College student shares unusual talent

KSL 5
Reporting: Alex Cabrero
March 21, 2008 

A Westminster College sophomore has learned more about delivering mail than he ever thought was possible. He works on campus as a mailman.

He's also majoring in finance and hopes one day to get into the finance world, unless his unique hobby becomes his career.

Ever since he was a freshman, Dennis Garrett has been working in Westminster College's mail room. Many students work this job to make a little money. But when Garrett brings the mail, it's a special delivery. That's because Garrett is also a beat boxer. Beat boxing is a musical form that involves making noises with only your mouth.

Those he delivers boxes to like to hear his beat boxing. When he brings mail to the Student Life Building, sometimes he can't leave until he performs. When he gets started, everyone else stops what they're doing.

Laura Bellow said, "It's really cool. I don't know how he does it." Andrew Mitchell told us, "I can't do it. No way." Valeria Asher said, "I think I'm really old and he's really young, but it made me move. It's great."

Garrett says his parents used to worry when he would lock himself in his room to practice, but not anymore. Now, as a sophomore, he's won back-to-back Westminster talent shows (YouTube video of 2007 talent show at left ) and $4,000 in an online London competition.

Breathing while performing is difficult. Garrett says, "The snare that I use is breathing in." Another snare sound allows him to breathe out. "I couldn't breathe for maybe the first few months," he admitted.

Now he's just happy he can bring joy to others, even if it's only for a few minutes.
"I love it when people come up and they're like, ‘Good job! That was amazing!' That feeling, I think, is irreplaceable," he said.

Garrett has posted some of his videos on YouTube. You'll find the links on this page.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2908688