The boom of the bass drum, the crash of a cymbal and the rat-a-tat from a snare. Upon first listen you may think you are listening to a drum being played, but it might just be the sound of Elyse Harris (‘29) beatboxing.

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion that uses one’s mouth, lips, tongue and voice to mimic the sound of a drum. Ever since she can remember Harris has had a love and passion for music and beatboxing. She grew up around a musical family, and her dad owns a business in the music industry.

“I just remember me and my dad, when we were younger, we would beatbox and freestyle rap and stuff in the car,” Harris said. “I just thought it was so cool to be able to do that.” 

In addition to her beatboxing with her dad, Harris said he is a source of inspiration for her music style and his influence on her general love of music.

“[My father] beatboxed because he played the drums, and I kind of just saw him do it,” Harris said. “I was like, ‘I want to do that.’ So then it just came naturally seeing my father do it.”

Ninu Alitoro (‘29) has been Harris’ friend since sixth grade and was impressed when she first heard Harris beatboxing during choir one day.

“I think it was in choir one time when we were having a show, and she started beatboxing.” Alitoro said. “At first I did not know that she beatboxed, but then when she did it, I was so proud.”

Harris said that she does not make her own beats. Instead, she listens to a song repetitively and then focuses on the drum part of the song. 

Orchestra Director Hannah Murray collaborated with Harris for Archer’s Founders Day. The orchestra played “Royals” by Lorde and Harris beatboxed alongside them. Murray asked her students if they knew anyone who played the drums — but they recommended Harris to beatbox instead.

“The piece that we played, Royals, it was feeling a little stale before she joined us. It was good, but we kind of over-rehearsed it, and we were a little bored with it, and there was only so much we could do as an orchestra,” Murray said. “So when she came to rehearsal, it was like a breath of fresh air.”

When Harris joined the orchestra, Murray said, she made everyone play better and with more enthusiasm. She was surprised by how successful it was, especially since the first time she heard her beatbox was just a week before the Founders Day performance.

“I was crossing my fingers that the orchestra was right, and that this was not going to fall apart,” Murray said. “And she was amazing. She came to the first rehearsal, and we ran it four times in a row because I was like, ‘This is so incredible.’ It was so exciting.”  

Although Harris loves beatboxing and performing, she said there are challenges that she faces when performing.

“I do not know how people hold their breath so long. I do not understand how people do not hear me gasping for air on the microphone,” Harris says. “That’s the hardest part because then I am more focused on trying not to sound tired than actually keeping the beat.”

Harris said she has been performing in front of a crowd since she was young, always singing and dancing for her family. Although she gets nervous, she is confident when she performs.

“It’s just when you set a bar that high, you can’t let the nerves get to you, because you know what you’re capable of doing,” Harris said, “so you can not hold back.”  

Harris said she is grateful to have found something that she loves to do and hopes to pursue beatboxing as a career one day. 

“When I’m making music, when I’m listening to music, when I’m writing music, it just makes me feel so happy. So it does not really matter if I’m just doing it with friends or if I’m doing it for a performance,” Harris said. “That same love that started when I was really little is still there.”

This story was originally published on The Oracle on January 17, 2025.