On June 18, 2016, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation sponsored a program called “Hip Hop and Go-Go: Community Innovations” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Attendees enjoyed a live musical performance and learned from panelists Biz Markie, Donnell Floyd, D-Nice, and Charles Stephenson. Stephenson, co-author of a book on go-go, described the …
Posted: February 21, 2024 by Deborah
New Go-Go Song Challenges U.S. Military Spending
Award-winning D.C.-based musician Devin Walker (“Uncle Devin”) released a powerful new single, “Move the Money.” Walker is a teaching artist in Teaching for Change’s Teach the Beat program in D.C. area schools. Inspired by the iconic 1986 anthem “The Word” by D.C.’s Junkyard Band, Walker’s new song challenges U.S. government funding that prioritizes war over …
Posted: February 15, 2024 by Deborah
Teach the Beat
Teaching for Change helps teachers infuse go-go music in the curriculum with classroom workshops led by musicians, free lessons, and professional development. Go-go originated in D.C. during the mid- to late-1970s and has remained the city’s soundtrack for generations. While many bands got their start in D.C. schools, decades later it was not in the …
Posted: March 17, 2022 by Allison Acosta
Go-Go Sound of Summer Series
On a Friday 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 …
Posted: July 2, 2016 by Deborah
Smithsonian Visitors Learn about Go-Go and Teach the Beat
On June 18, 2016, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation sponsored a program called “Hip Hop and Go-Go: Community Innovations” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Attendees enjoyed a live musical performance and learned from panelists Biz Markie, Donnell Floyd, D-Nice, and Charles Stephenson. Stephenson, co-author of a book on go-go, described the …