Sesame Street visits Detroit for 50th anniversary, films for November episode

Dozens of Detroit preschoolers can tell you how to get to "Sesame Street" after a Thursday visit from the beloved television series and its fuzzy red figurehead.

Elmo, along with the Sesame Workshop, partnered with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to teach preschoolers at Fleming Early Learning Center all about music.

The visit will also allow "Sesame Street" to feature Detroit in a special episode later this year.

Why is Sesame Street in Detroit?

The Detroit stop is part of a 10-city national road trip, created by the Sesame Workshop to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. Detroit is the tour's fourth stop.

While here, "Sesame Street" creators will film their events and capture parts of the city to feature Detroit in Sesame Street's 50th anniversary special this fall. 

"Children don't get an opportunity to come here" said Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop's senior vice president for curriculum and content. "Not only are you highlighting (Detroit) for the children watching Sesame who are from Detroit and recognize 'that's my hometown,' but then to have kids who have never been to Detroit say 'that's what Detroit looks like' — that's the whole point of this road trip."

The special will air on PBS and HBO in November.

What’s the Sesame Workshop?

The Sesame Workshop is "Sesame Street’s" creator and parent organization, a nonprofit group that works to educate and support children by partnering with community organizations.

Throughout this road trip, Sesame Workshop has partnered with PNC Bank, a business that has supported Detroit Public Schools for years. PNC employees and executives stopped by Thursday's event, along with Detroit Public Schools leadership, to hear from Sesame Street.

What did Detroit kids learn?

Dozens of preschoolers learned about music fundamentals from Elmo and Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians through songs and musical demonstrations. While not as enthusiastic about the speakers at the start of the event, kids were captivated by Elmo's sing-alongs and antics.

Detroit's deputy director of parks and recreation, JJ Velez, also stopped by Thursday's event to proclaim June 20, 2019 "Sesame Street Day" in Detroit.

Iranetta Wright, Detroit's deputy superintendent of schools, said music and art enrichment is an essential part of Detroit's curriculum and aligns with the Sesame Workshop's mission.

"It really served to me today as a culmination of all the wonderful things that have happened this school year," Wright said, "to be able to share those things together in an intimate setting with some of our youngest learners, but to also celebrate the fact that it's important to help students with their analytical skills, to give them an opportunity to learn and grow together, to talk to them about character development and what it means to be a good friend while you're talking to them about music and art and all of the other things that keep them excited." 

Can I see Elmo while he's here?

While the Sesame Workshop crew will be holding one more Detroit event on Saturday, tickets are sold out.

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