"Sunny day! Sweepin' the… clouds away!"

Michael Faulhaber President, AMC

Depending upon who you are, those opening lines of the Sesame Street theme song may take you back to childhood… or back to this morning. But no one can hear them without a smile. Imagine how we're beaming here at AMC now that Sesame Workshop, the force behind Sesame Street, has teamed up with our parent organization NAMM-International Music Products Association to create a multimedia music education program called Sesame Street Music Works.

Through video, print, the Internet and other channels, Music Works will combine Sesame Workshop's three decades of experience in making learning fun with NAMM's unique music expertise to deliver activities, information and advice for kids and grownups alike. Kids will learn about ways to make music; parents and educators will learn about how important it is to their children's early development; and it will all be available in both English and Spanish.

You've been hearing a lot about our strategic partnerships lately. In addition to Sesame Workshop, we've joined forces in the last year with names like Disney and Carnation. The common thread in these relationships is that in each case, we can do more with our partners than either of us could accomplish alone. There's a multiplier effect at work, amplifying the impact of our knowledge, our time and our financial resources so that our core messages reach more people in a more effective way.

Of course, it doesn't hurt when your partners bear such prestigious names. Their reputations are well earned, and our newest teammate, Sesame Workshop, is no exception. With music education advocates like Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster on board, we're all in for a great ride…on our way to where the air is sweet.