Teach The Beat — Teach the Beat!

Bringing the distinctive D.C. sound of go-go into the classroom.

Teaching for Change is honored to work with D.C. area schools and the authors of The Beat! Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C. to develop lessons and share teaching ideas for infusing the history and music of go-go in middle and high school social studies, language arts, math, music, and/or D.C. history classes, and to bring renowned go-go performers into D.C. classrooms.

"Go-go has stayed true to time-honored cultural scripts such as live call-and-response, live instrumentation, as well as its locally rooted fashions, slang, dance, distribution and economic systems. Simply put: Go-Go never sold out. There is a grit and texture to the music that gives voice to the communities where it was created." –Natalie Hopkinson

LEARN MORE ABOUT GO-GO SIGN UP DONATE

Filtering by Author: Allison Acosta

Go-Go Sound of Summer

July 01, 2021 / Allison Acosta

In June 2021, go-go music legends and the Teach the Beat and DC Public Library teams filled the Martin Luther King Jr. Library’s auditorium with the official sound of D.C. in celebration of a three part series Go-Go Sound of Summer. Each episode explored a different facet of go-go music and culture, breaking down the foundations of the music, showcasing its history in D.C., and celebrating its broader influence on other music genres, popular culture, political movements, and more.