The John Lennon Education Tour Bus

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Lennon Bus Tour Promotes Music

TERRIA SMITH • THE DESERT SUN

Six high school musicians and vocalists pooled their talents this week to record a song and music video in less than two days.

The students were invited to record in the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus studio by their school band and choir programs, said Louisa Castrodale, the district’s visual and performing arts specialist.

All three high schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District were represented.

“The amazing thing is how natural it was,” Castrodale said. “The kids just went with it.”

The tour bus is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility. The bus, along with its educational staff, makes an average of 200 stops a year at conventions, trade shows, high schools and colleges across the country, said Eric Niewiarow-ski, board producer and engineer with the bus.

The bus is set up inside the Palm Springs Convention Center this week for the Computer-Using Educators 2009 conference.

The six students, most of whom had never met before Wednesday, talked about the type of music they liked before deciding on what type of song they would record, Niewiarowski said.

Three students who play in their school bands recorded the instrumentals, Niewiarowski said. After recording the music, the group worked on lyrics.

“Lyrics were the hardest part because we really didn’t know each other,” said Kimberly Badena, 17, a singer in the Desert Hot Springs High School choir.

Once the lyrics were finished, three student-vocalists sang their part, Castrodale said.

The final step in the process was to record a music video, which is about a girl who is cheered up by musical instruments.

“It was a really different experience to interpret the music visually,” said Matt Ingelson, 16, a trumpet player from Palm Springs High School.

“It’s been awesome to say the least,” he said. “It’s been a really extraordinary opportunity to work with professionals and record in such a short period of time.”

The song and music video were expected to debut Thursday night at the conference’s welcoming reception.

“This is precisely the kind of project John Lennon would have loved.”

- Yoko Ono Lennon

The Headlines

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Video aboard the Bus

The increasing accessibility of digital technology has led to an amazing expansion of opportunity in the art of digital storytelling. The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus has been at the forefront of this new media explosion, having produced daily video projects with students since January of 2001. The Lennon Bus puts state-of-the-art digital video equipment into the hands of workshop participants and teaches the entire digital workflow from storyboarding to web publication and DVD burning. Students leave the experience having shot, chopped, scored, and (most importantly) finished an entire digital video production. Using the latest cameras and professional hardware/software solutions including Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools, participants are exposed to the exciting world of digital videography and learn hot techniques of the trade. The accessibility of professional-quality technology is making it possible for millions of new voices to be heard and the John Lennon Bus is putting these tools into the hands of tomorrow's great digital producers. Subscribe to our Youtube channel so you never miss any of the amazing videos produced on the Lennon Bus.