Pretty kitty, cats cats, pretty kitty, boots. It seems simple enough, a nice rhythm. But it's not as easy as one thinks when you put the words into a beatbox pattern.
"I always try to keep my classes upbeat and fun. With the move to remote learning, especially for my younger students, I wanted to add even more energy and spunk, so we are learning to beatbox. The students really seem to love it!" said Lower School music teacher Tyler Smith.
Third graders are enthusiastically Zooming into class to learn the art of beatboxing.
"This beatboxing unit leads itself well to the online learning format through video lessons the students can complete at their own pace and Zoom class sessions to share what they've learned with each other," shared Mr. Smith. "I wanted to create a meaningful and enriching experience for the students that would get them excited for remote learning."
The feedback? Well, it's upbeat.
"Epic!" proclaimed Teddy.
"Wow, wow, wow," typed Lola in the Zoom "chat" prompt.
"So cool!" said John.
"The basics of beatboxing uses consonant-heavy words like boots, cats, pretty kitty, and others to mimic the various sounds and instruments of a drum set," said Mr. Smith. "The 3rd graders are learning basic technique and how to construct their own beats."
"Once you get used to it, you can be really good," observed Jacob.
3rd grader Tyler was excited to show off his new-found skill, offering up his own pattern - be-ta, be-ta, be-ta. "Oooh cool, that was a good one, Tyler!" said Mr. Smith.
"The sounds were very realistic so I felt like he was just echoing them," said Callen.
"I thought it was very lively and I really liked the video of the real sounds," shared Vivian.
Mr. Smith explained that tongue twisters can be challenging, "but the more you practice, the more you get it. Try them slower and gradually get faster."
"I think for this week, we can do larger beatboxing patterns," said Lola. "You want longer ones?" asked Mr. Smith. "We can definitely do that on Friday."
"Boots cats, boots cats, boots cats, boots cats," practiced the group.
Check out Mr. Smith's beatbox video lesson here. In the weeks ahead, the classes will be expanding their beatbox repertoire with more complicated rhythms and words.
"Boots, cats cats, pretty kitty, cats!"
