Highlighting music industry careers ahead of the BRIT Awards.
Photo credit: Lee Baxter
DJ Paulette has launched Manchester Legends, a new school initiative aimed at inspiring young people to pursue music careers. Running over the next two months, the programme highlights a broad range of industry roles beyond performing.
Through in-person sessions with working professionals, including album art designers, engineers, and songwriters, students across Greater Manchester are invited to explore different entry points into the sector. The initiative opened at Stretford High in Trafford, where Paulette performed, then spoke with pupils and answered questions.
“Manchester has always been such an important city for music, and being part of these sessions with Mastercard has been really special,” she said. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to differentiate between the nos, not all of them actually mean no. Sometimes it’s not now, not tonight, not this week,” she continued. “That doesn’t mean stop. It’s important young people don’t pigeonhole themselves into what they think is possible, either. The creative industries aren’t one straight path; there are so many ways in. Stay curious, back yourself, and keep going.”
Funded by Mastercard to mark the arrival of the BRIT Awards next weekend, the programme builds on 2025’s UK-wide Mic Drops schools scheme. New research released by the company found that 51 percent of young people see a lack of clear routes into music, 45 percent cite educational barriers, and 43 percent point to limited regional opportunities.
A recent University of Manchester study echoed these concerns, noting declining enrolment in relevant courses and a near absence of apprenticeships, with music among the weakest-performing sectors.
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