The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus ("Lennon Bus") was founded in 1998 as a non-profit

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

organization "committed to reaching youth through music and video". While corporately based in New York City, the work is carried out through a traveling bus, an audio and video recording studio on wheels. The Bus travels from coast to coast, making stops at

K-12 schools The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

, universities, Boys and Girls Clubs, concerts, trade shows, music festivals and more. At most stops the staff conducts free tours while providing an opportunity for a group of youths to record an original song and video. Each stop typically culminates in a community celebration and screening of the music and video just produced on the Bus. At some of its school visits, the Bus organizes a Battle of the Bands where students can engage in a friendly competition and the winning band may receive prizes. The Bus has also co-produced a course with the Digital Media Academy that is offered at several universities each summer, called "Come Together: Music and Video Production." The Lennon Bus is connected to the professional recording industry. Recording artists, including will.i.am,

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

have recorded on the Bus and participated in outreach programs. In addition to isolated recording sessions, the Bus has accompanied headlining artists, such as

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

, on their concert tours, allowing these artists to continue working on their records while they are on the road. Participants like Black Eyed Peas guitarist

George Pajon George Pajon Jr. (born April 10, 1969) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Early life George Pajon Jr. "attended private St. Matthias Elementary School, a Catholic K-8 school, in Huntington Park. Growing up in conservative ...

and musical director

Printz Board Priese Prince Lamont "Printz" Board (born September 11, 1982) is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer best known for his work with Black Eyed Peas and being a member of the production group Bucky Johnson. In addition, Board has ...

find time to inspire and be inspired. In 2006,

Edutopia Edutopia is a website published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF). Founded in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas and venture capitalist Steve Arnold, the foundation "celebrates and encourages innovation" in K-12 schools. Edutopia f ...

, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, featured the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus on Edutopia.org. Edutopia's video, "Making the Dreams of Young Musical Artists a Reality", and article, "Rock and Roll into Town: Students Make Tracks in a Recording Studio on Wheels","Rock and Roll into Town: Students Make Tracks in a Recording Studio on Wheels" http://www.edutopia.org/rock-and-roll-town follow the bus' progress and interviews executive director, Brian Rothschild. The article and video also showcase student musical progress from the bus' instrumental and digital resources.

References

{{John Lennon 501(c)(3) organizations Monuments and memorials to John Lennon