Ex’pression College Student Wins International DJ and Music Production Competition
Emeryville, CA (PRWEB) July 30, 2014 -- Expression College student Sasha Michkovsky is one of three Grand Prize winners of the 2014 Discovery Project EDC Las Vegas DJ/Producer competition. 400 entrants from around the world participated in the competition, which required the submission of an original, self-produced song and a 30 minute DJ mix set.
“I heard about the Discovery Project from a few DJ buddies of mine,” says Michkovsky, who performs under the moniker Zima. “The Project’s judges called to tell me that I was a winner as I was going to one of my classes at Ex’pression. I couldn’t believe it.”
Michkovsky was born in Ukraine and grew up in Alameda, CA. He took up the trumpet while in Lincoln Middle School and was a member of the marching band, which performed at Disneyland, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, Knotts Berry Farm, and at other prominent locations/events in northern California.
While attending Alameda High School, he developed an interest in DJing and music production. He became familiar with Ex’pression from the college’s presentations in his multi-media arts class. This awareness inspired him to attend some of Ex’pression’s open houses and attend one of the Ex’pression summer camps for teens.
“After graduating from high school in 2012, I looked at a number of digital arts colleges that offered Sound Arts programs, but I was hooked on Ex'pression College,” says Michkovsky, who cites Carl Cox, Hot Since 82, and Fedde Le Grand as his DJ influences. “Their degree program made economic sense and their friendly environment and knowledgeable, experienced staff really differentiated it from the other schools that I visited. I was also impressed by their top-of-the-line facilities, the ability for graduates to have access to their studios, and the excellent preparation that they provide for the real-world challenges that an audio technology professional faces each day.”
As a Grand Prize winner, Michkovsky received an all-expenses trip to the 2014 Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, and was a featured DJ performer at the event on June 21. He’s also being considered for the DJ management and music marketing platform of Insomniac, the producer and promoter of EDC.
Regarding his future plans, Michkovsky will be graduating from Ex’pression in 2015 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sound Arts. He plans to continue working on his music productions and performing as a DJ, and is considering eventually moving to Los Angeles to pursue work in sound design, scoring, and possibly recording.
“My recommendation for Ex’pression students is to try to figure out exactly what it is that you want to do,” says Michkovsky. “Even though I’m interested in working in a number of areas, I realize that I need to prioritize and ultimately focus on one particular thing. Also, don’t be afraid to take risks: you have to be a little crazy to make it in this business, and you really have to believe in yourself and your abilities – so be bold. Most important: network, network, network!”
Jeffrey Baker, SAE Institute, http://www.sae-usa.com, 646-355-1804, [email protected]
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