Nicola Killean
Educator, musician, administrator, activist, Nicola Killean is a woman with a vision to transform her country through its children and music.
Nicola became director of the charity Sistema Scotland when it launched in 2007. Its first Big Noise orchestra centre in Raploch, Stirling began teaching children the following year. A second centre opened in Glasgow’s Govanhill in 2013 with a third launching in Aberdeen’s Torry during 2015. There are plans to gradually roll out further orchestras around Scotland in the years ahead.
The orchestras are established in communities with significant challenges and many vulnerable families. Big Noise appears on the surface to be about music, but its main aim is to equip the children for success across all areas of their lives. The children are encouraged to be ambitious and have their sights on future education and career prospects. The programme starts with very young children and works through to adulthood, immersing everyone in a positive nurturing atmosphere as well as music.
Research has already shown Big Noise is having a positive impact on children’s social development and is boosting life chances.
Nicola Killean was educated at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and became a nursery teacher and an arts and education programme manager before heading Sistema Scotland. Her passion is making a difference, to change the prospects of children and through them to change society for the better. She does this by focusing on the needs of the 1,200 students in the programme, who are learning self-respect, resilience and confidence as they play together in orchestras.
As well as leading Sistema Scotland, Nicola has been influential in spreading its philosophy around the world. Many have visited Scotland to learn from the Big Noise programme, and Nicola has forged links with like-minded activists in many nations. In particular she has offered mentoring and support to emerging organisations in Sweden, New Zealand and South Korea.
Nicola is from a large extended musical family and has been interested in mentoring the young and transforming lives since her own youth. She loves the outdoors and travelling. She says that her achievements at Sistema Scotland have been inspired, guided and supported by her mentors - the former Bishop of Edinburgh and Founder of Sistema Scotland, Richard Holloway; and Maggie Cunningham, formerly of The BBC.
Rona Harding
Source:
Personal interview
