Tyler Hawes

Tyler Hawes is an award-winning composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer and educator from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He believes music is one of humanity's most meaningful forms of expression and that, like people, it exists in nearly infinite forms, styles and sounds. Throughout a lifetime of musical exploration, Hawes has embraced every opportunity to learn from new genres, instruments, traditions and collaborators, building a career defined by curiosity, versatility and a passion for meaningful artistic connection.

That curiosity has taken him from pit orchestras, cruise ships, jazz ensembles, recording studios and rock bands to award-winning films, dance companies, commercial media and live performances throughout Northeast Ohio. He has always been driven by the same idea: every musical experience offers another way to understand people and the art they create. His career reflects a belief that the strongest musicians are those who can create meaningful art with anyone, finding value in every genre, every collaboration and every unique artistic voice.

As both a composer and songwriter, Hawes is inspired by unique sounds, underestimated instrumentation and the possibilities that emerge when different musical worlds intersect. His songs blend the influences of a lifetime spent performing, composing and exploring music across genres, offering an honest reflection of his own experiences while seeking sounds and ideas that feel fresh and deeply personal. Those same instincts naturally extend into his work for film, where sonic storytelling and world-building allow him to create immersive musical experiences that support powerful visual narratives.

Although he performs on numerous instruments, rhythm has always been at the center of his musical identity. A classically trained pianist, guitarist, vocalist and lifelong percussionist, he began studying drums in middle school before pursuing DCI-level marching percussion, extensive jazz studies, percussion ensembles, studio recording and an active performing career throughout Northeast Ohio.

His curiosity eventually led him to study abroad in Ghana, West Africa, where he immersed himself in traditional percussion and discovered the kashaka, an instrument whose challenge, artistry and expressive potential captured his imagination. That fascination continued long after returning home. He studied with master performers from around the world, became one of the instrument's leading American performers and educators, founded Clack City Kashaka Co. to build and import professional-quality kashakas, and was invited to present a kashaka clinic at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

Hawes began his collegiate studies at the University of Akron, where he developed as a performer in the jazz studies program alongside world-renowned faculty and guest artists including Jon Batiste, Jonathan Scales, and Howard Johnson. He later earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, where exposure to new musical ideas and close collaboration with artists such as Caroline Shaw, David Lang, Francesca Anderegg and Valerie Naranjo expanded both his creative voice and artistic perspective.

In 2021, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Film Music Composition from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, refining his craft in composition, production, recording and scoring for visual media. Since then, he has composed music for more than twenty films, many of which have received recognition at national and international film festivals, including multiple Best Score awards for "Fred's Dead" and the original animated musical "Mundance."

Hawes' career has never followed a single musical lane, and he believes students should feel equally empowered to build careers that reflect their own interests, strengths and artistic voices. Drawing from professional experience across songwriting, composition, performance, production, entrepreneurship, world music and visual media, he encourages students to cultivate both craftsmanship and curiosity, developing the versatility and creative confidence to thrive in today's musical landscape.

His greatest passion as an educator is helping students discover what makes their artistic voice unique and giving them the tools to build meaningful, sustainable and deeply personal careers in music.

Learn more at tylerhawesmusic.com.