Screen Time - the power of musical couch co-op!

I love the idea of taking two very different things and letting them work together to create something special. French fries and a milkshake, for example: hot, salty fries dipped into a sweet, cold vanilla shake. (Apologies if you’re now headed to your nearest fast-food spot.)

In the gaming world, we have a term for this kind of pairing. When two players—of varying abilities—sit together in the same room, sharing one screen and two controllers, it’s called couch co-op. It’s a shared experience: working together to be heroes and send evil running for the hills.

Nathan Drake, main character of Uncharted game series, playing couch co-op with his in-game wife Elena

Those kinds of connections are what I think about every weekday morning when I sit down to enjoy a few hours of beautiful music with you. I think about how the life experiences of a composer like Johann Hummel might inform our own, or how the powerful opening chords of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony can both energize us and provide us with quiet contemplation. That spirit of connection is also what inspired Screen Time—the idea that music written for film, television, and games can be meaningfully linked to the great works of the concert hall, past and present.

Me sitting in Captain Picard's chair on the Enterprise

It’s been a joy to explore pop-culture touchstones while curating music for Screen Time. Back in November, you joined me for a trip down memory lane with a segment highlighting a television series that has inspired multiple generations of creative thinkers and curious minds. Sesame Street is one of the longest-running television shows in history, and its ability to address complex topics—like acceptance and loss—in ways children can understand continues to amaze me. Along the way, it has spotlighted extraordinary musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Jon Batiste, and the singing voices of HUNTR/X (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami) from K-Pop Demon Hunters. And the music? Songs you’ll sing forever, like “Heroes in Your Neighborhood” and “(It’s Not Easy) Bein’ Green.”

Dynamic Duos: Yo-Yo Ma & Elmo and Kermit & Jon Batiste

That same sense of childhood wonder connects beautifully to Claude Debussy’s own exploration of youth, imagined through the piano exercises he might have played as a young musician. He transformed those drills into “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum,” part of his Children’s Corner Suite. Debussy’s childlike imagination is on full display as he winds through glittering, rapid scales—strengthening technique while embracing playfulness. It’s easy (and amusing) to imagine Debussy joining Big Bird in the basement rec room for a bit of musical couch co-op.

These are the links that connect the music and storytelling of the past to the musical screens of the present. Whether you’re discovering Kurt Weill for the first time while playing Fallout, wrapping yourself in the magic of John Williams while watching Superman, or singing along with Mimi from La Bohème during a Stranger Things binge, music is always there—deepening stories and making them more powerful.

You can join Jennifer for your weekly dose of musical couch co-op on Screen Time, Friday mornings just after 8.