Youth orchestra scheme hits right note in Glasgow's southside A community music project that began in Venezuela is hitting the right notes in Scotland with the launch of a second children's orchestra. Youngsters in Govanhill on the southside of Glasgow are getting involved in the Big Noise Orchestra programme following success in Raploch, Stirling. The project aims to boost children's confidence, learning and sense of community through making music. Based on the methods of Venezuela's El Sistema movement, it was established here by Sistema Scotland five years ago. A team of eight musicians has been working with primary one and two children at four schools in Govanhill for the last 10 weeks, and they played a concert in Govanhill Park on Tuesday. Sistema Scotland spokesman George Anderson said: "It's been an amazing five years. We went from a community with very little music happening at all to somewhere that's just got 10 children into the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. There are 450 children from babies to teenagers now learning very serious music and who all live within about a mile of one another, which is extraordinary. Having proved the benefits of it in Raploch, and that it would work in this country, we are starting the story again in Govanhill. What we're aiming to do is to have the children more confident, happier and probably doing better at school and in other areas of their lives thanks to the discipline of playing in the orchestra. Collaborating to make something beautiful is a very powerful thing. We have ambitions to do this in lots of places in Scotland. El Sistema was founded in Venezuela in 1975 and now the country has a network of 180 orchestra centres. A Scottish Government-commissioned evaluation of the Raploch programme found children were happier, better behaved and more able to focus as a result of taking part. Sistema Scotland chairman Richard Holloway said: "We hope the whole Govanhill community can get behind this orchestra. The children are bursting with enthusiasm and potential. In 10 weeks we have formed an impressive string orchestra. Over time we will bring in woodwind, brass and percussion to form a full symphony orchestra. Not only will it produce wonderful music, it will transform lives.