Projects in Stirling, Aberdeen and elsewhere have been praised.
A Scotland-wide music and social change programme has been credited with helping school pupils achieve their career goals.
School leavers attending three of Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise centres – Torry in Aberdeen, Raploch in Stirling and Govanhill in Glasgow – have all gone on to positive destinations this year.
The 16 young people are heading to college, university, work or training, building on earlier research into the charity’s Raploch programme in 2022, which found that 98 per cent of participants achieved a positive post-school destination.
Tochi, known as Chi, attended Big Noise Torry and credited it for helping her win a university place.
Having attended four days a week after moving to Scotland in 2022, she is now studying social sciences with criminology at the city’s North East Scotland College, and has been accepted to Edinburgh and St Andrews universities.
The 18-year-old said her time at Big Noise helped her secure her dream university place for her planned career in international law.
The former Lochside Academy pupil began playing music aged six, and spent several years playing trumpet in an orchestra in Italy before moving to Scotland. She began learning violin at Big Noise and also plays guitar and kalimba.
Chi said: “Music shows your dedication and passion for something that you’ve taken time to learn. When applying for jobs or applying for university, people look at how dedicated you are.
“Having learned two or three instruments shows that this person is the right person to choose.
“School-wise my career doesn’t align with my love of music, but going to Big Noise was a way to have fun, meet other people, and to help the community.
“In the orchestra you come together as a group of people, and that is really nice.”
Benny Walsh, from Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, joined Big Noise Govanhill in P3 and said it had been a huge boost to his confidence.
The former Glasgow Gaelic School pupil said his shyness came through in his style of violin playing, and that being encouraged to play loudly and not worry about making mistakes helped him become more confident.
He went to Big Noise two days a week during his time at school, and said the discipline of learning the violin helped him achieve seven As and three Bs at Higher and Advanced Higher.
Now 17, he is heading to Strathclyde University to study architecture.
Benny said: “Learning an instrument you have to be disciplined, and it takes a lot of time to be good at it. That definitely fed into my schoolwork.
“My goal was always to do well in exams, but learning discipline from the violin, I knew I needed to put the time in to make sure I’d got things right. I made sure I put in that little bit of extra effort.
“The social aspect of Big Noise was really big for me. It really helped my confidence and changed how I socialise with people.
“Before I joined I used to be quite timid and quiet, but I came out of my shell more in high school. That definitely changed a lot because of attending Big Noise.”
Vicky Williams, Sistema Scotland chief executive, said: “We’re thrilled our school leavers are going on to do great things, and the skills and experiences they have gained at Big Noise are helping them to achieve their dreams.
“Our mission at Big Noise is to empower communities and young people to fulfil their potential and support them in their achievements, hopes and aspirations.
“We know that the transition from school to further study or work can be a difficult time, and we are here for all our young people as they take the next steps on their paths.
“We are privileged to play a part in the lives of the young musicians we work with, and it is always inspiring when we see them forge ahead as young adults.”
Big Noise is a high-quality music education and social change programme, which launched in Raploch in 2008. It involves children and young people learning music after school, creating a community symphony orchestra which supports them to gain vital life skills such as confidence, resilience, creativity, and aspiration.
Independent evaluation of the Big Noise model has shown that it helps children to improve their concentration and language skills, enhances their problem solving and decision making, increases their self-esteem, and helps them develop strong friendships and support networks.
A study by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health of Sistema’s Raploch programme found that 98 per cent of participants achieved a positive post-school destination, compared to 84 per cent of young people of a similar background who did not attend.
Young people who attended Big Noise were more likely to be in employment after leaving school than their counterparts, with 42 per cent of attendees in employment as opposed to 30 per cent of non-attendees.
