Create your original beatbox pattern!
Design and practice an original beatbox pattern using basic mouth sounds, record or perform it, and experiment with tempo and rhythm to create music.
Step-by-step guide to create your original beatbox pattern
Step 1
Sit in front of the mirror and relax your jaw and lips for 10 seconds.
Step 2
Make a strong bass drum sound by pressing your lips together and saying "buh" sharply eight times.
Step 3
Make a hi-hat sound by saying a short "tss" with your teeth or tongue eight times.
Step 4
Make a snare sound by using a sharp "k" or "pf" in the back of your mouth eight times.
Step 5
Draw three boxes on your paper to hold your sounds.
Step 6
Label each box with a letter or symbol for your bass hi-hat and snare sounds.
Step 7
Arrange your letters into a four-beat pattern and write the pattern once under the boxes.
Step 8
Clap the rhythm of your pattern slowly while counting "1 2 3 4" for eight measures.
Step 9
Vocalize your pattern along with your claps for 30 seconds to match mouth sounds to the beat.
Step 10
Try your pattern twice as fast and once half as fast to hear how tempo changes the feel.
Step 11
Change one beat by adding a sound or a rest to make your pattern unique.
Step 12
Practice your finished beatbox pattern and perform it all the way through two times.
Step 13
Share your beatbox recording or video of your live performance on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use if I don't have a mirror, paper, or a way to record my performance?
Use a smartphone front camera or a shiny window instead of a mirror, draw the three boxes on a notebook or whiteboard, and record with your phone's voice memo or video app to upload to DIY.org.
I'm having trouble making a strong 'buh' bass or keeping the clap rhythm steady—what should I try?
Follow step 1 to relax your jaw and lips for 10 seconds, practice the bass by pressing your lips together and saying an exaggerated 'buh' slowly before doing eight times, and lock the beat by clapping while loudly counting '1 2 3 4' for eight measures as in step 8.
How can I adapt this activity for a 4-year-old or a 12-year-old?
For younger kids simplify to two sounds with two big stickered boxes and a 1‑2 clap pattern while vocalizing slowly, and for older kids add fills, experiment with twice-as-fast/half-as-fast tempos from step 12, or layer recordings for complexity.
How can we personalize or extend our beatbox pattern beyond the basic instructions?
Change one beat by adding a body percussion sound or a short rest as in step 13, decorate and label the boxes uniquely, then record multiple takes and layer them with a simple multitrack app before sharing on DIY.org (step 15).
Watch videos on how to create your original beatbox pattern
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Facts about beatboxing and vocal percussion for kids
⏱️ Beatboxers control tempo and rhythm so precisely they can mimic entire drum kits.
🗣️ Beatboxing uses only the mouth, lips, tongue and voice — no instruments needed!
🎙️ Doug E. Fresh is one of the earliest famous human beatboxers from the 1980s.
🏆 The Beatbox Battle World Championship attracts artists from over 50 countries.
🥁 The term "beatbox" comes from 1980s drum machines nicknamed "beat boxes".
How do I create an original beatbox pattern?
What materials do I need to design and record a beatbox pattern?
What ages is beatbox pattern creation suitable for?
How can kids avoid vocal strain and stay safe while beatboxing?
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