Beatboxing is a popular vocal percussion technique that incorporates use of the entire vocal tract. Recently, research by Dr. Steven Simms (who I had the pleasure of working with briefly when we were both at Yale University in the 1990s) suggested that beatboxing techniques may actually protect against vocal cord injury. Unlike singing where most of the sustained energy is directed at the vocal cord level, beatboxing makes extensive use of the entire vocal tract, especially the muscles of…