classroom, Ju Ju House welcomed them with personalized songs, alternating between pocket beats and bounce beats. To warm up, the class was challenged to put up one hand for pocket beats and two for bounce beats!
Next, Ju Ju House let the class brainstorm what makes a go-go band for a few minutes, and when asked if the students were prepared, one student exclaimed, “I was born ready!”
Students each shared five aspects of go-go bands that distinguish them from other music, and with encouragement from Ju Ju House, the students reflected on the instruments they had learned about from the previous two sessions.
When one student was called on, he popped into the camera, shouting “Yay!” before rushing into many instruments that distinguished go-go music. From rototoms, electric guitar, congos and bongos, and saxophone, keyboardists, and cowbells, the go-go vocabulary was setting in!
The class also reflected on their homework project reflecting on Cool “Disco” Dan, and students popped in to discuss his death, the spread of graffiti, and his trademark which was signed on walls all over the D.C. metro area.
Ju Ju House tested us on our song recognition, and as he played “Da Butt” and “Bustin Loose,” students called in to share the names of the famous artists. Throughout class, students distinguish beats, lyrics, artists, and music. The stakes were high as Ju Ju House told the class that they would only get to meet his special guest if they could identify every beat and song and instrument correctly.
Beyond the teacher, classmates were encouraging each other as they continued to succeed in identifying all of the components of go-go!
Ju Ju congratulated the group on their success, and before meeting his special guest, Keesha Ceran, Associate Director of Teaching for Change, asked Ju Ju how he would change go-go and what legacy he imagined it would have. House explained that he would want go-go to stay raw, and he hoped that go-go musicians would liberate themselves to write their own music instead of covering primarily mainstream music.
Students had a few questions, ranging from what everyone’s favorite Micheal Jackson song was to Ju Ju House’s band affiliations. As everyone named their favorite Micheal Jackson song, Ju Ju Ju challenged the class to share three go-go songs. From participation in the chat to students unmuting in the call, we applauded everyone for their learning.
The class completed Ju Ju House’s challenge, identifying the name and instruments of songs he played. Finally we were allowed to see his special guest!
