CAN MUSIC STRIKE RIGHT NOTE FOR HARMONY?

MUSIC and the making of it pulls people together, it can bridge language, age and class. Kids love music and should be encouraged to take up an instrument.

The only musical instrument I was offered as a child in the East End of Glasgow was the flute and that was followed by a good walk with some men dressed up in Orange Lodge outfits shouting about King Billy and 1690.

It didn't appeal to me and the songs were relatively dull, so I never did become musical.

Still it can work for some. There is a group of people on the other side of the world who have discovered that even in the direst of circumstances; orchestral music has helped drag kids out of poverty and crime.

It is based in Caracas in Venezuela and the innovative scheme is coming to Scotland.

This musical project is called El Sistema and it gives 250,000 young people the chance to learn an instrument, getting them away from drugs, guns and crime in the barrios.

Such is the success of this format; the youngsters from Caracas have gone onto world fame and recently played at The Royal Albert Hall as part of the Proms season.

The infamous Raploch estate in Stirling has taken example from this amazing project and plan to implement it this year.

The project will be supported by various companies including the BBC and the Scottish Arts Council.

It will provide access to free musical instruments, free travel and music tuition. It will increase the confidence of local kids who have grown up with the notion that poverty breeds ignorance.

Children who show willingness to learn and are eager to take part will be encouraged to develop their musical skills to the best of their ability.

The project will be community-based and the performing arts studio in the new Raploch Campus is being considered as a potential venue.

The Stirling estate which suffers from poverty, high unemployment, low educational achievement, drug abuse, sectarianism and antisocial behaviour should welcome this latest news.

Gun crime, drugs and alcohol abuse are on the up in the UK. Parents are in a state of panic and feel that the authorities and the government can no longer protect their families.

Despite Caracas being one of the most violent places in the world, this project became one of the most successful at getting youngsters out of gang related crime.

Hopefully the UK decision makers and fund givers will see the project as a wonderful opportunity and get behind it with all their support.

There is an opinion that orchestral music is strictly for the elite and not to the taste of the Raploch people, yet the project worked amongst the poorest kids in Venezuela.

Top rap musicians such as Kanye West have included a symphony orchestra not only in their recorded albums but also in their live performances.

This new scheme will introduce children to music, help them adapt to structure from an early age and encourage them to take pride in their talents.

Working with kids and encouraging them to take part in local activities can be difficult. I know this first hand when I worked teaching youngster's comedy to boost their confidence. The sporadic funding meant there was no real continuity with the course and kids started dropping out of the scheme.

Kids need stability; they need to believe that, when projects are put in place project leaders will be there to encourage them. If this music project works in the barrios of Caracas, it can surely work in Stirling.

Hopefully in a few years time, the Raploch Orchestra will drown out the noise of the Sectarian songs and street gangs and it may make the next generation of children excited enough to pick up a double bass instead of a needle. Who knows? It may just work?

SAVING THE PLANET DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN KNOCK ME DOWN

Am I the only person who hates cyclists who go straight through a red traffic light and almost knock you over as you cross the road?

Does their carbon footprint awareness and leaning towards green issues make them exempt from all traffic rules?

In Glasgow last week, I walked out as the green man came on at the pedestrian crossing . A young woman, in expensive looking cycling gear, just hurtled on through the lights regardless. She scared the beejesus out of a couple of stumbling pensioners, me and my niece Abi.

This happens to me at least three times a week in different parts of town.

They don't seem to care if you scream at them to stop; they look at you as if you are stupid and carry on.

If it is OK for them to go through a red light, is it OK for me to kick them off their bike? Will that save the planet?

BANG WITH A BIBLE - BEST CURE

I have a lump on the back of my hand near my wrist; apparently it's called a ganglion.

My husband told me I had to take a big family bible and whack the lump really hard till it flattens; apparently that's what they did in the old days.

My aged aunt confirmed his theory and told me if I wanted to come over this week she would get her big bible out, dust it down and start cracking at my hand.

I don't understand why it has to be a bible; religion has already screwed with my head as a child now it is going to break my wrist.

I also have a sty in my eye; I suppose the old fashioned way to get shot of it is to hit my eyeball with a hymn book.

Who makes these remedies up, angry old women with a religious fetish?

DRINK UP OR SHUT UP!

The latest trend in fruit juices is becoming insane. "Juicy Water" is the new product that will get kids into drinking water and upping their intake of fruit.

Now it seems we have become a nation of parents that have to somehow trick or disguise water and fruit to get it down our kids' throats.

As a child, I was told to eat an apple if I wanted a snack.

It was that or stop moaning till teatime came around.

Today's mums and dads should take those fussy wee kids a good long walk and then, at the appropriate moment, offer them a cold drink of good old Scottish water. If that fails to work, then use my mammy's old method and say: "Well, you can't be thirsty then can you?".

Tough love works and is cheaper than apple flavoured water.