PAULINE HARDING is creating a cadenza of interest in the publishing world, in her final year of her music degree at the University of York.

Violinist and pianist Pauline grew so frustrated at the lack of information available about careers in the music industry, that she took matters into her own hands.

She decided to plug the gap in vocational advice by launching her own glossy careers magazine, Leading Note, which she is publishing at Sessions of York, in Huntington.

Now the 32-page first edition, of a magazine which will appear once every two months, has been snapped up by more than 30 careers offices across the UK. She is also negotiating future sales of the publication with music schools and colleges, charging £5 for students and £8.99 for institutions.

Pauline asked leading figures in all aspects of music to write about their career paths and give advice to anyone who wants a serious career in the industry.

Contributors for the launch issue included Classic FM producer Sam Jackson, James Jolly, editor of The Gramophone, and composer Jonathan Harvey.

Pauline said: "There was just such an obvious gap in careers information for musicians.

"Careers in music are much less structured than other sectors and so it is important to learn tricks of the trade from experienced and successful musicians."

She is preparing the next issue, handling all the interviewing, writing and computer page layout herself. "I've always wanted to be a journalist, so this is a way of giving myself work experience and at the same time it counts towards my final music degree project," she said.

For the moment her project was breaking even. She said: "I have applied to the Prince's Trust for help, and there has been a huge and encouraging response which might augur well for profits later. But my motivation is not money. It is getting the message across that there is no careers information around for classical musicians."

The early sales have encouraged Pauline to enter the concept into the White Rose Business Plan competition, run annually for students at the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York.

She is also undertaking extra-curricular training in small business start-up, run through the University of York's Centre For Excellence In Teaching And Learning In Enterprise.

Andrew Ferguson, the centre's manager, is full of praise for Pauline's approach. "She has seen a problem, developed a creative solution and is prepared to put it into action herself," he said.

Updated: 10:00 Thursday, March 02, 2006