A Talk to Teaching the Beat: James Baldwin and Go-Go Inspire Secondary Working Group Members

The middle/high school People’s History working group came together for their May meeting on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Alison Rice led the group in an activity reflecting on the words of James Baldwin in A Talk To Teachers.

Together, educators shared how the two quotes resonated with them from perspectives of the experiences Baldwin was speaking to when the words were written and also the current climate around education. 

As the time together continued, working group members brainstormed ideas to support the second annual #TeachTruth Days of Action. Many themes from the discussion on Baldwin came up in the planning, with the interest to encourage young people to be present and provide them opportunities to talk about the impact of the current state of education. One educator commented, “Yes! Adults are worried when kids lead!”

The remainder of the session celebrated Teaching for Change’s Teach the Beat program, bringing go-go in the classroom. The working group was joined by Teach the Beat program specialist and teaching artist Matt “Swamp Guinee” Miller. Miller shared the rich history of go-go, dating back to its incorporation of African, Caribbean, and Latin American drumming to its inception here in the D.C. metro area. Miller engaged educators with ways to incorporate beats and rhythms in telling stories, having working group members demonstrate a sound that reflected their current mood. The beats highlighted moods of joy, celebration, and grief. One educator shared that through this conversation and their own upbringing in D.C., they realized how much has been lost regarding the art form of go-go. 

Working group members shared how they incorporate the use of beats and rhythms in their classrooms: 

I sometimes tell my kids that their beats are whack and challenge them to create some I haven't heard.  It's amazing what they come up with.  I might join in occasionally with pencil tapping like a cowbell. 

What I would do now is have students beat during transitions to get everyone’s attention when we are coming back to the whole group from small group.

The discussion continued picking up where one educator left off, regarding grief of the loss of the art form. Working group members & Miller discussed the tensions around the official music of D.C. and how go-go has been part of the resistance and a continued reclaiming of presence throughout the D.C. metro area. 

As he closed, Miller shared his song Mayor 4 Life which celebrates Marion Barry.