“This is precisely the kind of project John Lennon would have loved.” – Yoko Ono Lennon
Montblanc, also known as the “cultural brand”, is proud to honour John Lennon’s life, his music and his dreams by contributing to selected cultural projects which support music education. For one year, Montblanc will be collaborating with The John Lennon Education Tour Bus, a US non-profit mobile recording studio providing young people with the means to learn how to compose, play, perform, record and produce songs and music videos.
The Mission
The Lennon Bus is committed to providing students with increased access to music, audio, video, and broadcast technologies. The program works together with local partners to create free events for middle, high school, and college age students to tour the bus, and participate in the production of music, video and digital photography projects reflective of their ideas and concerns, regardless of their levels of expertise.
The Crew
The Crew is a highly-specialised team consisting of a driver and three onboard engineers, who are multimedia producers and educators, capable of creating professional music and videos in high-pressure environments. With their assistance, students learn how to write, perform, record and produce original songs, produce and shoot music videos and documentaries – all in one day.
The Studios
The John Lennon Bus is a professional recording studio and HD video production facility, equipped with the latest instruments and gear. The interior is divided into three seperate studio environments that can be opened to create one large studio. The front studio is a state-of-the-art audio and video production room. The rear studio offers pro-level recording and mixing as well as an isolation chamber for acoustic recording and a chromakey booth. While the Bus is on site, the Lennon Tents give visitors the chance to be hands on with the latest equipment including The Beatles: Rock Band, Roland keyboards and drums, and Gibson and Epiphone Guitars.
The History
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus was created by Executive Director Brian Rothschild and music manager David Sonenberg and is made possible by an agreement with Yoko Ono Lennon. Over the years, guests have included artists like Carlos Santana, will.i.am and Black Eyed peas, John Legend, macy Gray, LeAnn Rimes, Mary J. Blige, NAS, Al Jarreau, Dave Koz, Bob Weir, Justin Timberlake, Vanessa Carlton, Sheila E, Lamont Dozier and Wyclef Jean, to name a few.
