John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Rolls Into NAMM Foundation’s ‘Best Communities’ to Support Music Education

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is gearing up for two-day fall residencies with students in seven of the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education. Along with the bus visit, the schools will host SupportMusic Community Forums attended by educators, NAMM members and community leaders. Schools earned their Lennon Bus visits by submitting winning video entries illustrating ‘What Makes Music Education Great in My School.’ The SupportMusic Community Forums featuring the Lennon Bus kick off this September in Milwaukee, WI.

The NAMM Foundation invited 2014 Best Communities for Music Education and SupportMusic Merit Award designees to submit videos. The winning student-produced videos illustrate the unique greatness of their schools’ music education program and why music means so much to students. Everything from heartwarming student testimonials and vibrant performance footage, to zombies and student news reporters are employed to creatively illustrate the power of music.

“The students did a remarkable job in creating videos that truly bring the power of school music to life,” said Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation. “We look forward to showcasing schools and communities that believe in music education throughout the fall in SupportMusic Community Forums. The Forums and Lennon Bus visits will not only fortify music education in the communities we visit, but also among their neighbors and others working to assure music learning opportunities for all children."

Students will spend two days creating music video projects in the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus’ mobile recording studios. A live webcast and mobile broadcast will share each schools’ music education program and strategies to advance arts education as part of the core curriculum with people worldwide.

Inspiration from the Lennon Bus will carry over to the entire school year, as the bus has arranged generous instrument and equipment donations to each of the seven winning schools. Donations made by NAMM member companies to each school total more than $3,500 including products and instruments from Epiphone, Yamaha, Audio-Technica, Mackie, IK Multimedia, Neutrik and Genelec.

On the second day of the visit following the Forum, the Lennon Bus will be open to the public. NAMM members are encouraged to participate in local forums and share the winning videos.

SupportMusic Community Forums featuring the Lennon Bus tour stops:
Milwaukee, WI, 9/4-9/5, Bruce-Guadalupe Community School
Burlington, MA, 9/25-9/26, Burlington High School
Skaneateles, NY, 9/29-9/30, Skaneateles High School
Springfield, PA, 10/14-10/15, E.T. Richardson Middle School
Hampton, VA, 10/20-10/21, Hampton City Public Schools
Austin, TX, 10/30-10/31, McCallum High School
Smith River, CA, 1/29-1/30, Smith River School

Throughout the Best Communities for Music Education’s 15-year history, designated districts have reported that making the “Best Communities” list has helped preserve and advance their music education programs. A recent Harris Poll reveals that 69 percent of polled adults say that their childhood experience with music education has been influential in their level of personal fulfillment as adults.

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About NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 9000 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus 
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit, state-of-the-art mobile Pro Audio and HD video recording facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all ages. In its 17th year of touring, the Lennon Bus features the latest audio and video technology, gear and music products. The concept began as an offshoot of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, which is dedicated to providing opportunities for both professional and amateur songwriters around the world. The Bus travels across the U.S. and Canada year-round, providing free tours and workshops at schools, retailers, festivals, on tours with headlining artists, and at major industry conferences. Lennon Bus Europe began providing these same opportunities to the young people of Europe when it launched in Liverpool, UK in May 2013. For more information please visit www.lennonbus.org.

The Bus is made possible by Yoko Ono Lennon and the following sponsors and contributors: Apple, Montblanc, Sony, Neutrik, Avid, Yamaha, Musician’s Friend, Gibson, Epiphone, NAMM, Adobe, OWC, Sonnet Technologies, True Religion, SESAC, Genelec, Vox, NewTek, TodoCast, LiveU, Mobile Roadie, Audio-Technica, DJI, Ableton, JamHub, Mackie, Ampeg, Digital Media Academy, UNESCO, Litepanels, Manfrotto, Clear-Com, Anton/Bauer, AJA, Solid State Logic, Digital Rapids, SKB, New Bay Media, Copperpeace, Apogee, Applied Acoustics Systems, McDSP, Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, Noise Industries, iZotope, JDI, Mad Mimi, and Boingo.