Writing Music for Movies & Video Games

Sasha Szlafarski

Ages 13 – 19

Tuesday, March 17 – 1:00 – 2:30 pm

Sasha Szlafarski, a local composer for film, television and video games, will break down how he writes cross-genre scores for a variety of media. Then, students will use Ableton Live to begin creating their own virtual ensemble and original music. No experience necessary.  

Join us for the third annual March Break Tech Week, offering musical fun for youth of all ages!

In our morning program, kids ages 8-12 will create their own movie scores and pick up a new instrument every day. Work with our skilled music instructors to learn new instruments and explore Garageband on the iPad.

Teens ages 13 – 19 can choose from a variety of 90-minute workshops. Learn how a professional composer writes music for film, experiment with live looping, and get hands on with Ableton Live. Co-write with pro songwriters and producers, and get a taste of the Musical Futures Production Program from HMC.

All programs take place at The HMC Centre for Performance and Education at The Gasworks (141 Park St N, Hamilton).

https://hamiltonmusiccollective.ca/programs/march-break/

About Sasha Szlafarski:

Sasha is a multi-disciplinary musician, producer, audio engineer, and composer based in Hamilton, Ontario. His work is marked by a strong emphasis on both sonic and emotional honesty, with a balanced appreciation for both complexity and understatement in music. Sasha began playing guitar at age 10 and quickly developed an interest in music production, teaching himself recording techniques. By middle school, he was engineering and mixing EPs for his bands. By high school graduation, he had released six EPs and toured internationally as a professional musician. He later pursued Film Scoring studies at the Berklee College of Music. After completing his studies, Sasha built a career as a composer, engineer, and producer for film, television, and commercial music, working with various filmmakers and studying under Toronto composer Donald Quan. His work expanded into sound recording on film sets and post-production mixing. In addition to his commercial projects, Sasha quietly produced music on the side for his close friends and colleagues who shared his passion for emotive music, unconventional orchestration, and layered storytelling. At the same time, Sasha advanced his engineering skills by working as a repair technician, specializing in guitars, amplifiers, recording studio equipment, and pedals, while also building his own gear. In 2021, he would eventually open Everything Hz, a professional recording studio, in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2023, Sasha joined the Hamilton Music Collective, where he designed and outfitted their new recording studio and music tech educational facility, Soundhaus, at the iconic Gasworks building in Hamilton.