The Schools Festival Song was performed by 8,000 school children from Manchester and across the Northwest in the MEN Area in December 2006.

This song was written by one of legendary film composers Ennio Morricone, who has composed for films including Once Upon A Time in America, The Mission, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Kill Bill.

The lyrics were written by Nicholas Royle who was born in Manchester in 1963. He is the author of five novels – Counterparts, Saxophone Dreams, The Matter of the Heart, The Director’s Cut and Antwerp.

This was in partnership with Young Voices, who stage the largest children’s choir concerts in the world with specially arranged repertoires designed to encourage more children to get involved in music and also to broaden their musical horizons. Artists such as Ms. Dynamite, David Gray, Katherine Jenkins and Heather Small have all performed with the Young Voices choir in the past, giving these pupils the exciting opportunity to perform alongside some of their role models.