Beatboxing may be a surprising new form of speech therapy

Beatboxing has long been associated with the hip hop world. But creating beats is not only a form of self-expression; it could help to unlock the full potential behind the human voice, especially for those with a speech impediment.

We’re exploring how a music class for disabled children at The Lavelle School for the Blind in New York City uses beatboxing as an effective form of speech therapy.

James Kim is the executive director of Bridging Education and Art Together (BEAT) and one of the masterminds behind Beat Rockers, a beatboxing and self-expression programme aimed at young people in New York City.

Joining James is a professor of cognitive neuroscience, Sophie Scott who has studied the ways beatboxing challenges what we know about the human voice to examine just how helpful it can be.

Presented by Niamh Hughes. A full transcript is available here.

(Photo: Rapper and microphone/Credit: Getty Images)