In this episode of Good Job Podcast, Beth Roars talks to Danny Ladwa – Beatboxer, Singer and founder of School of Beatbox and The Stammering Voice Orchestra. Beth chats to Danny about his stammer as a teenager and how gaining vocal confidence through his singing helped him through this period in his life. They also explore the correlation and differences between singing and beatboxing and discuss Danny’s instinctive approach as a beatboxer when it comes to finding his own voice.
““Keep experimenting, keep pushing your boundaries, keep pushing the walls. If you can do a sound like this, mess around with it. The shape of your mouth, how much breath you are using. Mess around with it and you’ll find that you can twist and shape the sounds and then you’ll find some magical stuff.” ”
Podcast Episode Highlights:
Beth Roars introduces beatboxer, singer and songwriter Danny Ladwa
Danny Ladwa opens the podcast with some freestyle beatboxing
What was Danny’s worst job ever?
How Danny was fixated on different rhymes even from the age of six
Danny’s journey into writing songs from a young age and his awareness of the different components of music as a child
The progression Danny experienced into beatboxing and experimenting with sound
How the opinion of his older brother and friends affected Danny’s confidence in his ability
When was Danny Ladwa’s first gig?
How Danny found himself performing a seven hour gig in Goa
Beth asks Danny about whether he also sings and the correlation between singing and beatboxing
Can beatboxing make you a better singer?
Danny explains how parts of the voice used as a singer can be utilised for beatboxing
What is The School of Beatbox?
Danny Ladwa speaks about his struggles with a stammer as a child
How singing can help a stammer
What causes stammering? Are there physiological or emotional connections?
Why Danny decided to set up The School of Beatbox
How to support people with a stammer and why it’s important to Danny
Danny opens up about his experience of overcoming his own stammer through singing and creative output
What sort of people can be affected by a stammer?
What does Danny Ladwa have planned for the future?
Beth Roars asks Danny what advice he has for anyone who wants to beatbox
Key Points:
Confidence is key when you’re approaching finding your own unique sound and exploring what your voice is capable of, whatever genre you end up performing in
More people than we realise are affected by a stammer on a daily basis, by helping raise self-esteem and confidence, often these stammers fall away by the time people are older, if they are given support
Trust your instincts and be playful so that you can find freedom even within a set musical structure
Quotes:
“I was super shy, didn’t want to show it (beatboxing) to anyone because I didn’t realise that there was even a platform for it or what people would make of it”
Danny Ladwa
“Experiment and explore to find your own sound. It’s so so important.”
Danny Ladwa
“If I knew I was going to get stuck on a particular word. I would sing it subtly. It was either that or shouting the word.”
Danny Ladwa
“It’s definitely a flow. Beatboxing is improvisation. That is the magic of beatbox, you don’t have to be set up in any particular way. You don’t need any other instruments. You just practice it wherever you are and you’re always equipped”
Danny Ladwa
“Anything that helps raise self esteem and confidence, helping people that stammer feel proud and not worry about this issue they have with their speech, because they shouldn’t have to hide it”
Danny Ladwa
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