“Take the leap!” –  That’s the advice from Rosco Yule after returning to education. Rosco embarked on an HND in Music at NESCol’s Aberdeen City Campus and has not looked back since. He is now enjoying an exciting career in London for Fresh Audio, a company specialising in providing audio for television and broadcast productions.

To date, Rosco has worked on major TV productions such as The Traitors, Married at First Sight, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Being Gordon Ramsay. It’s been a huge year for the company, recently winning two BAFTAs for Celebrity Traitors at the BAFTA Craft Awards.

Choosing NESCol

Rosco has always been passionate about music and wanted to invest in developing his skills. It was while working at Aberdeen Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic that he decided to pursue a path that was more meaningful to him; with the uncertainty of the time providing an opportunity to reflect on his goals.

After attending a NESCol Open Day and chatting with the music team, Rosco decided to apply for the HND Music as it offered a practical, hands-on approach to developing his skills.

He explained, “I gained a real clarity on the specific skills I would be able to develop and advance, which gave me confidence that the course was the right fit for me. At that time, I was also considering a future in music teaching, and the HND seemed like a strong foundation for both building my musical ability and the knowledge needed to move into that career path. “

Supportive teaching and industry-level facilities

Rosco flourished on the course and acknowledges the teaching and support from the lecturers as playing a big part in where his career has led him today. Rosco said, “The lecturers are consistently encouraging and have a real ability to identify individual strengths.

For example, Scott McGill played a huge part in advancing my production techniques, offering guidance that helped refine my skills significantly.  The support I received not only improved my work during my time at NESCol but also gave me a strong foundation that I was able to carry forward into university and now into my professional work. “

Rosco also praised the facilities available to performing arts students at the College, crediting them for enhancing his learning experience. He explained, “I had access to quality instruments such as the Fender Jazzmaster bass, which allowed me to experiment and develop my sound properly. It was amazing to be able to work in state-of-the-art recording studios, giving me hands-on experience in a realistic production environment. “

Standout project

During a successful two years at Aberdeen City Campus, Rosco says a standout experience for him was the final graded unit students complete on the HND. He created a cover of ‘Hunger in your Haunt’ by Biffy Clyro, recording all the instrumentation and vocals himself before mixing and producing the track. He also shot a music video to accompany the release, earning an A grade for the project.

A global career in sound

After progressing to UHI Perth to complete a BA in Applied Music—using his HND to gain direct entry into the third year—Rosco took a leap of faith and moved to London with little more than a suitcase to begin his career. Within just 10 days of securing a role with Fresh Audio, he was already working on The Traitors.

Rosco’s career has since gone from strength to strength, and he has enjoyed a very busy and exciting year to date. He explained, “I’ve been globetrotting while working on season 2 of a renowned Apple TV+ production, which has taken me to some amazing locations, including France, Ireland, the Channel Isles and the USA. It’s been a great experience working across different environments, and I’m continuing to advance in my career by becoming Head of Department for Sound.

I’m also happy to say that I’ll be returning to record on the next instalment of The Traitors later this year, which I’m really looking forward to. Going forward, I’d like to keep building on these kinds of opportunities, continuing to travel, work on high-end productions, and develop further within location sound at an international level. “

Reflection on his time at NESCol

Looking back on his decision to apply for College, Rosco said, “I hold my time at NESCol very dearly. I went in as a self-taught musician who could play a few instruments, but I came out with a much broader and more developed skill set, including producing and songwriting. My time there pushed me to develop skills I didn’t realise I had and encouraged real collaboration with my peers. It also gave me the space to grow in confidence and figure out how I work best creatively.

I would like to thank all of the staff at NESCol for their effort, support, and friendship throughout my time there. It’s something I will never forget, as they genuinely played a huge part in helping me develop and achieve my dream of doing something I truly love. For anyone considering returning to study, my advice is simple: take the leap!”