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 (business), 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 ...

"committed to reaching youth through music and video". The work is carried out through a traveling bus, which serves as a mobile audio and video recording studio. The bus stops at K–12 schools, universities, Boys and Girls Clubs, concerts, music festivals, and other events and locations. At most stops, the staff offers free tours and an opportunity for the youths to record original songs and videos. At some of its school visits, the bus organizes a Battle of the Bands in which the winning band receive prizes. The bus co-produced a course with the Digital Media Academy that is offered at several universities each summer, called "Come Together: Music and Video Production." Various artists such as

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British and New Zealand singer, songwriter and record producer. She released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R& ...

and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

have had various levels of involvement with the Lennon Bus, such as recording on the bus and participating in outreach programs. The bus has accompanied

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

' guitarist George Pajon and musical director Printz on their concert tours. In 2006,

Edutopia The George Lucas Educational Foundation is a nonprofit publishing company, publisher that documents and publicizes exemplary K-12 education practices and programs, especially through video. It does this primarily through the Edutopia website. O ...

, 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 buses progress and interview executive director Brian Rothschild. The article and video also showcase the student music. Each Lennon Bus has a crew of 3 producer/engineers that works intensely with local youth; making music, teaching digital media production, creating original content, and giving voice to the often unheard stories and perspective of people from all walks of life.

References

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