The Lennon Bus: Bringing Music to Students

With the support of Yoko Ono Lennon and a host of generous sponsors, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is dedicated to offering students access to technology for creating music, video and audio productions and broadcasting. Working with local partners, the non-profit organization arranges free events for middle school, high school and college students during which they have the opportunity to tour the bus and participate in music, video and photography projects.

Programs promoted by the Lennon Bus include ‘Tours of the Bus’, which is kitted out with the very latest multimedia technology, and ‘One Day Music Video Production’ in which 6 to 8 students have the opportunity to product their own original work, from writing a song – both music and lyrics – to recording and mixing it, shooting and producing a video, and finally presenting the finished product. The ‘Colleges and Universities’ program travels across the United States and Canada where, working with campus officials they organize events at colleges and universities where the bus is the central point of a tent village with live music, tours of the bus and various music and video productions.

The ‘High School Battle of the Bands’ is one of the highlights of the Lennon Bus programs and is well supported by musicians and audiences alike. Featuring all genres of music, this event brings together students from a variety of backgrounds with their varied preferences of music. Rewards for the winning battle include free entry to the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, as well as the opportunity for a professional recording session on the bus. The winners are also in line for some fantastic prizes from sponsors such as Gibson, Avid, Epiphone, Apogee and Disc Makers.

‘Concert Tours’ offers students access to festival tours and meet-and-greet sessions with headlining bands and musicians, such as Carlos Santana, Black-Eyed Peas, Bob Weir, Elton John, Mos Def, John Legend, Warped Tour and others.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus recently stopped at New York City’s Patrick Henry Prep where Yoko Ono addressed the students, telling them to affirm their worth to themselves each morning. The Lennon Bus will visit schools in all five of New York City’s boroughs, ending the tour on October 9th – which would have been the legendary Lennon’s 74th birthday.