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Schools

John Lennon Bus Offers Music, Video to BHHS Students

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus stops in Beverly Hills as part of a nationwide tour to promote music appreciation among young adults.

"Who is John Lennon?"

"Can I meet him?"

"Is he on the bus?”

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These are some of the questions Hans Tanner, an engineer for The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, heard Tuesday from Beverly Hills High School students.

The bus is a mobile audio and video recording studio, as well as a production facility. For the past 14 years it has traveled around the United States and Canada offering free songwriting and multimedia production workshops. Three on-board engineers help visitors learn how to write, perform, record and produce original songs and music videos using the latest technology.

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“I love it,” said Sharona Mossazadeh, a BHHS senior and producer for KBEV, the school's television station. “Kids are really excited that they are getting hands-on experience.”

Tents accompanying the bus offered lessons on how to play the electric guitar and drums. On board the vehicle, students took advantage of video production equipment to make music videos.

The teens who participated received a short lesson on John Lennon’s influence in the music industry, Tanner said. Because current high school students were born after Lennon died, many are unfamiliar with the former Beatle and his music.

A BHHS parent knew about the bus and requested that it come to the school as part of its California visit this month. The bus is stopping at only a few schools in SoCal, so this columnist thanks the parent who took the time to make the request.

Assistant Principal Jennifer Tedford helped facilitate the visit.

“We put the bus in front of the campus and announced it at lunchtime so the students wouldn’t miss it,” Tedford said. A few hundred students visited the bus and tents, she said.

The bus, which began as an offshoot of the John Lennon songwriting contest, is funded by about three dozen corporate sponsors. Major sponsors include Apple, Sony, and the video and audio production software company Avid.

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