Big Noise making sound waves across communities
A mother has told how a music and social change programme transformed her life and that of her two sons.
Colleen Fisher, from Raploch in Stirling, has been involved with Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise programme for more than 10 years.
She said the programme not only helped her children develop their skills and confidence, but also helped her connect with her community and learn the skills she needed to get back into work.
Colleen started coming to Sistema Scotland’s Little Noise sessions for pre-school children with her eldest son Dean, now 10, who is autistic, when he was a baby.
She later brought her second son Andrew, now seven, and both boys now go to Big Noise after school.
Colleen later started volunteering at the centre after a long break from the workplace, and has now found work as a dinner lady.
Colleen said: “I stopped working when Dean was diagnosed, just before he started school, so I was out of work for six or seven years.
“It was a really lonely time for me, and I was struggling to find things to do, but Little Noise gave me something to do and somewhere to be.
“It got me out the house with Andrew, and it got me talking to other mums. It was just the absolutely highlight of my week.
“When Andrew started school, I started applying for jobs and I wasn't getting anywhere, but I didn't have much experience.
“I was ready to just give up, but I started volunteering with Little Noise and Inspiring Communities, and they brought my confidence up massively.
“It was only a couple of hours a week, but I got so much from volunteering with Little Noise. I was offered so many training opportunities through Big Noise as well.
“It’s really helped me get back into work. I really believe in myself a lot more now. I’m working as a dinner lady at the moment, and the experiences working with kids and getting the training I did volunteering at Little Noise really helped me.”
Big Noise is a high-quality music education and social change programme, which launched in Raploch in Stirling in 2008.
It sees children and young people learn music after school, creating a community symphony orchestra which supports them in gaining vital life skills such as confidence, resilience, creativity, and aspiration.
Big Noise is delivered by charity Sistema Scotland and uses the power of music and nurturing relationships to help children build their confidence, resilience, attainment and ambition.
There are now six centres supporting almost 4,000 children and young people across Scotland, including Raploch and Fallin in Stirling, Govanhill in Glasgow, Wester Hailes in Edinburgh, Douglas in Dundee and Torry in Aberdeen.
A long-term evaluation of the model by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) was published in 2022. It found that 98 per cent of Big Noise participants in Raploch went on to a positive post-school destination.
Colleen said: “We’ve lived in Raploch for about 10 years, but I also used to stay in Fallin. The Big Noise team support Dean massively.
“Even just last year, Dean went through a really tough time and he withdrew from absolutely everything – even Big Noise – but the Big Noise team were always phoning me up with ways to help Dean out and try and help get him excited about music, and that totally worked.
“It’s great that they're phoning me, without me having to go to them with any concerns that I had.
“Big Noise is just a place where the kids can speak safely, and just be themselves. With Dean I feel that he masks so much and tries to fit in at school, but he doesn't need to do that at Big Noise. He can just be himself, which is massive for him.
“I don’t think I could live without it to be honest. Dean's built so many different relationships, he loves seeing people coming up from Fallin as well, and how much his music is coming on as well – he’s loving it.
“I think Raploch would be a completely different place without Big Noise. There’s nothing really for after school, especially for kids that are older. It means that they've got a safe place to be after school.
“Big Noise feeds them after school as well. Some kids might not be able to access a meal after school, but when they go home after Big Noise you know they've been fed.
“For me, Big Noise is a lifeline. It’s respite for Dean, it's respite for us. I just don't think we could ever do without it.”
Sistema Scotland is proud to have received support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, whose funding helps to continue and expand the Big Noise programme, enabling more children like Dean and Andrew to benefit from life-changing opportunities.
Vicky Williams, chief executive of Sistema Scotland, said: “Colleen, Dean, and Andrew are such an important part of our Big Noise community in Raploch and we are all so proud of everything they have achieved as a family, as well as so grateful to Colleen for stepping in to volunteer for us.
“Big Noise creates opportunities for young people to learn an instrument, but it is about so much more than simply playing together.
“We are here to support young people and their families in so many different ways, and it is wonderful to see how community-based, individualised support can transform people’s lives.”
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It's inspiring to hear how Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise programme has not only supported Colleen and her family, but has also become a cornerstone of the Raploch community.
“By empowering both children and their parents through music, volunteering, and confidence-building, this programme demonstrates the far-reaching impact of community-led initiatives.
“I am delighted that support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery is helping Sistema Scotland make a difference in people's lives, providing them with opportunities to grow, thrive, and contribute to their communities.”
