Malaki Patterson Blog

10th June 2024

“With a mix of gratitude, nostalgia, and excitement for the future, I share the news that I’m stepping down from my role as Artistic Director at The Music Works at the end of the year. It’s been an honour and privilege to shape the vision and work here, to benefit so many talented young people from all backgrounds and see how the impact of music has transformed their lives first-hand.

I co-founded The Music Works over 12 years ago, starting this journey as a music leader and progressing to Artistic Director as we grew, and I developed. This work has defined a significant portion of my professional life and been a place where I have personally grown and thrived too. I spent countless hours helping build the organisation from the ground up, working closely with our CEO, Deborah Potts. Together, we formed a formidable, effective and collaborative partnership, combining our skills, passion, and dedication to create an organisation that has made a lasting impact on the lives of young people.

Being born in Gloucester and working here all my life, I have always envisioned a creative space and place for young people to be empowered and thrive, regardless of barriers and challenges they face. The Music Works is this and more and is beyond what I believed was possible. It’s been amazing to witness so many success stories of young people and to have been part of their journey along the way. It is incredible to see The Music Works continue to build and expand on this work through so many creative and innovative programmes, activities and spin off organisations.

I am excited to see how The Music Works will continue to grow with our communities and nationally, transforming even more lives with the generous help of our supporters and partners. I want to express my thanks to our CEO, Deborah Potts, for her support and guidance throughout my career. I am confident that she will extend the same support to the next Director, empowering them to achieve great things and take the organisation to new heights.

Part of my decision to step down is acknowledging we need to make space for new, young talent to step into leadership positions within the organisation and to help take the organisation to the next level. I am looking forward to seeing this happen, knowing that the strong foundation we have built together will continue to serve as a platform for future success.

I am stepping down as Artistic Director, with the support of both Deborah and the Board, and I am delighted to have been asked to remain involved, serving as a Trustee for The Music Works and leading our exciting spin off; Onatura. Embarking on my next career step gives me the space to grow as a creative leader and embrace new opportunities and challenges. Onatura has been the music business arm of the The Music Works and we have been building it together over the past year. The Music Works has successfully created a pipeline of talented young and emerging artists, I hope Onatura will become a natural home for them, helping them develop and progress onto industry pathways and forge a more diverse and inclusive music industry.

I am very excited for the future and what lies ahead for both me and The Music Works and am thankful for the incredible community who have made this experience so special.”