The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra seeks to foster a passion for and understanding of orchestral music through education and community initiatives which make use of the individual talents of its musicians as well as the possibilities opened up by new media and broadcasting technology.

The orchestra has forged links with schools in communities across Scotland, but especially in the East End area of its home city, Glasgow, starting in 2002 with Toy Symphony. This innovative project brought together new technology, orchestral musicians and primary school children to perform together at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. That was followed by further work with the same schools, including a Firebird project with the orchestra's Associate Composer Stuart MacRae.

In Autumn 2005 the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will move to a new home close to the East End, at the restored Glasgow City Hall. As well as being an acoustically excellent concert venue this will also be a centre for music education, with workshop and teaching spaces, and the headquarters of the Scottish Music Information Centre. The orchestra will develop an exciting music learning programme for the hall, with an emphasis on building new audiences.