4/4 Pacific Music + Arts Volume 2:1 Oct 2016 | Page 15

vol 2 :1

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THE CREATIVE SOULS PROJECT
Mal and Deahne worked in schools for many years,
as a teacher and social worker respectively. Through
their love of music and art, they created their own work
outside their day jobs, organising art projects and
providing opportunities for young artists.

They also have established the Little Souls Music
Academy, teaching at kindergartens and pre-schools
around Auckland. They established a live unit to
perform at various community events, alongside their
own events and projects, performing as The Creative
Souls Project. Alongside this, Mal took on work as an
itinerant teacher and also continued to do live gigs.

Mal made the significant decision four years ago, to
leave his full time job as a teacher at Avondale College,
to go out on his own. Mal and Deahne realised they
needed an entity to build and focus their collective
work and The Creative Souls Project was born. Now
they organise and host many different events, project
and programmes, delivering these with and for young
people. Their core programmes centre around music
and art, with lessons provided, jam sessions hosted,
band mentoring and songwriting workshops held.

When I asked Mal to describe The Creative Souls
Project, he explains it as “a social enterprise, working
in the community, Avondale specifically, to develop
the potential of young people through the arts – which
could be music, visual arts, dance, or drama.” They
deliver a lot of their programmes from their base,
which is a space they have at Avondale Intermediate.
They confirm they are lucky to have this space and
appreciate the good relationship they have with the
school.

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