WHO WE ARE
The Music Works is a registered music charity based in Gloucestershire, that transform young people’s lives through music and help pursue their dreams and aspirations.
For many young people music can be the key to unlocking their potential, yet many face barriers to making music. We work with young people to break down these barriers and empower them through music. We want to ensure that every child and young adult in Gloucestershire has the right facilitites and opportunities to pursue their passion in music, regardless of background, economic barriers, life condition or circumstance, or behavioural diffuculty.
MEET OUR TEAM
Deborah Potts
CEO
Deborah has more than 20 years’ experience in national charities, from the Women’s Sports Foundation to the YMCA. She specialises in strategic development and growing charities to maximise their impact. She is also CEO of Active Gloucestershire.
Malaki Patterson
Creative Director (Community)
Malaki is a music producer, sound engineer and music educator with over 10 years of experience in the industry. His skills are in music technology and production, songwriting and artist development. He is also a Senior Partner at Scope Music Management.
Ben O'Sullivan
Creative Director (Education)
Ben has been working in arts education for 20 years, having graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a First Class Honours Degree in Theatre Studies, and a Musical Theatre singing scholarship. The forefront of Voice Collectives.
Ben Whitnall
Marketing Manager
Ben is our Marketing Manager, looking after our website and social media and spreading the word about everything we do at the Music Works.
Anita Holford
Communications Adviser
Anita is a freelance writer and communications practitioner who works with organisations which use music and arts as a tool in education, social justice, health and wellbeing. She is nationally known in the music education sector for her work with music education hubs and national organisations such as Youth Music.
Jessica Marston
Assistant to Creative Director
Jessica has over 5 years working in the music industry, working previously for festivals, music management companies and as an artist manager. Having graduated from The University of Gloucestershire in BA Music and Media Management, Jessica has a wide variety of knowledge and skills that greatly benefit our music charity.
Lee Holder
Senior Music Leader
Lee is a qualified teacher and music technology workshop leader with extensive experience in the music industry. He has a proven track record of working with and engaging teenagers from challenging backgrounds, and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Salo Elia
Senior Music Leader
Salo is another of our main music leaders: he leads our whole class iPad music tech programmes and also works in a number of APS settings. He’s an ex-youth worker, and a jazz guitarist, keyboardist, bass guitarist and drummer and also musical director of the Groove Majors band.
Misha Law
Music Leader
Misha Law is a qualified music therapist as well as a community music practitioner. She has worked on our Music Minds programme and also in our work in Hospital Education. Misha is the energetic forefront of our programme The Drop – Bands and Vocalists in Stroud.
Issachar Foster
Creative Music Manager & Music Leader
Issachar is an experienced DJ, music producer, and sound engineer. Having graduated from London Metropolitan University with an Honours Degree in Business, Music & Media Management, he has a background as an ex-support worker, working with teenagers from challenging backgrounds.
Robin Jones
SoundSpace Studio Manager & Music Leader
Robin is a skilled musician and engineer, and runs our Forest of Dean studio, SoundSpace, in Cinderford. He is also one of our team of music leaders, and was once one of our participants, taking part in an after-school club at primary school.
George Moorey
Music Leader
George Moorey is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer with 20+ years experience. He is an advocate of community music and has facilitated all sorts of music projects (from small, personal and unassuming to crazy ambitious and far-reaching) in a variety of environments and contexts.
Tim Grindrod
SoundSpace Technician
Tim Grindrod is the Studio Technician at Soundspace Studios in Cinderford. He started as part of an apprenticeship programme with The Music Works back in 2016 and now runs studio rehearsal sessions, also assisting other music leaders with operating activities at Soundspace Studios.
Dave Eastcott
Business/Finance Manager
Dave has previously worked in senior finance roles for National Grid and RWE collectively over 35 years. His main role is to ensure the financial processes and procedures are in place so that the organisational and financial capacity can support the ambitious vision that The Music Works wishes to deliver.
Alexander Ross
Chairman
Alexander is the music partner at leading media and technology law firm Wiggin LLP. He advises on a range of commercial and IP matters with a focus on music rights. In addition to lecturing as an authority on new media issues, he is a regular panellist and moderator at conferences.
Chris Aylmer
Trustee
Chris is a trained teacher who worked in outdoor education centres in Cumbria with youth and management groups until slipping quietly into property development many years ago. He also runs an exclusive use wedding and conference venue.
Jonathan Knight
Treasurer
Jonathan Knight worked in investment banking for 20 years in London, New York and Tokyo. Since moving to Gloucestershire he has been focused on starting and growing technology based companies in the music, market research and green technology fields.
Versha Carter
Trustee
Versha Carter is an experienced exhibition and conference organiser working on a portfolio of international technology & scientific events for 5000+ attendees. In 2006 she founded Intelligent Exhibitions Ltd where she has remained as Group Director.
Shivan Mistry
Trustee
Shivan Mistry works as head Studio Engineer at Studio 340 in Cheltenham, working with a broad spectrum of clientele from professionals to educational and special needs. Shivan is also an aspiring producer set to release music this year collaborating with local musicians.
Stuart Cairns
Trustee
Stuart Cairns is co-director of his own training delivery and design consultancy. He has more than 35 years experience in the defence sector which included strategic and operational planning, crisis management, business continuity, risk and transformation management, as well as HR.