The Big Music Project, London.

The Big Music Project is an organisation that aims to break the barriers to the creative industries. They help 14-25 year olds get their career started in a variety of ways, from finding and creating amazing internships/work experience, to organising various talks and events on different parts of the industry.

I have followed this organisation for a while, on social media and occasionally browsing their website, and I had seen that they put on a variety of events. So when the opportunity came to go to one, myself and a friend thought why not?! I didn't know what to expect from it, other than it being about working in the music industry.

We got there just as doors were opening, signed in, got a free drink (non-alcoholic!) and then were directed upstairs. There were a few stalls upstairs, but they were all about studying music and learning the trades of the industry. I think this is a great idea, but unfortunately because I am already studying Music Management, it didn't apply to me as much. However, this didn't stop me from looking!

After a while of mingling, we were directed back downstairs. A guy called Fusion, who seemed to run the whole day (like a host), spoke to everyone, giving an introduction and a basic run down of the day. After this, there was a very insightful presentation from a guy called Wizdom, all about opportunities.

There were a series of interviews that followed, including one with Wizdom, another with Matt Smith from Radio X - he spoke about being an audio producer, and how he got to where he is today. He also described some other jobs a radio station can offer.

One interview that really stuck out for me was with Emma Bradley, who is the head of Global Charities. It was all about them helping and giving young people opportunities. This was something I was aware of before coming to the event, and I was really pleased that I got to learn a lot more about it.

After this there was an open mic for the artists in the room. First there was a girl who I had met earlier in the day and we realised we were at the same uni! She was playing the violin but plays many more instruments! I loved her performance as it was so different and refreshing! There were a lot of people rapping, which isn't really my cup of tea, but was still nice to hear some of their work. Another performance that stuck out for me was a 17 year old guy who sang Troye Sivan's 'Happy Little Pill'. He sang it with so much ease and his vocal range was incredible!

There was then a talk from a lady call Robyn Phirl. It was all about making a career from music. However, it was really just the audience speaking to her as she wanted to know more about each of us rather than just standing at the front talking at us. I think this was a really good way to get everyone interacting with another, and a good thing about it was it meant everyone knew others in the room, so it wasn't as awkward networking.

After lunch, there was a Q&A panel with a few industry professionals. This included, Jason Edwards - a Digital Channel Manager at Sony Music - Janelle Fraser - a Tour Manager and 'I Luv Live' Event & Brand Coordinator - Amaru Wilcox - who owns his own platform, Amaru Don TV - and Ronan Morrissey - who got an internship through The Big Music Project. It was really interesting, especially hearing their opinions. It also gave a lot of information on what to expect in the industry. What I found really interesting was that Ronan revealed that he had applied for 30-40 internships before getting one!

Unfortunately, my friend and I left early because we had other things to do. However, I am positive that there was so much useful information that I will carry with me in my future endeavors. If you ever get the chance to attend one of these events, go!

On a side note, we did manage to pop to Hackney to then queue for 2 hours (!!!) at Molly Bakes. In the last couple of weeks, something called a 'Freakshake' had become very popular, and because we were in the area, we thought we would pop to see what the hype was all about. It became apparent that it was very popular as the queue was out the door, and half way down the street! The milkshake itself was £7, and I'm starting to regret it now, but, the people were really nice and the milkshake, in all fairness, was incredible!