A different beat

In the heart of Govan, a creative organisation, The Glasgow Barons, is helping regenerate a community through music. What began in 2017 as an orchestra with a mission to bring people together and revitalise historic spaces has since evolved into a multifaceted, hyper-local initiative that fosters community cohesion, supports marginalised people, and champions fair pay in the arts.

Investing in lasting impact

Known for its shipbuilding heritage but as somewhere that today experiences economic and social hardship, Govan may seem an unlikely place to have its own resident orchestra. However, we know that music activates unique areas of the brain, unlocking emotions and memories in ways that other forms of communication cannot. From classical concerts in Victorian buildings to free music courses for asylum seekers, The Glasgow Barons place musical experiences and creative expression at the heart of their work, aiming to nurture resilience, pride and hope in the community.

With a strong belief that real change does not happen overnight, Paul MacAlindin, local resident and Artistic Director at The Glasgow Barons, points to the organisation as a powerful example of the difference between short-term interventions and long-term transformation. Paul says, “If you’re gonna go in, go in for the long haul, because you can’t learn anything from a short project.”

Working in partnership

The long-term approach, combined with a commitment to collaboration, can be seen in the Musicians in Exile initiative, which nurtures the talents of people with experience of the asylum system. It is also evident in activities that are supporting a community of rappers to build the confidence and connections to professionalise their skills and, ultimately, secure funding to pursue their own projects.

“Sustainability is simply about understanding the partners and the people you’re working with and knowing that your intervention, should they accept it, is a part of their narrative and life story and organisational journey.” says Paul MacAlindin, Artistic Director.

Photo: The Glasgow Barons.

This philosophy also underpins the Baby Strings programme, which introduces primary school children to violin lessons. The Glasgow Barons subsidises schools to receive the programme for one year, after which they decide whether to integrate it permanently themselves. By giving schools ownership of the initiative, the project fosters sustainability and allows the organisation to extend the initiative to further locations.

Prioritising fair pay

A key tenet of their approach is ensuring that local people are paid for their contributions. Too often, communities experiencing poverty and marginalisation are expected to provide unpaid labour, perpetuating cycles of financial insecurity. In contrast, The Glasgow Barons is intentional about hiring and compensating local residents.

“One of the ways in which poor areas stay poor is by asking everybody to volunteer or work for nothing. We wanted to challenge that narrative by saying, ‘Your work is good, and here’s a fair wage for it.’ ”

This principle extends to partnerships with musicians across genres. By commissioning a variety of artists, they are not only providing employment but also reshaping how different musical worlds intersect. Their collaborations between string orchestras and local hip hop artists, for example, have led to new opportunities and creative growth, helping to shift perceptions in Scotland’s arts funding landscape.

The stability of unrestricted funding

For many creative organisations, funding is often project-based and/or highly restricted. While this allows for specific initiatives to do great things, it can prevent long-term planning and reinforce a precarious, project-to-project existence. This is where unrestricted funding plays an important role.

The Foundation has supported The Glasgow Barons with unrestricted funding through our Scottish Culture and Heritage strand since 2018. In simple terms, this type of funding allows organisations to do things like pay staff salaries, maintain office space, and build the infrastructure necessary for sustaining impact. But Paul also sees unrestricted funding as a very agile piece of the funding ecosystem around the organisation.

“In order to make sure that we stay afloat, it [unrestricted funding] is like a dinghy filled with air on the sea. As long as you stay in that dinghy, it’s going to keep you going, even as the changing environment swirls around you.”

A call for more thoughtful funding conversations

While the organisation values unrestricted and multi-year funding, there is a recognition that a hands-off grant-making approach could come with potential pitfalls – particularly the risk that funders provide grants without engaging in deeper conversations about impact, challenges, and learning.

Paul notes, “I would never feel threatened by a funder just asking the question why I’m doing things this way…and feeding back to me in an action learning sort of way to help me process a different perspective. With the range of grantees they have, funders have a massive amount of organisational learning that I don’t have access to.”

The work happening in Govan is a reminder that when funding is flexible, when the contribution of community members is valued, and when organisations are given the space and the support to learn and evolve, important and lasting change can happen.

And for all of us, it’s an invitation to recognise the power of music—not just as entertainment, but as a force for connection and community cohesion.

Read more about The Glasgow Barons events here.