CHILDREN from Gurnard Primary School were challenged to make beats with a familiar instrument – their own bodies!

Beatboxer Danny Ladwa, founder of the 'School of Beatbox', taught 19 children the fundamentals of beatboxing today (Friday).

He schooled them in rhythmic exercises and taught them how to imitate a bass drum, snare drum and hi-hat cymbal, in both its open and closed positions.

Danny told the fascinated Year 6 pupils the story of how he got into beatboxing.

"When I was six I started to think up rhymes in my head," explained Danny. "Then when I turned 11, I wrote my first verse to a song.

"But it wasn't just the words I was writing. I could hear all these different sounds."

At this point in the tale, the beatboxer showed off some of his talents, hitting high notes and low bass wobbles without aid from any instrument – the children were in awe.

"I couldn't play any instruments, so how was could I express it?" he continued.

"I was a bedroom beatboxer, I was shy, I was scared someone say 'that's stupid'."

Then while playing Atari with his older brother, he unleashed a beat for the first time in front of an audience, terrified of the reaction, he was pleasantly surprised to hear his brother exclaim, 'that's wicked man!'

By 17 the vocal musician was performing his first gig, which lead to festival appearances and a world tour – encompassing America, Canada, Panama, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.

His message to the children was that they are all creators, they should never be afraid to show their creations to others, not to be shy bedroom beatboxers.