Amongst the packed activity is another first performance, a song about the museum, this year's Guardian Family Friendly Museum award-winner, performed by Sheffield Young Singers at 2pm.

With the intention of it been the first of six songs for a projected Sheffield Song Book reflecting aspects of of Sheffield life from a child's perspective, it has been commissioned by the choir from Berlie Doherty and composer Richard Chew.

Award-winning author Berlie says: "I've sung in choirs all my life and, for many years, have been a member of the Sheffield Bach Choir. So it's a great joy for me to be involved in this project, helping to engage children in singing about and celebrating their own city."

Richard Chew, who collaborated with her to create Daughter of the Sea, a children's opera, for Music in the Round in 2004, is equally excited about the prospect.

He says: "It's a great pleasure to work with Berlie again on this new project which will celebrate Sheffield in song. I hope we will be able to convey something of the essence of this great city in words and music to the wider community."

Sheffield Young Singers, a mixed choir for eight-to-12-years-olds, was started last year by Helen Cowen, a much-experienced choral director and educationalist. Its present membership is over 30 children drawn from across the city and it meets every Thursday at Endclifffe Methodist Church Hall.

On Sunday they perform their new song in Weston Park Museum's Sheffield Life and Times Room where one of Sheffield Music Service's feeder orchestras for the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra, the Rivelin Orchestra, and Highly Strung will also be performing.

It will be difficult to miss Ensemble 360 musicians who collectively gather, largely in beastly mode, in the museum's What on Earth! display space armed with scores for Carnival of the Animals, Flight of the Bumble Bee, Berio's Opus Number ZOO and sea shanties arranged by Malcolm Arnold.

Snowy, the museum's famous polar bear, gets in on the act, you can create your own piece of music in Space Age Exhibition area, and discover 999 years of music in the History Lab.
Thanks to generous sponsorship, admission to the whole day is free