The John Lennon Education Tour Bus

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Ribault students get taste of digital entertainment business

BY JOSH SALMAN -- Jacksonville.com


They had the lights, the cameras and the most action they’ve ever seen.

They had the singing, the dancing, the producing and the editing. They cut a record, made a music video and experienced all there is to experience in the art of music and Hollywood. And they did it in just one day.

Six students at Ribault High School ditched the textbooks and lectures Wednesday to learn all about the digital multimedia business through the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus - a studio and production showcase on wheels.

The Jacksonville students began their day writing lyrics to their own song. They then went into the studio to record it. They edited the audio tape and hit the campus.

The students danced, sang and did take after take as they filmed a music video.

“The experience has been unexplainable,” said Christopher Taylor, a Ribault junior who participated in the workshop. “I’m learning a lot about what it takes to be an artist. Some things don’t work out, but all comes together when you work as a team.”

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a nonprofit organization that travels the country and visits schools, day camps and after-school programs. The goal of the workshops is to engage students and spark creative interest in digital multimedia careers, on-board producer Seamus Harte said.

“Hopefully, the experience will help them continue to produce their ideas,” he said. “The truth is, it’s really easy to do this stuff nowadays. We show them how it’s possible.”

The bus is equipped with a recording studio, two digital editing hubs, mixers, a surround-sound audio system, high-definition TVs and all of the needed camera equipment.

The rolling studio has the capability to record an album for a professional rock band or make a simple, homemade movie to post on YouTube, Harte said.

“The idea is you can get involved and be a producer, no matter your background knowledge,” he said.

Ribault was chosen by members of the organization and its sponsor, Apple, because of the lack of opportunity its students have to conduct similar activities in the classroom.

The students - Taylor and fellow juniors Wilton Howard and Shonquea Mckay, senior Mariah Bolton and freshmen Ketrica Smith and Regina Mckay - were then selected based on music inclination and interest.

“The level of technology here far exceeds what we could do in the school district,” said DeAndre Jackson, a Ribault technology teacher who spearheaded the event. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for these kids to integrate their talents and gain experience.”

To the students, it was an opportunity they’ll never forget.

“I never expected this to happen to us,” Ketrica Smith said. “I’m so honored and could definitely see myself doing this as a career someday. It’s hard work, but it’s fun.”

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http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/schools/2009-05-28/story/ribault_students_get_taste_of_digital_entertainment_business

Imagine a studio on wheels.

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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 story-boarding to 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 Apple's Final Cut Studio and Bogen Imaging's complete line of grip equipment, tripods, filters, and accessories, 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.