Ryan Fairweather, Crescendo’s Audio Engineer Apprentice
Ryan is age 23, from Mt Eden, and a graduate of MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand).
I learned about the Pathways Programme through Crescendo’s Facebook page and immediately applied for the Audio Engineer Apprenticeship. Within five minutes I received a call from a Mentor and organised a meeting for the following week. The process was easy!
My role as an apprentice is broad and I work with my Mentor on whatever live projects need to be delivered to clients. It includes music production, audio book recordings, and other skills sessions that help me prepare for work in the industry. We also learn about mental health and wellbeing to build self-confidence and resilience.
“I’m enjoying working on a broad range of projects and specifically the Auckland Theatre Company job. It’s a story set in the early 90’s about a group of characters who are trying to break into the aerobics competition space. It’s a heartwarming story about friendship, family and hard work. My role is anything from creating new music to other sounds like recording foley, vocals and dialogue. “
It has been awesome to work with Auckland Theatre Company on Hyperspace and meet everyone involved in the production and everything going on behind the scenes. One of the key skills that I’ve learned is to collaborate within a professional environment. It’s something I’ve not been exposed to before, to work hands-on instead of behind the books in theory. It’s very ‘in the moment’ and the sort of skills and experience that I could not have learned anywhere else.
I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship at Crescendo, and it feels like everyone here is part of a family, supporting each other and holding us up to be the best we can be within the industry. It wasn’t something I was necessarily looking for but I am so glad that I found Crescendo.
“When I complete my apprenticeship, I want to pursue my career in audio engineering and build on the experience that I have gained and secure full-time work. I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
If you are interested in Crescendo’s Apprenticeship Programme, email programmes@crescendo.org.nz
