Circle of Light takes Shoreditch: Inclusive Practice in Action

Tiffany Jade Holland speaking on the panel ‘Navigating Pathways to Musical Progression’

In February 2025 we took a minibus full of our COL stars to the Inclusive Practise in Action: Unlocking Musical Futures: Overcoming barriers to progression for young people event down in Shoreditch. The day consisted of a welcome speech from the event hosts followed by a bunch of engaging workshops and Q&A sessions - all of which helped our young people learn more about navigating the ever changing music industry landscape. 

We got the pleasure of listening to one of our alumni, Tiffany Jade Holland, speaking on the panel ‘Navigating Pathways to Musical Progression’ where she shed light on overcoming challenges and finding alternative routes to success within the grassroots music scene. 

We then partook in a short break to indulge in some bangala food from a local women-led food business, OITIJ-JO Kitchen, and then got straight back to it! 

Throughout the day, our young people had the opportunity to have 1 on 1 support with ‘surgery sessions’ catering to each person's individual needs. This enabled our young people to explore matters that are important to them, ranging from topics such as fundraising to personal career goals.

One of our young artists, Jude Forsey, stated that his surgery session ‘felt like a genuine conversation’. It is often the case that musicians find their way into the world of freelancing. Fittingly, the ‘Freelancing and Building a Career for Young Creatives’ panel was the perfect chance for our young people to find out more about it. 

I learnt that freelancing is very seasonal, and that it is good to be prepared for that reality - it was inspiring to hear about each of the panelists' journeys’ - Laura, Circle of Light 5 Project.

We ended the day with the WIRED UP live music event where we enjoyed live performances from a variety of young artists including some of our COL family. Joshua Todd, EMiDORA, Omari Marsellies, Jude Forsey and Lucy Crisp took London by storm with their performances, we couldn't be more proud. 

It was an absolutely jam packed trip of learning, connecting and performing, we left no stone unturned. A big thank you to Rich Mix London for facilitating an incredible day, we will never forget it. 

Check out our vlog of the day below!