Rico Blanco, learning & Sesame Street

There is nothing strange at all about the current pairing of multi-awarded rock star Rico Blanco with Sesame Street. Blanco is a musician, who has always used his talent and celebrity to help create awareness of what would benefit the people most. Sesame Street, on the other hand, has very effectively made use of music as a teaching tool in the kiddie show. In fact most of the biggest music stars in the world have at one time or another appeared on Sesame Street. So the Sesame Street people probably thought, that since the children in the Philippines can use the help, why not use a Filipino guy to promote one of their projects and they chose Rico.

The announcement came last week. The world’s most renowned children’s program which, by the way, we get locally on Disney Asia, recently went into partnership with Blanco to launch the new education campaign called Sesame Street Kid Ako. This means that Rico and Sesame Street will create a Sesame Street corner containing a TV set, DVD player, books and Sesame Street videos at a public school to help encourage learning among kids at an early age. Walkaround Elmo, this version walks and is not to be tickled, and whom kids adore most among the Sesame Street characters and Cookie Monster, who loves cookies, he sings C Is For Cookie, will be on hand to join in the education celebration.

This is great. As any kid who grew up during the past 50 years will tell you, I suppose Rico was one of them as he is now in his ’30s, watching Sesame Street not only kept them quiet and busy, they also learned a lot. Too bad that they will not have the sweet Big Bird at the launch and also the Count, who despite his fangs, really makes counting games enjoyable. I am also worried about the words at a public school in the press release. Does this mean that there will only be one Sesame Street Corner in only one public school? Given the quality of education what we have nowadays and of how deprived teachers and students are of learning aids, a Sesame Street Corner in every public school will be a blessing.

 That dream may become a reality before you know it. Rico and Sesame Street will kick off the project in one school and then they will work together to generate support from the media and sponsors and from anybody interested to help, to create more Sesame Street Corners in public schools all over the Philippines. I do not know yet how people and organizations can go about helping the project. Maybe they can go to Maura Regan, senior vice president and general manager of Global Consumer Products, Sesame Workshop or check out www.sesameworkshop.org. on-line. I am also sure that Rico will be heavily promoting the project in his appearances. So expect to find more Sesame Street Corners in more public schools soon.

We can also look forward to Rico’s recording of two classic Sesame Street songs done in his own rock style. This is not only interesting, it is a landmark recording as this is the first time that a Filipino artist will record a Sesame Street song. I wonder which ones will Rico choose. Whatever he picks will be performed in a mall concert series that will be held later this year. These songs will also join Rico’s growing list of socially relevant recordings like Tayo Tayo Rin the MDG theme for the United Nations, Biyahe Tayo, the theme for the Philippine Department of Tourism and Posible, the inspiring theme for the Filipino contingent at the Southeast Asian Games a few years back.

Rico is a man of many talents. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, musician who plays keyboards, guitars, drums, bass and synthesizers, stage, film and television actor, music video director, who also dabbles in painting and photography. We can now add philanthropist to the list. He started out as a member of the band Rivermaya and went solo three years ago. Among his big hits are Himala and Hinahanap-hanap Kita with Rivermaya and Yugto, Balisong and Your Universe as a solo artist.