Students, alumni and colleagues from the University of Westminster have been shortlisted in the category of Musical Original Score – Scripted at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Craft & Design Awards 2025 for producing the soundtrack for the second series of BBC Three’s show Boarders.
The critically acclaimed show created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor returned to BBC Three for a second season earlier this year, which continued to follow the journeys of five talented underprivileged Black students from London who gained scholarships to an elite boarding school.
After their successful work on the first series, a team of Westminster students were invited back to produce the second season's soundtrack. The Westminster team was led by Professor Mykaell Riley, Director for the University’s Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research.
The soundtrack featured tracks composed, produced and performed by Westminster students, including vocals from recent Westminster Music Production, Performance and Business BA Honours graduates Rohan (Ronn) Hulikunta, Jewel Appiah and Joseph Burnett. Ronn recently signed a record deal with UMG’s Def Jam India and Joseph was shortlisted for Best TV Sync in the Music and Sounds Award 2024 for his work on a song from the first series’ soundtrack titled Never Be the Same.
The opportunity for Westminster students to work on a real-life television soundtrack reflects the University’s commitment to preparing students with the skills and experience needed for their future careers. This is a key ambition of Zone29, the University’s new home for careers and enterprise due to open in Spring 2026. Zone29 provides students and graduates with access to work-related programmes, opportunities and experiences, and it will connect students from all backgrounds to industry professionals to build the confidence and networks they need to succeed.
Joy & Jee Melodies featuring Jewel Appiah
About the experience recent Westminster Music Production, Performance and Business BA Honours graduate and lead artist for the soundtrack Jewel Appiah said: “So honoured that my compositions, together with those of other talented students, for BBC Boarders have been nominated for an award at this year’s RTS Craft & Design Awards. It’s been an incredible experience, and an amazing stepping stone into the audiovisual industry.”
Professor Riley added: “Being nominated for the awards is in itself a major win. We sit in a category where we there are just three nominees, one of which is Adolescence. This profiles our student contributions alongside the most successful professional output in the last 12 months. For the Music course and our students graduating this year, this is a win.”
Facilitating student contribution to the album contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Music courses at the University of Westminster.
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