The hallway filled with the beat of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” as freshman Alex Ayala beat boxed to the rhythm. As he tapped his feet and nodded his head, he used tongue clicks and humming to reproduce the popular song with his own twist as a crowd gathered around to listen.

His sister, junior Juliana Ayala, noticed his talent for beat boxing in sixth grade. Although Alex kept practicing, he didn’t realize how the art of beat boxing played into his every day life until eighth grade.

“Once I found out what [beat boxing] was, I looked up how to make random sounds,” Alex said. “I watch YouTube tutorial videos and with the Internet today, you have more chances to learn.”

Alex researched new techniques to improve his skill and learned many tricks to produce sound.

“You can use your hand to amplify the sound and make different noises,” Alex said. “It changes based on the way the air moves.”

Alex drew inspiration from famous beat boxers, like Felix Zenger, and interpreted sounds or beats he heard throughout the day.

“[I do it because] it’s a way to express myself,” Alex said. “I like the fact how there is new stuff to learn like different sounds and variations.”

Beat boxing proved to be second nature as he couldn’t control when or where he started. His talent gained recognition from his family and peers. He earned a spot in the hip-hop scene as part of the Lollipop Guild in the fall production of The Wizard of Oz.

“It’s a habit and I’ll just start doing it and then people are always telling me to stop,” Alex said.

Alex enjoyed performing for people as well as alone, using beat boxing as an outlet for creativity.

“I feel happy [when beat boxing],” Alex said. “It’s a way to express myself and it’s just something fun and unique.”