A chance encounter between a British-American philanthropist and a former commodity broker, both passionate about music and social justice, was the spark that ignited Restore the Music. Ten years and £2 million later, the pioneering pair have been joined by a growing circle of philanthropists eager to grow its income, reach and impact.

Polly Stepan Moore and Gordon Singer were both acutely aware of the advantages they’d enjoyed growing up, particularly in relation to music. They’d both benefitted from music lessons, extracurricular groups, concerts, and gigs, and the encouragement of supportive and well-resourced parents. They knew that music had a profound impact on their lives and careers, even though neither had pursued it as a profession.

Their fateful meeting happened at a friend's 40th birthday party. At the time, Polly had retired from her career as a commodity broker to raise her family, and Gordon was managing a U.S. hedge fund and had recently relocated to the UK. Their conversation soon turned to music. Polly had studied music all her life but given up when she started her career; Gordon was a talented guitarist and band member in his spare time.  They shared their beliefs about the power of music to unlock potential and their concerns about the music funding crisis facing schools in the UK. In particular, they were concerned about how that was affecting young people facing the greatest financial hardship.

Gordon mentioned Save the Music, a charity in the USA that raised funds to support music departments in underprivileged schools. He was a board member for the organisation and was keen to find a way to support schools in the UK too.

A pivotal moment

This, it would turn out, was a pivotal moment for both of them – and eventually for hundreds of school music departments across the UK.

“Why can’t we do that over here?” asked Polly. She shared some ideas for raising money and identifying schools in need. And Gordon’s response? “Let’s do it. You set it up for me, and I’ll be the first donor – I’ll cover the overheads.”

Gordon had already enlisted the help of a close friend, the founder of the children's mental health charity Place2Be, to identify two schools in need of support. And so, the early seeds were already planted.

Polly recalls, "As he was sharing this with me, it felt like a lightbulb went on in my head and a voice was telling me - this makes sense of your entire life. I never wanted to be a musician, but I care deeply about young people having the chance to experience all the benefits that music offers. I knew I could find others who shared this vision. And this was a way for me to apply the skills I had learned as a broker – connecting people, negotiating deals and raising money  – for a greater purpose. I also knew that I could relate to parents, teachers, children, school leaders and donors because I spoke both the language of music and the language of finance."

Doing things differently

At first, Polly sat in front of a blank notebook and considered her next move. Having learnt in her first career to start somewhere, be bold and ‘fill the page’,  and remembering that she had always dreamt of owning a Steinway grand piano, she decided to coldcall their CEO. To her delight, he agreed that Steinway would become the first corporate partner.

This bold attitude and pragmatic approach would continue to drive the mission. Polly and Gordon not only shared a vision for the transformative power of music, but were determined to do things differently.

Firstly, in their route to schools. They both saw the connection between music and football, as Polly describes: "Music and football are two universal languages that transcend all barriers. If you can play either, you can connect with people anywhere in the world. Both are so powerful in breaking down boundaries and obstacles." The pair also knew that most clubs have a charitable foundation that works with disadvantaged schools in their local area. With Gordon's love for football and as a lifelong fan of Arsenal, this was an obvious place to start. Arsenal became the first club to get involved, offering guidance, school contacts and some initial funding.

Secondly, they adopted a fundraising model similar to the USA, focusing on philanthropists and using charity dinners as a means to bring people together to support the cause. They both knew that there would be many people in their network of friends and colleagues who could see the need, just as they did, and would want to help.  So they organised their first RTM Gala Dinner, which, combined with donations from Steinway and Arsenal, generated enough funds for Polly to reach out to the schools identified by the club.

 Thirdly, they streamlined their delivery model with a focus on efficiency and transparency. Polly explains: "Knowing these people personally meant I felt a deep sense of responsibility. Whether it was £1, £1,000, or £10,000, every penny represented someone's hard-earned money. I was immensely grateful that they shared our vision and was determined to ensure that every penny reached the young people in need."  Polly developed a tightly managed, streamlined application process and funding model, with minimal overheads. All that the organisation would do would be to raise money, assess applications, and allocate money. Schools would decide what they needed, apply, present their case in a rigorous interview involving the school head and head of music. Then, if successful, would buy their own instruments.

A decade on …

Fast forward a decade, and the organisation is now a registered charity, but its core principles remain intact. The team is still small, consisting of Polly, as CEO, Gordon as Chair, supported by a part-time administrator and a part-time regional programme director – yet it continues to punch above its weight in terms of impact. Corporate partnerships have grown – most recently, Sony’s Social Justice Fund which enabled expansion out of London and Sound Start Foundation (USA) for which Restore the Music is the sole UK distributor of their global instrument donation programme.

 Ultimately, it's individuals that make the difference. Individuals who care about social impact and understand the impact that music can have on young lives. And so the driving force remains the growing circle of philanthropists who, like Polly and Gordon, understand that music is a powerful catalyst for change because it unlocks potential. And that school music departments are energy centres that can transform a school - and with it, young people’s lives and futures.