SMETHPORT (EC) — Backtrack, an award-winning five-person a cappella group from New York City, appeared in assemblies Wednesday for elementary and secondary students in the Smethport Area School District.

The singers were Mallory Moses, soprano; Melissa Jordano, soprano; Mike Hinkle, tenor; Evan Feist, bass; and Johnny Buffalo, beatboxer. Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily using the art of drum machines, using one’s mouth, lips, tongue and voice.

Backtrack infuses heart and humor into every performance and push the limits of a cappella — music without instrumental accompaniment — by creating covers of present and past pop music, writing inspiring original compositions and daring to take on unexpected genres such as classical and electronic music.

In addition to performing, Backtrack, which is very interested in educating and inspiring America’s youth about a cappella music through workshops, held a question-and-answer session with music students at Smethport.

“Smethport was the first stop on their Mid-West performance tour at venues including performing arts centers, school districts, theatres, colleges and universities, churches, children’s center and music festivals,” said Matt Bailey, choral music teacher at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School and host for the group.

Backtrack got its start on YouTube, where the group now has more than 10 million views and 110,000 subscribers. They have appeared on Pop TV, and Steve Harvey’s daytime show “Steve!”

This group has been recognized with several awards including winning Steve Harvey’s “Sing Off,” the 2017 Northeast International Championship of A Cappella finalists in the 2107 International Championship of A Cappella (Best Arrangement), the 2017 ACA Challenge (Audience Favorite) and the 2016 You Tube Next Up competition. They were finalists in the 2017 International Championship of A Cappella  (Best Beat Beatboxer).