A talented teenager with his sights set on a career in classical music has told how a groundbreaking community music and social change programme transformed his life.
Aiden Macdonald,17, has been part of the Big Noise programme in Govanhill, Glasgow, since he was seven and is now preparing to study music at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Big Noise is delivered by charity Sistema Scotland. It uses the power of music and nurturing relationships to help children in Scotland’s most disadvantaged areas build their confidence, resilience, attainment and ambition.
Vicky Williams, chief executive of Sistema Scotland, said: “We are so proud of Aiden and all he has achieved.
READ MORE: Scottish Government provides funding for threatened Big Noise projects
“We are always thrilled to see our participants grow up with us and go on to do the things they dream of when they leave school. While some participants like Aiden choose to pursue their musical talents, many others have found bright futures in a range of different areas in work, study or training.
“The important thing is that Big Noise teaches young people the vital life skills they will need as they move on to adulthood and we know that whatever the children on our programmes go on to do they will carry confidence, resilience and sense of support and care with them for the rest of their lives.”
Aiden lives in Govanhill with his mum, Julie, who works as a carer. He is currently studying at the Music School at Douglas Academy in Milngavie.
The unit is for young musicians of exceptional ability to continue their general education while receiving specialist instrumental tuition and extra time for musical studies.
Aiden learned to play the viola and performed in the Scottish Parliament through Big Noise. He was recently awarded a scholarship to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s seniors’ programme.
He has performed on BBC Scotland and gained a place on National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, performing at the Barbican in London. He was given a leadership role and a full bursary, something he described as a “massive achievement”.
He became Co-Principal Viola of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, is principal viola at the RCS juniors, and led an orchestra for the Benedetti Sessions, as well as winning the RSC Juniors Concerto Competition.
READ MORE: Vicky Williams tells of role as new CEO of Sistema Scotland
Aiden said: “I have achieved more than I ever could have imagined. Big Noise opened a whole new world, and it changed my life.
“I started with Big Noise when I was seven. I was in P2 and they came into my school and showed us the instruments. I had never seen anything like it. I got to pick one to play and from then on, I went to Big Noise and played music.
“Big Noise changed my whole life. They made me more confident. I was encouraged to perform and try new things.”
He added: “Having something outside of school was great. It was a different world. It was like a second family for me.”
Aiden’s mum, Julie, said: “Big Noise has opened so many opportunities for Aiden over the years. I'm so proud of everything he has achieved musically.
“The staff have been amazing. and I can't thank them enough for the support and guidance they have provided to Aiden and myself on his musical journey throughout the years.”
For the last ten years, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have been supporting the charity and to date have raised £4 million to help programmes in six targeted communities – Raploch and Fallin, in Stirling, Govanhill, in Glasgow, Torry, in Aberdeen, Douglas, in Dundee, and Wester Hailes in Edinburgh.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Aiden’s story shows the real power of music and we’re delighted that our players are supporting such wonderful projects, bringing communities together and helping children and young people gain confidence and skills they can take with them through their lives.
“And of course, we wish Aiden well with his studies.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here