May 27: Lawrence Farmer at Bunker Hill ES

On May 27, 2021, Lawrence Farmer facilitated a Teach the Beat virtual visit at Bunker Hill ES. Farmer is a Washington D.C. native, musician, and a performer in the All Star Blend band. He’s also a former member of L!SSEN and Let it Flow.

Farmer facilitated the event, introducing a new generation to go-go. Second graders of RaNeta Oliver and Eugene Yarbrough’s classes were given an overview of go-go’s history and connection to the D.C. area.  Farmer shared his screen full of go-go’s main percussion instruments – drum sets, congos, and cowbells, and used YouTube to demo videos. 

He queried the students with “Share a story of a performance of live music that you have seen. What feelings do you have when you hear go-go music? What types of live music do you hear in your community?”

Just like a live  go-go performance, Farmer made use of the call-and-response technique, drawing the children into dialogue and discussion. This made for a good rhythm throughout the virtual event.

One student shared about meeting Justin Bieber in a live performance. Another noted that you don’t need a band to create go-go – you just need a drum. Another shared her experiences with go-go gospel music. 

Farmer discussed the importance of having a connection to local artists and listed local events that we can all attend, such as the Anacostia neighborhood’s Unifest, Georgia Avenue Day, started in 1982 to promote small businesses in that area, and the H Street Festival in NE D.C. While the students weren’t aware of these festivals, Yarbrough engaged with excitement, recounting the times he attended Georgia Avenue Day. 

As the class prepared to close, a question was asked to share what was everyone’s favorite go-go song. Oliver shared her favorite song, “Take My Breath Away,” by New Impressionz. 

Both Farmer and Yarbrough shared that their favorite song was “Bustin’ Loose,” which began to play as students exited the virtual classroom. 

Farmer impressed on the students that because go-go originated in D.C. and involves local artists, this music brings a special connection to all of us who live here. That was the main take away from this lively conversation, go-go is a unifying sound.