Photos by Christian Avila
Tyler Garnett and John Hamilton
Free Access NONPROFIT EMPOWERS YOUTH THROUGH MUSIC AND PODCASTS
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hirteen years ago, John Hamilton left Sacramento to pursue a career in digital music production. He harbored a deep passion for DJing and knew he would not be able to meet his goals if he stayed in his hometown. There simply weren’t any opportunities in the sleepy Capital City.
ZS By Zack Sherzad Meet Your Neighbor
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“In 2007, you had to be in a music city—an LA, a New York, a Nashville, an Atlanta—to really network, make moves,” Hamilton says. “Unfortunately, Sacramento has been shipping talent away to places like LA and New York.” Having enjoyed success as a touring DJ, Hamilton’s back with a vision for his hometown that speaks to his passion for paying it forward. He believes expanded access to music production education can benefit the Sacramento community in multifarious ways, ranging from economic to emotional. “Music sparks the culture of an entire city, and there are so many periphery roles around having a media entertainment industry thriving in your city,” Hamilton says. “And now that everything is distributed online, you don’t need to be in New York or LA to pursue a career in the audio production industry. That creates this opportunity for a place like Sacramento to become
this kind of creative oasis, if the city and the community support it.” Hamilton’s nonprofit is called Department of Sound, which he co-founded with Board Chair Tyler Garnett in 2018. The organization offers both online and in-person music and podcast production workshops to middle and high school students in the
Sacramento area. The curriculum is already in 17 Sacramento schools, and has provided high-quality, experiencedriven audio production knowledge to more than 2,000 students. “Music production is a really good tool to help kids be creatively empowered, develop creative confidence and connect with their peers,” Hamilton
