Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Official Report 941KB pdf

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Sistema Scotland and the Big Noise Orchestra

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S5M-12184, in the name of Bruce Crawford, on 10 years of Sistema Scotland and the big noise orchestra. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament commends Sistema Scotland and the Big Noise Orchestra project on celebrating a decade of delivering transformative opportunities to children in a number of communities across Scotland; notes that the Big Noise Orchestra project was set up in Raploch, Stirling, and now provides opportunities for children in the Govanhill area of Glasgow, Torry in Aberdeen and, most recently in Douglas, Dundee; notes the project's aims of encouraging creativity and confidence and helping to nurture a new generation in a growing number of communities across the country, and wishes it well.

17:08  

First, I would like to record my thanks for the support that I have received from MSPs of all parties and colleagues across the chamber—those who have signed the motion and those who are in attendance for the debate this evening. So, too, I would like to thank Sistema Scotland for putting together today’s events at Holyrood to mark 10 fabulous years of the big noise.

Members will be aware that, following this debate, a reception is taking place in the garden lobby to mark the 10th anniversary. There, guests will hear from the fantastic and talented young people of the big noise orchestras, and I am pleased to say that the First Minister will make one of the keynote speeches.

We are here this evening to pay tribute to the amazing work that Sistema Scotland does in transforming—yes, transforming—the lives of young people in disadvantaged communities. Of course, I am the MSP for the Stirling constituency, and the big noise orchestras in Scotland were launched in Raploch in that constituency in 2008. From the very beginning, I was touched by the nature of what the big noise project is all about. I was and remain extremely proud that it was launched in my constituency. For members across the chamber who might not be familiar with the Raploch area, it has faced real social and economic challenges over a long period. In recent years, it has seen some real, positive change for the better, but significant challenges remain, of course.

I have no doubt that a big part of that change is down to the big noise project, which has engaged young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in a type of creative expression that was simply not available previously. That creativity and the work that it involves gives young people the chance to express themselves and learn with each other. Using a symphony orchestra and learning a musical instrument through an immersive and intensive programme helps to build social and life skills. That gives those young people tools to believe in themselves and to raise their confidence and their levels of aspiration in respect of what can be achieved. That is a massive step in enabling children to build their self-resilience and to reach their full potential, and to help them to live successful and fulfilled lives. Ultimately, that empowers them for the rest of their lives, which is a very powerful thing.

Since the launch in Raploch, in 2008, Sistema Scotland now works with around 2,500 children and young people weekly alongside their families and the broader community at big noise centres. They all work towards permanent social transformation. Sistema Scotland now operates not only in Stirling, but in Glasgow and Aberdeen; most recently, it has also operated in Dundee. Over the past 10 years in Raploch, it has worked with more than 500 members, from babies right through to people in secondary 6. Sistema Scotland now employs 116 members of staff, and that number is growing year on year. It offers more than 80 volunteering opportunities a year, and more than 33,000 volunteer hours have been worked over the past decade.

Orchestral performance is, of course, a big part of what the big noise project does. Notably, big noise orchestras have performed with Nicola Benedetti at the 2014 Commonwealth games opening ceremony and launched the 2012 London festival for the Olympic games. I have been informed that, this year, big noise young people will perform at the BBC big weekend alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as well as at the Glasgow festival, the launch of the youth arts manifesto at the Barbican in London and the BBC proms in the park. That is a programme to be proud of for the future—and that is not to mention, of course, the many community events and events for families and friends that big noise young people play at.

What impact has that had on the young people? What are the outcomes of the investment that has been made? Independent research that has been commissioned by the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health has consistently found that the big noise project has a wide range of remarkable impacts on children’s lives. Those impacts include engagement with education, developing life skills, securing emotional wellbeing, building social skills, encouraging healthy behaviours, and offering respite and protection to some of the most vulnerable children. The research has also found that the project increases confidence in young people, results in better concentration, helps to build trust, and increases young people’s self-esteem.

Sistema Scotland is mid-way through its second four-year funding package with the Scottish Government. By 2019-20, that funding will have amounted to around £3.8 million over an eight-year period. However, that accounts for only 19 per cent of Sistema Scotland’s expenditure over that period. Local authorities invest in big noise centres, and a number of public and third-sector organisations make financial contributions. That is a huge investment in young people, but the outcomes are phenomenal. Potential is unlocked and lives and communities are transformed.

I know from conversations with Sistema Scotland in my constituency that it is committed to a long-haul service in Raploch as well as in the Torry, Govanhill and Douglas centres. What a 10 years it has been—from its launch in Raploch in 2008 to today, the organisation has grown and offered a wealth of opportunity to thousands of young people.

As I have said previously, I am very proud to have the big noise centre in my constituency. Its work carries untold value and the results speak for themselves. If members go along to the reception this evening, they will get a chance to see and hear what those young people can achieve. I look forward to hearing other members’ speeches about their experiences with this fantastic organisation. I sincerely wish Sistema Scotland, the big noise centres’ staff and volunteers and the young people involved all the best for the years to come. Well done! This evening is about them, the fantastic young people whose lives they have helped to shape and those who have yet to come. [Applause.]

I say gently to those in the public gallery that applause is not permitted from the gallery. I understand why you want to do it, but the Parliament does not permit it.

17:15  

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in the debate. I congratulate my colleague Bruce Crawford on having secured the debate, and I thank him for it. I also take the opportunity to remind members that as well as being the parliamentary liaison officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, I am a member of the Musicians Union and was formerly a freelance private instrument teacher.

As is so often the case when my colleague Bruce Crawford speaks, there is very little left to be said by those who speak after him. He brilliantly highlighted many of the fantastic achievements of Sistema. I join him in welcoming the big noise orchestra to the gallery. I am looking forward to attending the reception later this evening.

Bruce Crawford referred to empowerment for life, which is what music education is about. The great pianist, composer and conductor Sergei Rachmaninov said:

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”

That is so true. I know from having had the opportunity to receive music tuition that I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.

We can perhaps characterise the big noise and Sistema as being about more than just music, because we know how fantastically integrated they are with our communities, and the positive outcomes that result across a range of different subjects and disciplines. However, I would not say that that is about more than music, because that is what music is about: it covers every aspect of cognitive development, of ability and of how we engage with other people. Indeed, learning an instrument is, in itself, a transformative experience because it teaches not only the practical skills of learning to play the instrument, but learning to listen to other people, how to engage and self-discipline.

In our age of instant gratification, one thing about learning a musical instrument is that there are no shortcuts to excellence. The more time a person puts in on an instrument, the more they will get out of it. Perhaps the greatest joy of learning to play a musical instrument is in having the opportunity to play alongside other people. That can sometimes be about playing in large ensembles, in which individuals work together as a team to produce an overall effect, however within that, there are opportunities for individuals to shine and there are opportunities for them to support other people. There are also opportunities for the individual just to step back and allow other people to have their moment. What a metaphor that is for how we engage and interact with other people.

On cognitive development through music, we often think about musical ability as being to do with motor skills, but it is all about what is going on inside the brain. There was a great concert pianist in the first half of the 20th century called Walter Gieseking, who had the capacity to memorise entire works and then perform them perfectly without ever having practised them on the instrument. He could get on a long train journey with the score of a Mozart piano concerto and by the end of it, walk in somewhere and play a recital. That speaks to something that the great Glenn Gould said, which is that the best place to hear a Beethoven symphony is in our heads, because there is nothing mediating it and it is a pure experience.

There is evidence from neuroscience that simply by imagining playing a musical instrument, changes can occur in the brain and, indeed, in the muscles of one’s hands or embouchure. Further, it has sometimes been advised that professional singers who are suffering from a sore throat should not read or even think about speaking, because when doing so very subtle muscular changes happen in the throat that can cause stress.

I give those examples just to illustrate what a profound and transformative impact it has when one engages with and learns music. I could speak at some length on the subject, as members may be able to tell, but that is just one aspect that Ieads me to believe in—and helps to explain—the tremendous transformative effect that Sistema Scotland has.

The big noise project has been transformative for the individuals who have been involved—the young people, the communities and the volunteers—but I believe that it makes a bigger contribution as well, in that it underlines the value of music education and instrument tuition. When we see instrument services under threat in certain parts of the country, we should all bear that in mind.

I join my colleague Bruce Crawford in wishing Sistema Scotland and the big noise orchestra a very happy 10th birthday.

17:20  

If Tom Arthur wondered how he was going to follow Bruce Crawford, how on earth am I going to follow the eloquence of Tom Arthur? However, I have gathered one thing from his speech: I am going to pretend that I am playing the trumpet.

I congratulate Bruce Crawford on having secured the debate. I wish Sistema Scotland and the big noise orchestra a very happy 10th birthday, and I welcome them, in their wonderful T-shirts, to the gallery this evening.

The rewards of music lessons in schools are well documented. They have been shown to help children to build skills in other areas of the curriculum, as well as to have social and psychological benefits and generally to bolster concentration, which benefits all areas of learning.

I am sure that I do not need to tell members about the number of well-documented musical programmes, often inspired by the Sistema programme, that have helped children from impoverished or socially difficult backgrounds. I sat on the committee of the Borders Children’s Charity for five years, during which I became aware of a number of cases of children who were coping with very testing circumstances finding their lives being improved by being able to take instrument lessons. Music has boldness and power in it—it provides young people with resilience and confidence and an opportunity to reach their potential across all areas of their lives.

In the debate, we celebrate the opportunities that Sistema Scotland and the big noise orchestra project have created. The youth orchestra scheme provides not only free music tuition in deprived areas, but a fun, immersive and creative experience. I know what that is like, because I played the trumpet—very badly—in a youth orchestra. It was fun, immersive and socially interactive. The project provides a chance for young people to share a social experience that is free of barriers and free of the worries that parents have about costs. The project is supported by many funding strands, and young people can access instruments free of charge, along with healthy snacks, activities and trips. There is no doubt that it has transformed lives and will continue to do so.

Currently, as many as 2,500 young people are engaged with the established Sistema Scotland centres. Education Scotland has praised Sistema’s work and the way it improves the life chances of the children who take part. Sistema is demonstrating that music can create permanent social change, so we should talk more about the positive impacts of music. That means overcoming the challenges that Tom Arthur mentioned. The singer Paolo Nutini is behind a campaign called “Develop not dismantle”, which lobbies headteachers and politicians on the importance of music education. Violinist Nicola Benedetti and composer James MacMillan are also actively campaigning to promote the benefits of music in schools.

There are understandable fears that, with cuts to local authorities, the first subject or service to be cut is music. The threat of free instrument lessons being taken away has provoked a campaign by prominent musicians, along with communities and families, to stop music tuition being removed. It is worrying that, over the past decade, the number of music teachers in Scotland has declined dramatically from 1,100 to 640, which is threatening our next generation of musicians. In order for music to continue to transform lives, music must be recognised as a valued cultural activity. A public-private partnership might be a possibility to guarantee long-term future delivery of music tuition.

I support measures and initiatives such as Sistema Scotland that involve volunteers and make music a shared community focus. Their expansion is a testament to the great work that has been done over the years. I hope to see further expansion across Scotland in the years to come, and I welcome discussions about the benefits that it could bring to my constituency.

I wish Sistema a happy birthday. I wish it all the best in the future, and I wish all its musicians the best of luck. I hope that we will continue to celebrate Sistema’s longevity and that it will continue to benefit, enrich and transform children’s lives across Scotland.

17:25  

It is with great joy that I speak in a debate in the Scottish Parliament on Sistema Scotland’s 10th birthday, safe in the knowledge that Sistema is up and running and touching the lives of 400 children in Douglas, in Dundee. For me and for many people I know, that is a dream come true and the culmination of many years of work.

I thank Bruce Crawford and congratulate him on the honour of securing the debate. We debate many difficult topics in this chamber, but the work of Sistema is a glorious and joyful thing in its intensity and values. We should shout from the rooftops about its successes and promote the spread of this movement to the corners of our country and the corners of the world that need its light and radiance the most.

It is at least 10 years, and probably more, since I sat in the Royal Festival Hall in London to hear—and watch, as it is a spectacle—the Simón Bolívar orchestra from Venezuela perform. It is the original Sistema orchestra, whose members are probably in their 40s now. As I sat there in London, I thought that such a community would be great for Dundee. That turned into a campaign soon after and then a community endeavour, after the establishment of the local trust, Optimistic Sound, following the death of my uncle Michael Marra. The name Optimistic Sound is taken from one of Michael’s lyrics, in a song about realising how lucky we are and that we are not on our own. He sang words of encouragement, to “pander to the bright and cheery and make the optimistic sound”. I believe that that optimistic sound is what the children of Douglas are now making.

Sistema works in communities where opportunities are not as readily available as we would like, where equality struggles to show its face, because factors that we all know about and debate daily have taken hold. Douglas was one of many communities in Dundee that could have hosted Sistema. Fabulous music has come out of the streets and homes of Douglas and it continues to do so. The heart-rending voices of Garry and Kit Clark of Danny Wilson fame, who are both singer-songwriters, are both Douglas boys and Ged Grimes of Simple Minds and my favourite Dundee singer, Lloyd Anderson, are from streets not far away.

Sistema is in Douglas to rekindle the oxygen of music and learning in that community, which economic circumstances have stifled. The musicians I mentioned are all big supporters of Sistema and its work. That is part of the appeal of Sistema to many. It works intensively but outside the boundaries of convention.

To quote my late uncle, Nicola Killean and her team are not about “battering music into children” but instructing them in a joyful fulfilling environment without judgment and inspiring families along with them.

When we started talking about bringing Sistema to Dundee, Nicola Killean said to me, “When a music teacher takes a violin to a heroin addict’s house for tea, they are doing what we are doing.” Sistema is bringing light and learning to homes and schools that need more light and more joy.

Our privilege tonight is to celebrate Sistema, but the challenge ahead is to bring the joy of learning music and all the advantages that it has for learning, attainment and life opportunities, to more and more children here in Scotland and also across the world.

I wish Sistema a very happy 10th birthday and all the best for the years to come.

17:29  

It gives me great pleasure to speak in this debate to celebrate what is probably the most far-reaching and successful social cohesion project in Scotland today. I thank Bruce Crawford for giving us the opportunity to celebrate big noise’s achievements and congratulate everyone who has made it a Scotland-wide success over the past decade.

I first connected with big noise in 2012, when the world-renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar orchestra came to an abandoned brownfield site in the Raploch to play a huge, televised concert—I think that it was just before the Royal Festival Hall concert that Jenny Marra went to.

It was a remarkable evening. Thousands of people flocked to the Raploch to hear not just the orchestra but the dozens of local children who stepped up to play on the biggest stage of their lives. It was a double triumph, because so many members of the orchestra had come not from privileged backgrounds, but ordinary communities that had been touched by the Sistema programme in Venezuela. That evening, everyone on the stage held us all absolutely captivated.

There have been many incredible events over the years, such as the opening ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth games, when Nicola Benedetti played. I am sure that there are many more such events to come, including the opening of the V&A in Dundee and the big weekend festival, which is this weekend.

As Sistema’s founder, the late José Antonio Abreu, put it, the music is just the “agent of social development”. To see Sistema as being simply about intensive community-wide music tuition is to miss the point. It is about building a level of social cohesion and collective consciousness that we have lost in almost every community in the developed world.

So many deprived post-industrial communities have seen regeneration initiatives come quickly and go quickly. Sistema is an approach that goes far deeper into hearts and minds. It goes far deeper than bricks and mortar can do. There is ownership and inclusion across the community.

The results, 10 years on, are starting to show through strongly. Bruce Crawford mentioned the study by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, which shows a wide range of benefits, from better engagement with school to improved life and social skills, the securing of emotional health and the respite and protection that is offered for the most vulnerable children in the community.

If we, as a society, fail children and communities, we know what the implications are. There are implications not just for children’s precious lives, but crushing costs on public services. Social work budgets in councils can quickly become exhausted when the needs and challenges of even a small number of utterly disenfranchised people become overwhelming.

I remember from my former role as a councillor in Stirling just how stark failure can be if we do not find ways to intervene early in young people’s lives and offer a deep level of support. Big noise, therefore, is not just about music tuition. It is a vital regeneration initiative, which is anchored to the transformative role of music.

I am happy to see that young musicians from across the Stirling area are starting to feed into gatherings at big noise Raploch during school holidays. Big noise is driving cultural life across the whole area.

I recently visited the Raploch community campus to see big noise in action. The campus is inspiring: it combines two local primary schools, a special needs school, Forth Valley College and big noise itself. Even on a quiet day, big noise was a hive of activity, with rooms bustling with practice sessions and children of all ages working together. Everyone, whatever their ability, had a role, a focus and a discipline. It was a humbling experience to see what big noise had grown into, and I am delighted that other communities are reaping the benefits of the programme, a decade later.

Happy birthday, big noise. Here’s to the next 10 years.

Due to the number of members who still want to speak in the debate, I am minded to accept a motion without notice under rule 8.14.3 to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes.

Motion moved,

That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Bruce Crawford]

Motion agreed to.

17:33  

I am pleased to speak in the debate, and I congratulate Bruce Crawford on securing it. I declare an interest: my sister is an employee of Sistema Scotland—lucky her.

It is timely that we celebrate Sistema’s 10th anniversary in the same week as we debate the Government’s proposed new national outcomes for the country. The new national outcomes place a new emphasis on culture, reflecting, I think, an increased understanding of how creativity can improve health, wellbeing, learning, regeneration and sustainable economic growth. I look forward to participating in that debate tomorrow. Sistema is very much leading the way on that, as it has done for 10 years, so it is fitting that, today, Parliament makes a big noise about the big noise.

Bruce Crawford mentioned the Glasgow Centre for Population Health and the systematic research that it has conducted on Sistema’s projects. I want to touch of one of the evaluations from the interim report that came out last year on the big noise project in Torry in Aberdeen, which benefited 522 children aged between three and nine. As with the other projects across Scotland, the Torry project is immersive, intensive and incredibly supportive, which is why it delivers such impressive results.

Does Joan McAlpine agree that the Torry project was brought about through Richard Holloway seeing Sistema’s work in Venezuela and that his bringing that work to Scotland was really valuable? Will she congratulate my former councillor colleague Jim Kiddie, who was a councillor in Torry for many years and worked with Richard Holloway in taking that important project to Torry? Does she agree that it is not just the children but whole families who benefit? Parents see their children gaining confidence and then flourishing, so it gives families a great uplift, too.

Dinnae fash yourself; you will get the extra time back. That was a long intervention, but I know that it is difficult for ministers to speak in such debates, and interventions are the only way that they can do so.

I am absolutely delighted to congratulate Councillor Kiddie and Richard Holloway. Richard Holloway has been an incredible figure in Scotland’s cultural life over many years.

The interim evaluation on the Torry project states:

“At this early stage, based on the evidence we have gathered, we conclude that Big Noise Torry is a large scale, high quality social intervention which is already positively impacting on the lives of participants.”

It reported that young people talked of feelings of happiness, enjoyment, fulfilment and pride in developing musical skills.

I will outline some of the ways that Sistema measures its outcomes and pathways, but the part of the interim report that I found most moving was the case studies of the children, who were asked to draw how they felt when they attended orchestral lessons. It was very moving to read the case studies of the young children whose lives had been transformed. They expressed their happiness at taking their instruments home through drawing little pictures of themselves with their instruments. They also talked about the relationship that young people have with their named musician in the orchestra. A lot of intensive one-to-one work went on in dealing with the children’s individual issues. All the children had individual issues—some were shy and some had behavioural issues—but all of them benefited so much from being part of the project. I would certainly recommend such projects, and I found the case studies extremely moving.

The outcomes that Sistema outlines are: boosting engagement with learning and education; developing and building life skills; securing emotional wellbeing; building social skills and networks; offering respite and protection; developing as musicians; and encouraging healthy behaviours. The evaluations show that those outcomes are all being delivered.

Tom Arthur mentioned the neuroscientific evidence on what music does to the brain. Cultural activity is good and helps deliver a range of outcomes on wellbeing, but there is definitely something to be said about the research on music in particular. A couple of years ago, Harvard Medical School evaluated a number of research projects that have been done on the issue, and it concluded that musical training improves the function and connectivity of different brain regions: it increases brain volume and strengthens communications between different parts of the brain. Playing an instrument changes how the brain interprets and integrates a wide range of sensory information, particularly for those who start before the age of seven. That is very interesting because, certainly in Sistema’s Torry project, children started playing an instrument at the age of three. I am really pleased that that work is starting to feed into other projects across Scotland.

Last week, I sponsored an event in Parliament for Early Years Scotland. It had children under five from Drumchapel, in Glasgow, who had been working with the folk musicians Chris Stout and Catriona McKay. They wrote their own song, which was premiered at the event.

The age at which we start with children is important in helping them to develop, and Sistema is able to deliver the exact skills that we want them to achieve.

Thank you.

I am just going to wind up and say—

No, you have to—

Yes, Presiding Officer. I wind up by wishing Sistema a happy birthday.

Excellent. I do not think that the intervention lasted for two minutes, by the way.

17:40  

Over centuries, the power of music has been known to inspire, to rouse and to unite people, and the making of music in a group, particularly in the form of a symphony orchestra, can bring people together in a way that few other activities can.

Music is well known to help develop social cohesion and be a sociable experience. When we think back to the days before we had television, people would regularly gather around the piano, which would bond not only families, but communities.

It is well known that, through music, we can not only learn new skills, but increase our levels of concentration and, ultimately, boost our confidence, as we have heard.

It is probably at this stage that I should hold up my hand and say, with some regret, that I did not practise well enough for the piano lessons that my mother insisted on sending me to, especially when both my parents loved playing the piano and we were a family who bonded around it on musical evenings. I therefore pay tribute to those in Sistema Scotland who, 10 years ago, not only established a charity with the aim of social transformation, but sought to use the benefits of people making music together as a tool to meet that aim. That led to the launch of the big noise programme in 2008, in the Raploch, followed later by the establishment of the big noise orchestras in other parts of Scotland—namely Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

As it says on the tin, the big noise programme aims to use intensive and enticing orchestral music making to foster confidence, teamwork, pride and aspiration in the children taking part and in the wider community. It is certainly succeeding in meeting those aims. It is therefore right that we pay tribute to all those who have played a part in both Sistema and the big noise orchestras over the past decade, with special thanks going to those who, over that period, have taught the joy of making music, and to the public and private bodies—and individuals—that have assisted in providing the funds to meet costs such as the purchase of instruments.

Virtually from its birth, the big noise programme has been giving children the opportunity to make music together, not just occasionally but regularly, and for up to 10 hours a week. Importantly, the children are not from a wide geographical area, but from a small one—they are friends and neighbours in a compact community such as the Raploch, Govanhill or Torry. Through buddying up the most vulnerable and challenged with other children and providing adult support, the aim of the big noise programme is to provide support for every child in whatever way that it is needed.

A big noise orchestra fosters teamwork and aspiration, and is a natural learning place for self-discipline; it also fosters the benefits of working hard together as a group, as well as developing artistic creativity. Working in partnership with schools, social workers, health service professionals, community workers as well as parents, carers and the wider family, Sistema and the big noise programme provide holistic support.

I mentioned the wider family and, in many cases, it is grandparents who play a major role in bringing up children in Scotland today. Their involvement, together with that of parents, provides them with the chance to take part in workshops, family excursions and home visits. Let us also not forget that the children are the vital link in extending the programme to family and friends.

Any organisation that works for a decade to make a difference—and Sistema and the big noise programme have achieved success—deserves to be recognised by the Parliament. I thank Bruce Crawford for securing this members’ business debate. I offer my personal thanks for the work done and the hope that, in the years to come, the roll-out continues and the benefits of Sistema and the big noise programme are brought to other communities in Scotland. Happy birthday, Sistema.

17:44  

I congratulate Bruce Crawford on securing the debate and on the pride with which he spoke. We felt the same sense of pride and passion for the subject from Jenny Marra’s speech. Those two MSPs have been embedded in and at the heart of Sistema in their own communities for a long time, and I want that sense of pride and passion for the communities that I represent.

Therefore, rather than repeat all the wonderful things that we have heard tonight about Sistema in different parts of the country, I will focus on the latter part of the briefing, which is about looking to the future. We are told that not only will Sistema Scotland continue to invest in the four communities in which it is actively involved, it is looking for new communities to set up in. I have one for the cabinet secretary and the powers that be at Sistema Scotland: Craigmillar, in the east end of Edinburgh. I cannot think of a more perfect community for Sistema to come to and have the same impact that it has had in Govanhill, Torry, Douglas and the Raploch.

I say to Bruce Crawford that I have spent a lot of time—more than he might like, actually—stomping the streets in the Raploch over the years for various Labour candidates, and the similarities between the Raploch and Craigmillar are significant in terms of the reputation that the community had. There was a desperate need in both areas to overhaul the housing, which was then delivered, followed by a recognition that we need to provide more than housing in order to rebuild a community. That came with the many additional investments that went into the Raploch.

The same thing is now happening in Craigmillar, at a slower pace and many years later, but it is now at a critical point. The cabinet secretary will be well aware of the link between the Edinburgh International Festival and Castlebrae high school last year, which was part of a three-year partnership to bring the arts into the heart of Craigmillar. It was a tremendous success and led to the film “From Castlebrae with love” and to Castlebrae high school being converted into a festival venue for a production of “Project R.E.B.E.L”—a rhythm and blues and hip-hop show—for a couple of days. Having spoken to a number of the pupils in the school and to the headteacher, I know for a fact that the project brought tremendous rewards to the school and the wider community.

All the words that I have heard tonight about confidence, resilience, aspiration, and community cohesion were felt by those involved in that Edinburgh International Festival link at Castlebrae—the same experience that we have heard from people speaking tonight about El Sistema. I hope that there are people in the gallery, or listening to the debate, who might consider whether the next place that Sistema might go is the east end of Edinburgh, where it would be hugely welcome.

In the minute and a half that I have left, I want to make a couple of wider comments about how we fund music and about music tuition in general. It is important to recognise that music tuition is under threat at the moment. We are seeing the disappearance of free music lessons in a number of local authorities, and where music tuition still exists, prices are going up, which is pricing out children from the poorest backgrounds.

We also have to recognise that our curriculum is disadvantaging music at the moment. I have spoken to a number of people involved in youth festivals across the country who say that higher and advanced higher music do not allow students to study to the level that they need in order to apply to what was the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The only way in which students can get to the standard that is required for entry to the conservatoire is if they pay for additional music tuition, which they then cannot afford because it is disappearing. We are perpetuating a gap in music provision in our schools and communities by not properly linking up what can be achieved at school without additional funds and what is needed to achieve at the elite levels of music. That is really important.

I was very grateful to be in Broughton high school a week or so ago, which is Edinburgh’s school of ambition for music. We had to campaign against cuts to its music school status about six months ago, and we managed to convince the City of Edinburgh Council that that was the wrong step and saved it. We are still seeing brilliant musicians coming out of that school, but I want that for every community across Edinburgh. I want it for the communities that I represent. If we all collectively recognise, as we have tonight, that this project is about more than music—it is about light and optimistic sound—I am sure that we can achieve that together.

17:48  

I join others in thanking Bruce Crawford for securing today’s debate to recognise the important work that is undertaken by Sistema Scotland and the big noise orchestra. Unlike Tom Arthur, I have no musical skills whatsoever, unless really bad karaoke counts. I do not think that it does, and members will be glad to hear that I will not be testing that out in the chamber this evening.

As other members have mentioned, the first big noise programme was established in the Raploch in 2008. Since that time, the programme has helped thousands of children all the way from infants through to teenagers, and it is now starting adult classes. Around 75 per cent of primary school children in the Raploch area of Stirling are involved at any given time, and the important long-term consideration is that the present generation will grow up through to adulthood with the orchestra, hopefully supporting it during that time.

As we have heard, the central aim of the big noise programme is to transform the lives of the children in the areas involved and ultimately to strengthen disadvantaged communities through music.

We have heard about the connection between music and improved learning. I had a look at that not just in Scotland but internationally. There is strong evidence to show the strong link between music and learning ability in countries around the world as diverse as the US, Holland, and many countries in Asia. Recent large-scale studies have supported the idea that music ability helps children’s learning abilities across many different disciplines.

This link was also highlighted in research by the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, which consistently found that big noise has a wide range of positive impacts on children’s lives. We only need to meet the children involved in the programme to see the real-life examples of that in terms of engaging with education, developing life skills, securing emotional wellbeing, and—through their own work—encouraging healthy behaviours not only in themselves but in family members.

In fact, the children and young people from the big noise Raploch project have become ambassadors for their community, for Stirling and for Scotland. As Bruce Crawford mentioned, they are regularly invited to perform and speak at events across Scotland and internationally and I think that we are all looking forward to hearing them at the BBC biggest weekend in Perth and at the opening of the V&A in Dundee.

We have heard a lot about the direct educational benefits, but these programmes also deliver a huge number of social side benefits and societal benefits. Children play together from the start and learn about teamwork. They learn about participating in a team environment and they get a sense of belonging. That sense of belonging and sense of responsibility is a powerful outcome from these programmes.

As we have heard, since big noise Raploch was established, the programme has spread to many different areas across Scotland and we have heard from members representing the different areas about Torry in Aberdeen, about Dundee, and about Govanhill in Glasgow. The powerful common message is the impact and the positive outcomes that these programmes have delivered.

The communities in which the programmes now operate are becoming famous for their young maestros and are showing the real benefits of these programmes. The children involved are becoming role models and they are genuinely an inspiration for young kids around Scotland.

A couple of members mentioned pressure on funding. I think that there is consensus across the chamber that this is a priority area. It is sometimes seen as a soft target, but I think that there is consensus that it is a priority and that it needs adequate funding.

I again thank Bruce Crawford and I wish all involved in the projects a very happy birthday and continued success in the future.

17:53  

I have long been aware of the benefits of participation in music. All three of my daughters took part in instrumental tuition in the Edinburgh schools orchestra and, for a long time, I have been aware of the far more profound benefits of the El Sistema approach in Venezuela, which was initially developed by José Abreu in a multistorey car park because he had nowhere else to begin the programme, so I was delighted when, 10 years ago, the idea came as big noise to Scotland. Over the years, I have tried to do everything that I can to support it.

I will mention two moments from those 10 years that are brought to mind when I think about the decade of the big noise. One has already been mentioned by Mark Ruskell—it is the concert that was given in the Raploch in 2012, when the big noise orchestra played with the Simón Bolívar orchestra prior to its engagement in London. I remember that night well. One thing that Mr Ruskell did not say is that it was a Scottish summer’s night, so the heavens opened and it poured. The audience were drenched—they were soaked. It was glorious to see the empathy between the Bolívar orchestra musicians and those youngsters from the Raploch, whose joy was radiant. If the heavens above Stirling were weeping that night, it was tears of joy that they were weeping. No one who was there will ever forget that. I do not know about the neuroscience of the effect on the brain, but that stuff is good for the heart—absolutely!

The other anniversary that I am reminded of is the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament, back in 2009. As the then leader of the Labour Party in this Parliament, I was asked to speak, along with the other party leaders and the then First Minister, at a reception in the Parliament to celebrate that anniversary, and I found myself reaching for something that epitomised this Parliament and this place at its absolute best. The thing that came to mind then was an earlier reception, like the one that we will have tonight, that was held in the garden lobby early on in the big noise. I said that it seemed to me that, for a Parliament to be open and to welcome those youngsters from the Raploch, who demonstrated by playing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” how they were engaging with the power of music to raise up their lives, was about as good as it could get for Scotland’s Parliament.

I was moved to say then that, if the first First Minister of our Parliament, Donald Dewar, had been able to be present at that event, he would have loved it. I think he would have been moved to pay it the highest praise that he ever gave to anything, which would have been to say, “I like that.”

I like that, too. Happy birthday, big noise.

That was worth waiting for, Mr Gray. I call the cabinet secretary to close for the Government.

17:56  

It is clear that there is a shared appreciation of—indeed, a passion for—Sistema Scotland and its work in our communities as we come together in our national Parliament to celebrate its 10th anniversary. That appreciation was best expressed by Bruce Crawford MSP, whom I congratulate on securing the debate and on expressing the pride and passion that he spoke of for the big noise Raploch.

As Maureen Watt highlighted, one man, in particular, deserves recognition for the success of Sistema Scotland. Richard Holloway, the chairman and founder of Sistema Scotland, brought his passion to the Raploch 10 years ago. He believed that being part of an orchestra and learning to play an instrument could help children to reach their full potential. He founded Sistema Scotland and began working with Stirling Council, the schools, the community and the families on a model that would meet the needs of children and secure change in that community.

The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, Sistema Scotland has gone from strength to strength. The board of Sistema Scotland, the chief executive Nicola Killean, the teaching staff, the schools and the many supporters, including local authorities, deserve special praise, too.

I have supported Sistema Scotland since I first became the Minister for Culture and External Affairs, way back in 2009. It was clear to me then that that creative, empowering and energising approach to supporting young people and communities was something special. I believe in the power of music, as do many others members; therefore, despite the pressures on the Government’s resource budgets, I have managed to protect the youth music initiative, which provides music experience not just to a few thousand children but to hundreds of thousands in Scotland.

The Government’s ambition is for Scotland to be the best place to grow up in, with every child being given the best chance to succeed, and we are committed to supporting early intervention programmes that support our young people, raise attainment levels, tackle inequality and empower our communities. Sistema Scotland is addressing each of those key priorities and is making a real and positive impact in our communities. Although I am answering tonight’s debate, the Government has always seen this as a project of health and wellbeing and of community development as much as it is one of culture, and our finance for the project and support for it comes from different parts of Government. Mark Ruskell was correct in identifying that Sistema’s investment in the social infrastructure can make as big an impact as physical infrastructure can—sometimes in cases where that has not happened.

We recognise that many partners have helped to support Sistema Scotland. The programme works with around 385 children in the Raploch, and, with other partners’ support, Sistema has extended its reach, with new big noise centres in Govanhill, in Torry and, more recently, in Douglas, meaning that Sistema now reaches 2,500 children weekly. The private sector has an important involvement, and local authorities and various trusts are equally important. I encourage Kezia Dugdale to do the hard work that other members have done to bring together all those partners to fulfil her ambition.

Sistema Scotland continues to have a significant and positive impact. As Joan McAlpine and Dean Lockhart mentioned, the various reports and case studies evidence that. Independent evaluation has highlighted that, as well as increasing confidence, aspirations and self-esteem in the children and young people who are involved, Sistema Scotland makes a real and positive difference that benefits their families and the wider community. Tom Arthur set out how music can change individuals’ lives in many ways, including neurologically.

I am delighted that the Scottish Government’s on-going £2.5 million investment over four years is enabling Sistema Scotland to sustain and build on its work to enhance the health, wellbeing and prospects of young people in those communities in Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee. The models are sometimes different and reflect the communities that they are in. Jenny Marra spoke eloquently about the Douglas experience, the sense of place in Dundee and the musical experience there.

Orchestral performances that give children life-changing experiences are an important part of the big noise programme. Like Mark Ruskell and Iain Gray, I was lucky enough be on that very wet field in 2012 to attend the big concert at the Raploch, which launched the festival for the London 2012 Olympic games. The concert, which was conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and involved his Simón Bolívar orchestra, was inspiring and moving. As the heavens opened for that deluge, not one person moved, so captivated were they by that special musical experience. We could see, from the children’s faces, the impact that it was having, and we could hear it in the music that they played. That was the place to be at that moment in time. It was on that evening in 2012 that the late maestro José Abreu, the founder of Sistema, told me that, although there are Sistema programmes across the world, he felt that the Raploch model was the truest to his original vision.

The Sistema model brings together communities and shows classical music at its best. It celebrates the achievements and ambitions of young people, and the options and opportunities for those young people know no bounds. This year, there will be performances at the BBC big weekend with the BBC Scottish symphony orchestra, at the Glasgow European championships festival programme and at the BBC proms in the park, as well as at the many concerts that the children will perform in their communities for families and friends.

It is timely that we are celebrating the success of Sistema Scotland in our year of young people, as it is a great example of what our young people can achieve and of creating opportunities for them to shine. At the reception that Bruce Crawford MSP will host in the Parliament after the debate, we will hear stories from some of the children, and it will be the first time ever that more than 80 children from all four big noise centres will have performed together. It has involved a lot of hard work, preparation and dedication, and it promises to be a must-attend event.

The last word, the last sound and the last noise must be to congratulate the children involved on their achievements, because Sistema Scotland would not be in the place that it is in now without the commitment of the children. As we celebrate, let us celebrate the children of the big noise and Sistema Scotland.

What a lovely debate that was, with excellent speeches—I enjoyed every one.

Meeting closed at 18:04.