What is Finding Rhythm?

The children’s musical production Finding Rhythm brings the rhythms of DC’s go-go music into spaces dedicated to community and healing.

Covered by NBC4, DCist and dubbed “The most DC thing” by WUSA9 news, Finding Rhythm tells a story of the biological origins of human rhythm, and teaches how rhythm grows the brain and helps us find our individual power... and our connection with community. 

Finding Rhythm in the News

  • The DCist and NPR did a feature segment on our children’s musical Finding Rhythm! Read the DCist and Listen to NPR.

  • NBC4’s The Tommy Show interviewed Dr. Jessica and Dante’ Pope on the premiere of our educational musical based in science and rhythm. Watch NBC4.

What Others Have To Say…

  • "Organic… phenomenal!!!"

    Natalie Hopkinson | American University Professor, Author, Go-Go Scholar & Co-Founder of the #DontMuteDC movement

  • "Ageless… Full of color!"

    Dior Ashley Brown | Emcee, Hip-Hop Artist, Founder of DC Music Summit

  • "BRAVO Excellent show. It was amazing. I'm so glad I came!"

    Uncle Devin | The Children’s Drumcussionist, Host of WEE Nation

  • "Kudos to Finding Rhythm for using this unique artform of Go-Go music as a tool for cognitive development in children. I absolutely love the song Soul, Beat, Connection as it shares the factual narrative of the origins and evolution of DC Go-Go music. I am looking forward to hearing more music from Finding Rhythm."

    Matt Miller (aka Swamp Guinee) | Musician, Educator, Founder of Crank Lukongo

  • "I want to commend Dr. Jessica on her incredible show Finding Rhythm, and her educational curriculum for DC Public Schools based in music and brain science. It is really powerful to show how rhythm can be a tool for children’s brain development and learning, and then to implement it in the classroom. As an educator and a mother, I just really want to thank you for what you are doing."

    Dr. Bweikia Steen | Professor of Multicultural Education, George Mason University

  • "As an arts educator invested in providing my students with authentic cultural experiences, I really loved how your residency used Go-Go music as a way to ground children through an artistic connection to time, place, and local history. Exploring the neuroscience of music with these students also allowed them to better understand how art connects to the human brain on a deeper level, and how engaging in the artistic process - such as through music making - contributes to both creative and intellectual growth. Beyond the content, involving students in decision-making such as which instruments they played, how the music was arranged, and how to perform for the larger community gave them an invaluable sense of personal agency that can sometimes get lost in the rigidity of educational curricula."

    Mindy | Elementary music teacher in Southeast DC