Last night on the TV debates I felt a bit like I was in Britain's worst boy band - so it's a pleasure to share the stage with the founding member of Britain's best ever boy band.
Thank you too to Zoe and Kitty for that brilliant music - and to Brine Leas High School for having us here today.
We're here to announce something that's going to bring schools like this alive with music and it's called School Stars.
Now I briefly want to tell you what this is about and why we're doing it.
SCHOOL STARS
First, what is School Stars?
It's a really simple but I think really brilliant idea.
Millions of us watch the big Saturday night talent shows.
And these shows are not really about what Cheryl's wearing or what Simon's going to say next.
They get everyone excited because we get to follow people following their dream.
We see people who go to normal schools and do normal jobs, but they get up on that stage and something magic happens.
School Stars is going to bring that magic into our schools.
It will be an annual nationwide competition, starting in the autumn term this year.
Each school will be able to organise their own contest, with pupils singing, performing, playing instruments to win through to the next round.
Then there are local area heats and regional heats before a big national final in June 2011.
And I'm really pleased to announce that we've got Global Radio - the UK's largest commercial radio group with over 90 stations across the country - to back this initiative and they have thrown their support behind it.
So has the BPI and so has UK Music.
But here's the really good bit.
First prize for the competition is something that people would kill for - a chance to record a song with Gary Barlow.
So if you and your friends think you could be the next Florence and the Machine or JLS or even Jedward then get involved.
WHY WE'RE DOING THIS
Now let me tell you why we're doing this.
There are lots of good reasons.
First there's the economic reason.
Just think if some of our greatest songwriters had never been inspired by music when they were young.
Imagine if John Lennon hadn't been given an acoustic guitar.
If Mick Jagger hadn't joined the church choir.
If Gary Barlow hadn't got a keyboard for Christmas.
We'd never have had All You Need Is Love or Satisfaction or Back For Good...
...and we wouldn't have the incredible success story of the British music industry.
Britain is the second biggest exporter of music after the US.
It employs more than one hundred thousand people.
It contributes more than £4 billion to our economy each year.
And for all the PR and A and R and executive lunches, what this success really comes down to is the raw talent.
So if we want to keep the music industry going strong we've got to keep investing in that talent.
And there's a social reason for School Stars too.
Earlier this week I spoke about the Conservatives' big vision for our country, which is to build the Big Society.
It's a society where people come together and work together to solve our problems.
And nothing brings people together like music.
With School Stars we're going to see kids practising together in the corridors, forming bands, getting together in lunch-breaks to sing and dance.
It's my hope that by doing the brave thing and getting up on stage more and more young people are going to be invested with self belief...
...the belief that they can be something, that they can play a part and make a difference.
But more important than the economic reason or the social reason for doing this is the fun reason.
Music is one of those things that is just a joy in itself and an end in itself.
There is nothing like making something beautiful out of thin air.
I want thousands or kids to realise that the best entertainment isn't what you download on Youtube, it's the stuff you make yourself.
CONCLUSION
So that's why we're doing School Stars.
I really hope this takes off and that these contests become as much a part of school life as harvest festival or the nativity play or sports day.
It's as simple as this:
More good music in our schools is good for the British economy, it's good for our society and it's good for the soul.